Northwest Fishing Reports

Ive been fishing the Sky a lot and only catching Whitefish here and there. Has anyone seen or caught many from any area on the river? Ive caught mine while steelheading. Baits, locations?. Any tips?

Ralph, can't speak for the Sky, but used to fish for them on the Yakima. Small hook with a maggot or single salmon egg used to do the trick.

2 major methods, depending on depth and flow. Classic river rig has a slinky or inverted speedometer wire "V" or rubber tubing with wire lead on the bottom, with 2 standouts and red, yellow or brown hackle flies on the standouts, (I like size 12-14, but have used much smaller, down to size 20 with succes {hard to land though!}) with maggots (1-2), single eggs or helgramites tipping the flies. Cast to current and adjust your weight till it tap-tap-taps its way over the bottom, in a gravel bottomed area. This should feel like you have thousands of constant light bites, and takes some practice to know the difference. Not a lot of practice, but some.
For slower (not dead) water, a bobber with a fly on the end of the line and a split shot just heavy enough to keep it near the bottom. Same bait. Drift at the edges of current, vary clors and sizes, and use light line. If you drift fish, just use the first method, or ice fishing jigs, sort of like perch fishing. Always keep you bait just off the bottom. I've caught whitefish in dozens of rivers using these methods. The Sky, Klickitat, Yakima, Columbia, Wenatchee and a whole bunch more. Winter fun!

Forgot, the rubber tubing is attached to the line with a snap swivel, as are all the weights on the first method, to prevent line twist.

Always keep youR bait just off the bottom.

They love single egg/beads. Cant keep em off sometimes while single bead fishing for steelhead..... They are in every system!

fishenfreak is right, especially during the spawn. With scuba gear or underwater cameras you can watch 'em like little narrow mouthed vacuum cleaners getting any loose eggs.

Thanks everyone. I catch them while plunking. I smoked one I got. I've had lots of smoked whitefish but its better when ya do it.

I found whitefish fishing to be incredibly frustrating. I'm not a steelhead/river fisherman, so I never had the experience in differentiating tiny, ultralight bites when your whole rig is bouncing off the bottom. One time at Vernita, I fished for probably two hours and caught nothing, while guys around me we just slaying them. One nice guy saw my frustration and came over, grabbed my rod/rig, chucked it out right where I'd been fishing, and immediately caught a whitefish on the first cast. I was getting bites and fishing correctly, but not noticing the pickups because they were "drowning in the noise" of the bottom bouncing effect.

I should try the bobber technique - I'd probably have an easier time of it.

Two spots I fished for them was up the Sultan River behind the Boys and Girls club (gotta walk back about 10 minutes) and the other was underneath the bridge just north of Machias.

get them on the satsop often. a peeled perrywinkle through a slow deep hole if i'm targeting them. get them on spinners and spoons searching for cutts regularly too.

I went this week. I had some luck but not much. I'm going to a much smaller hook. I was using a #1 Gomakatsu. I remember a guy who caught them where the Raging hits the Snoqualmie using maggots on a pink topped maggot hook. I will not give in to their lil tricks. The red beadfs worked with a prawn tip but im going to try Patsukes eggs.