Southwest Washington
Fishing Reports
2004 Report Archive
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WDFW Sport Sampling Results:
April 25, 2004
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Southwest Washington |
Salmon/Steelhead -
Cowlitz River - Catches are picking up for hatchery spring chinook and hatchery steelhead, including some summer-runs. Catches are spread throughout the lower river from the barrier dam downstream.
Effective May 1 on the Cowlitz River from the barrier dam downstream, the salmon daily limit will remain 6 hatchery fish, no more than 2 adults. The south side of the river from Mill Creek to the barrier dam will be closed to all fishing through mid-June.
Lewis River - Effort and catches are increasing especially at the salmon hatchery where 40 boats were counted last Friday (April 23). Effective May 1 on the Lewis River (including the North Fork), the salmon daily limit will remain 6 hatchery fish, no more than 2 adults. In addition, there will be no restriction for boats from Johnson Creek to Colvin Creek and the area from Colvin Creek to the overhead powerlines below Merwin Dam will remain open to fishing for hatchery steelhead and hatchery salmon.
Wind River - Effort and catches are increasing. Crowded over the weekend with possibly 200 or so boats last Saturday (April 24). Overall, boat anglers averaged a chinook per every 3.8 rods last week. Slow from the bank. A few spring chinook are being caught in the gorge although access is a problem. River flows are dropping. The upper river from 100 feet above Shipherd Falls to 400 feet below the Coffer Dam and from 100 feet above the Coffer Dam to 800 yards below Carson National Fish Hatchery opens to fishing for salmon and hatchery steelhead beginning May 1. However, only a few fish/day have been observed at the trap in Shipherd Falls.
Drano Lake - Effort and catches are increasing with about 100 boats here last Saturday (April 24). Boat anglers averaged a chinook per every 2.6 rods while bank anglers averaged one per every 5.7 rods last week.
White Salmon River - Bank anglers at the mouth are catching some spring chinook.
Klickitat River - Bank anglers are catching some spring chinook. River was fairly low and clear today.
Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Last week we sampled 2,400 salmonid anglers with 600 adult chinook. Boat anglers averaged a fish kept/released per every 3.5 rods based on completed trips while bank anglers averaged one per every 7.3 rods based on mainly incomplete trips. 72% of the catch were hatchery fish. 53% of the fish kept were of upriver origin.
Closed to fishing for salmon, steelhead, and shad from the I-5 Bridge to Bonneville Dam. The states of Oregon and Washington will meet Wednesday April 28 @ 1 PM to discuss the run and update the catch. Its likely I-5 downstream to Buoy 10 will close May 1.
The Technical Advisory Committee met today via telephone to discuss the upriver spring chinook return. Cumulative counts at Bonneville Dam from January 1 through April 25, 2004 are 90,932. TAC did not numerically update the run today, but concluded the following:
- The run is likely late.
- If the run is late it is too early for a precise update, as it is prior to the 50% passage date.
- TAC recommends that a river mouth run size range of 264,000 to 360,700 be used for management purposes at this time. Approximately 22,000 upriver fish have been harvested in fisheries downstream of Bonneville Dam at this time.
Bonneville Pool - Boat anglers are catching some spring chinook and steelhead.
The Dalles Pool - Boat anglers averaged a spring chinook kept/released per every 3.7 rods while bank anglers averaged one per every 5 rods last week. 79% of the fish caught were hatchery fish.
John Day Pool - Last week bank anglers averaged a chinook per every 4.5 rods while boat anglers averaged one per every 13.3 rods when including fish released. 62% of the fish caught were hatchery fish.
Sturgeon -
Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Scattering of legals are being caught throughout the river. Anglers are reminded the area from Wauna power lines downstream to Buoy 10 will be closed for retention May 1-14 and then re-open May 15 with a 45" minimum size. In addition, the area from Beacon Rock upstream to Bonneville Dam will be closed to fishing for sturgeon from May 1-July 31.
Bonneville Pool - Boat anglers averaged a legal kept per every 5 rods last week. Bank anglers are catching some legals.
The Dalles and John Day pools - Slow for legal size fish.
Walleye and Bass -
Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day pools - Anglers in The Dalles and John Day pools averaged a walleye kept/released per rod last week. Boat anglers in all three pools averaged up to 6 bass per rod when including fish released. Bank anglers in The Dalles and John Day pools were also catching some bass.
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