By Bob Brown For the past couple of weeks, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife has been touting its Black Friday fishing program, designed to offer anglers opportunities for tight lines rather than long lines on the day after Thanksgiving. In preparation for the Nov. 25 event, the department (WDFW) is stocking a number of lakes on both sides of the Cascades with thousands of large trout averaging about 16 inches in length and weighing up to three pounds. Some 915,000 trout have already been released into in preparation for the fall and winter seasons. How well the Black Friday opener be received remains to be seen? Larry Phillips, WDFW's inland fish program manager, said the program is a good reason to skip the shopping malls, avoid the stress, and enjoy a fun day on the water with family and friends. Really! Lakes in our area scheduled to receive fish before Black Friday area include Tanwax and American in Pierce County, and Fort Borst Park Pond and South Lewis County Park Pond in Lewis County. Many of those lakes are closed this week to fishing from Monday until Thanksgiving Day to facilitate stocking efforts. Fishing reports • Walt Harvey of Verles Sports in Shelton reported anglers fishing for silvers and chum in the Hoodsport area have been doing quite well using Anchovie set ups and corkies and green or chartreuse colored yarn. Some legal chinook have been caught around Fox Island near Point Gibson, Green Point and the entrance to Wollochett Bay. • According to Packwood’s Highway Shopper newspaper, Karen Glaser of Barrier Dam Campground reported that things there are going very well. Anglers were "still catching lots of silvers, and a few steelhead, but most everyone has been targeting silvers. Right now, the hot ticket has been the Wicket Lure. That lure has caught a lot of fish, and of course anglers are still using twitching jigs, and some still like their bait, eggs and shrimp, Blue Fox spinners and Little Cleo’s, plus a lot of corkies, and a lot of guys are using glow corkies for the evening bite. A variety of colors are being used in everything anglers have been using. Flows have been running in the 1,200 cubic feet per second range and clear which seems to bring the fish in and make anglers happy. All in all, fishing has been very good on the Cowlitz” River. • During the week November 7-13, Joe Hymer of the WDFW Vancouver office reported Tacoma Power employees recovered 2,392 coho adults, 365 jacks, 35 fall chinook adults, one jack, 55 summer steelhead, two winter steelhead and 69 cutthroat trout. They also released 480 coho adults, 54 coho jacks, 15 fall chinook adults, one fall chinook jack and nine cutthroat trout into the Tilton River at Gus Backstrom Park in Morton. Hymer also reported Mill Creek (tributary to the Cowlitz River ) will open Dec. 1 to fishing for hatchery steelhead, hatchery sea-run cutthroat and hatchery salmon from the mouth to the salmon hatchery road crossing culvert. Selective gear rules, night closures and anti-snagging rules will be in effect for this one month fishery. Bob Brown is a freelance outdoors writer. He can be reached at robertb1285@centurylink.net.
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