WDFW Sport Sampling Results:
September 6-13, 2004

Latest Southwest Washington Sport Sampling Summaries [PDF Format]

Salmon/Steelhead -

Cowlitz River - Fishing is slower right now. During the past week, Tacoma Power and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife employees recovered 509 fall chinook adults, 11 fall chinook jacks, 300 summer-run steelhead, 52 spring chinook adults, 16 spring chinook jacks, 219 coho adults, 25 coho jacks and 40 cutthroat trout during five days of separator operations at Tacoma Power's Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery.

Tacoma Power employees transported 45 spring chinook adults, 150 coho adults and 16 jacks to the upper Cowlitz River at the Day Use Park in Lake Scanewa during the week. Nine cutthroat trout were released into the Tilton River or Mayfield Lake during the week. A total of 69 coho adults, seven jacks, one fall chinook adult and 16 spring chinook mini-jacks were released into Mayfield Lake at the Ike Kinswa State Park boat launch during the week.

During the past week, Tacoma employees recycled 219 summer-run steelhead, 172 fall chinook adults and four jacks, and five cutthroat trout downstream to the I-5 boat launch; they recycled 118 summer-run steelhead, 72 fall chinook adults, two jacks, and eight cutthroat trout to the Massey Bar boat launch; and they recycled 135 summer-run steelhead, 139 fall chinook adults, three jacks and 15 cutthroat trout to the Olequa boat launch. In addition, they transported 40 summer-run steelhead to the Cowlitz Trout Hatchery for brood stock.

Toutle River - No report on angling success. Through Sept. 7, nearly 800 early stock coho had returned to North Toutle Hatchery.

Lewis River - No report on angling success. Over 10,000 hatchery summer run steelhead had returned to Merwin Dam through Sept. 8.

Yakima River - Both catch and effort picked up this week in the lower and middle sections of the fishery. Still no effort in the upper section. An estimated 59 adult chinook and 7 jacks harvested last week. Season total: 66 adult and 7 jack chinook, 0 coho.

Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Last week, boat anglers averaged an adult chinook kept per every 2.5 rods while bank anglers averaged one per every 6 rods.

Hanford Reach - Angling effort has increased this past week. Currently anglers are retaining 1 chinook for every 19.7 pole hours. Looks like a pretty good start to the season.

Buoy 10 report
Contributed by Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife -

Today (Sept. 13), the Technical Advisory Committee updated the Upriver Bright (URB) fall chinook forecast to 309,000 fish to the Columbia River mouth. The pre-season forecast was 287,000. TAC will meet on Wednesday September 15 to update the run size again. The states of Washington and Oregon will meet Wednesday September 15 at 4PM to review salmon run-sizes and the recreational fishery and to consider management action. It's POSSIBLE the recreational fishery below Bonneville Dam could close to chinook retention as early as Saturday September 18th.

Sturgeon -

Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - No sturgeon anglers were sampled last week.

Walleye and Bass - No report.

Trout -

Mineral Lake - 2,300 nearly ½ pound rainbows were released there last week.

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