The spot shrimp fishery in Puget Sound and Hood Canal started off on a high note.
 
The good times for springtime fishing opportunities are widespread, with steelhead, shad and spring chinook biting on the Lower Columbia River and pots full of spot shrimp being pulled up from the briny depths of Puget Sound and Hood Canal, just to name a few.
 
“Steelhead fishing is pretty darn good below Longview, and there are still some spring chinook and also we’re starting to see some early summer chinook,” said Joe Hymer, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist.
 
Shad action is starting to crank up below Bonneville Dam in the Lower Columbia, and boat anglers were catching a good amount below Longview.
 
Shad counts at the Bonneville fish ladder showed 2,986 on Monday and 3,153 on Tuesday, with a cumulative count of 21,422. In recent years, the total season shad counts have averaged more than 1 million.
 
Locally, the spot shrimp fishery in Puget Sound and Hood Canal started off on a high note. While many of the marine waters off Seattle are now closed there are still some options for spot shrimp, including Hood Canal, which is open Saturday and Monday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day. Discovery Bay is open Saturday and Monday from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.
 
The Strait of Juan de Fuca, including Discovery Bay and San Juan Island “7 West Area,” are open daily. Fishing will close when the catch quota is achieved or on Sept. 15, whichever comes first.
 
The San Juan Island region known as “7 South” is open Thursday through Tuesday, and “7 East” is open this Thursday to Saturday only. Southern Puget Sound is open this Tuesday only with fishing allowed from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.