FACT SHEET WASHINGTON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE 600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091

April 27, 2009
Contact: WDFW Public Affairs, (360) 902-2259

• Sockeye are one of five species of salmon native to Washington.  Adult sockeye typically weigh five to seven pounds.  The fish returning to Lake Washington are bound for the Cedar River and other streams feeding the lake, to spawn and complete their life cycle.

• Biologists have determined that 350 000 sockeye must survive to spawn in order for a healthy run to be maintained.  Surplus fish above that number are available for tribal and state harvest.

• State and tribal scientists will closely monitor the sockeye fishery as it progresses to ensure that conservation and allocation requirements are met.

• Each year, beginning mid-June, biologists with the Muckleshoot Tribe and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), count returning sockeye as they pass the locks.  Those daily counts, along with other information on sockeye, are available on the WDFW website.

• Potential sockeye fisheries will not affect ongoing efforts to recover Puget Sound Chinook, listed under the federal Endangered Species Act as a threatened species.  Most Chinook do not return to the lake in significant numbers until mid-August.

• For anglers who plan to take part in an upcoming Lake Washington sockeye fishery, here are a few tips from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to increase the odds of heading home with a salmon:
  1. Fish by trolling, preferably from a boat equipped with a trolling motor.
  2. Go very slow.  The most successful sockeye fishing is done at a dead-slow pace.
  3. Use a rig consisting of a bare 3/0 hook colored red or black (in a pinch, use a waterproof marker to color a plain hook), about 18 inches of 15 to 20-pound leader and a 0 or 00 dodger/flasher.  For weight, use about 4 to 6 ounces of lead or a “diver” 24 inches in front of the dodger.
  4. Fish at depths of 50 to 80 feet.  Morning fishers should start at 50 feet, and drop down as light intensifies throughout the day.
  5. Try spots that historically have been successful for catches, including:
  • the Seward Park Channel, toward the Mercer Island side
  • near the Evergreen Point Floating Bridge (note that fishing is closed within 100 yards of the bridge)
  • southwesterly from the southern tip of Mercer Island
  • in the east channel between Mercer Island and Beaux Arts area on the eastern shore of the lake
  • off the Leschi and Madrona areas north of the Interstate 90 Bridge.

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