February 17, 2008

Latest Southwest Washington Sport Sampling Summaries [PDF Format]

Salmon/Steelhead

Cowlitz River - No report on angling success. Last week Tacoma Power recovered 429 coho salmon adults and 25 winter-run steelhead at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator during five days of operations. During the week Tacoma Power employees released 103 coho adults and 18 winter-run steelhead into Lake Scanewa at the Day Use Site and 34 coho adults and four winter-run steelhead into the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton, Washington.

River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately at 9,830 cubic feet per second on Tuesday, February 19.

Lower Columbia from the I-5 Bridge downstream - 1 bank angler and 2 boats/2 anglers had no catch. There was a spring chinook reported caught near Vancouver over the weekend. Effort increased this past weekend with 49 boats and 122 Oregon and 30 Washington bank anglers counted during the Saturday Feb. 16 flight.

The gated entrance to Lions Park also known as Martin’s Bar on the Columbia River at Woodland, WA, has been closed temporarily. The Army Corps of Engineers is depositing dredge spoils on an adjacent site and the regular entrance site has been closed as a public safety measure. The Port of Woodland has provided an alternative access site. The directions are posted on the gate leading into Lions Park. The site could remain closed until late July or early August of 2008.

Bonneville Pool - Effort and catches are light.

The Dalles Pool - Slower for steelhead last week.

The mainstem Columbia spring chinook fishery is currently open from Buoy 10 to the I-5 Bridge but will close for salmon, steelhead, and shad Feb. 25 through March 23 before the new regulations take effect.

Buoy 10 to the west power lines on Hayden Island - Salmon fishing will be open seven days per week from March 24 to April 4 with a daily limit of one hatchery adult chinook salmon.

West power lines on Hayden Island to Bonneville Dam - Salmon fishing will be open six days per week from March 16 through April 30, with a daily limit of one hatchery adult chinook salmon. From March 24 through April 30, the sport fishery will be closed for all species from one hour after official sunset Mondays to one hour before official sunrise Wednesdays.

Bonneville Dam to McNary Dam - Salmon fishing will be open seven days per week from March 16 through May 10 with a daily limit of two hatchery adult chinook salmon. Bank fishing only from Bonneville Dam upstream to the Tower Island power lines.

The mainstem Columbia River will be open for adipose fin-clipped steelhead and shad during days and seasons open for adipose fin-clipped spring Chinook.

Sturgeon

Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - 5 bank anglers near Bonneville Dam had no catch. 5 boats/9 anglers between Vancouver and Kalama released 12 sublegals. Effort increased this past weekend with 111 boats and 30 Oregon and 16 Washington bank anglers counted during the Saturday Feb. 16 flight.

Bonneville Pool - Boat anglers are catching some legals. Through January, an estimated 28 (4%) of the 700 fish guideline had been taken.

The Dalles Pool - Boat anglers are catching some legals. An estimated 31 (31%) of the 100 fish guideline had been taken through January.

Walleye and Bass

Bonneville Pool - Boat anglers are catching some walleye. No effort observed for bass.

The Dalles Pool - Including fish released, boat anglers averaged nearly 1.5 walleye per rod while bank anglers averaged one per every 3 rods. No effort was observed for bass.

Trout

Silver Lake (near Castle Rock) - Planted with 2,790 catchable size rainbows Feb. 12.

Kress Lake near Kalama - Planted with 1,514 catchable size rainbows Feb. 13.

Klineline Pond - 15 bank anglers had no catch.

Little Ash Lake near Stevenson - Planted with 801 catchable size rainbows Feb. 11.

The 2008 Southwest Washington Catchable Trout Plants can be found at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/plants/regions/reg5/index.htm

Smelt

Cowlitz River - Ten pound limits were possible last Saturday with some effort and being in the right location. Fish were caught at least upstream to Kelso. Mixture of sex and sizes. Commercials landed over a ton of smelt from the Cowlitz on Sunday (Feb. 17) night.

Flows at Castle Rock were 11,800 cfs this morning (Tuesday Feb. 19) which is just under the long-term mean of 12,600 cfs for this date. Flows are expected to remain relatively stable for the next week.

Mainstem Columbia water temp. was 41 degrees near Skamokawa today. Smelt prefer water temperatures of 40 degrees or above. 21 sea lions were observed at the mouth of the Cowlitz during last Saturday's flight and numerous birds and seals were observed downstream to Skamokawa.