WDFW Sport Sampling Results:
April 3 - 9, 2006
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Latest
Southwest Washington |
Salmon/Steelhead -
Cowlitz River - Bank anglers are catching hatchery spring chinook near Castle Rock while hatchery winter run steelhead are being caught at Blue Creek.
During the past week Tacoma Power’s Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator recovered 177 adult steelhead and 23 adult spring chinook salmon during four days of separator operations. Tacoma Power employees released 98 adult steelhead and nine spring chinook adults into the upper Cowlitz River at the Day Use Park on Lake Scanewa. In addition, eight adult steelhead were released into the Cispus River above the mouth of Yellowjacket Creek. Tacoma Power employees recycled one adult steelhead downstream to the Barrier Dam boat launch, and they released eight steelhead into the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in
Morton, Washington.River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately 5,110 cubic feet per second on Monday, April 10. Water visibility is over ten feet.
Kalama River - Anglers are catching some spring chinook.
Lewis River - Anglers are catching some spring chinook near the salmon hatchery.
East Fork Lewis River from the mouth upstream to the top boat ramp at Lewisville Park and Washougal River from the mouth to the Mt. Norway Bridge at Vernon Road - Opens to fishing for hatchery steelhead beginning April 16. Selective gear rules will be in effect through May.
Wind and Klickitat river and Drano Lake - Light effort and no catch observed. Beginning April 12, Drano Lake is closed to fishing each Wednesday through May.
Lower Columbia from the I-5 Bridge downstream - Last week we sampled 2,025 salmonid anglers (including 825 boats) with 274 chinook and 4 steelhead. Boat anglers averaged a chinook kept/released per every 7 rods. Best catches were in the Cathlamet area with a chinook per every 4.1 rods when including fish released. Vancouver to the mouth of the Cowlitz slowed late last week when mainstem flows increased and the river became more turbid. Thursday through Sunday sampling showed a chinook per every 25 rods in that area. Bank angling remains slow.
82.4% of the chinook caught were kept. 60% of the chinook kept were upriver stock based on Visual Stock Identification.
In comparison, boat anglers from I-5 Bridge downstream averaged a chinook kept/released per rod during similar periods:
2005 2004 2003 2002
800 salmonid boats and 191 OR and 119 WA bank anglers were counted during yesterday's (Sunday April 9) flight. On a similar Sunday last year, nearly 1,000 boats and 450 OR and 100 WA bank anglers were counted from the I-5 Bridge downstream.Through April 9, a total of 121 adult spring chinook had been counted at Bonneville Dam. It represents the 3rd lowest count since the dam was constructed. 1943 (109) and 2005 (108) were the lowest counts through that date.
The next Joint State hearing is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Tuesday April 11, 2006 via telephone. The purpose of this hearing will be to review the sport fishery to ensure the fishery does not exceed ESA impact limits allocated to the fishery. Anglers are advised that closures to this sport fishery may occur with very short notice.
Bonneville Pool - No effort observed.
The Dalles Pool - No catch observed from the bank.
John Day Pool - Bank anglers averaged over ½ steelhead per rod when including fish released.
Sturgeon -
Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Some legals are reported being caught in the Bonneville area.
Bonneville Pool - Slow for legal size fish. Through March, an estimated 141 (20%) of the 700 fish guideline had been taken.
The Dalles Pool - Catch-and-release only through the remainder of the year.
John Day Pool - Anglers are catching some legals. Through March, an estimated 38 (23%) of the 165 fish guideline had been taken.
Walleye and Bass -
Bonneville Pool - Boat anglers averaged nearly 4 bass and 2/3 walleye kept/released per rod. Bank anglers were catching some bass.
The Dalles Pool - Boat anglers averaged a walleye kept per rod. Light effort and no catch for bass.
John Day Pool - Boat anglers averaged a walleye per about every 3 rods and a bass for every other rod when including fish released.
Trout -
Klineline Pond - No report on angling success. 3,000 brown trout averaging nearly 0.6 pounds each were planted on April 3.
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