Northwest Sportsman – August 2019

nwsportsmanmag.com | AUGUST 2019 Northwest Sportsman 61

COLUMN

T

his is one of the
most outdoor
opportunity-rich
times of the year in the
South Sound. On tap is
a coho run predicted
to be larger than the
odd-year pink salmon
return, while bear season also opens.
Both bank-bound anglers and boat
captains will be busy on Puget Sound and
the rivers for the fish. Meanwhile, cooler
temperatures in late spring and early sum-

SOUTH SOUND

By Jason Brooks

Salmon To Catch, Bears

To Match Wits With

mer meant great growing conditions for

wild huckleberries, blackberries, salmon-

berries and other fruits black bears will be

gorging on to put on winter weight, and

this year’s season in the South Cascades

starts two weeks earlier than in the past.

Ahhh, yes, August is my favorite month

of the year when it comes to South Sound

fishing and hunting.

COHO WILL DOMINATE this fall and before

they get to the rivers the silver-sided rock-

ets will be passing through Puget Sound.

With 670,200 predicted to return the spot-

light will be on the Puyallup River, where

41,569 are heading.

To put the size of the coho run in per-

spective, the pink salmon return is ex-

pected to be 608,400 for all Puget Sound

rivers, with 47,905 coming to the Puyallup

system. This means you are just as likely to

catch a coho as you are a pink in salt- or

freshwater.

With a lot of fish returning to the South

Sound and restrictions in the North Sound

due to low runs, anglers should look to Ta-

Chinook, coho and pinks will be on the mind of South Sound

anglers as good numbers return to the region’s rivers. They’re

catchable using a wide variety of tactics. (JASON BROOKS)