Cowlitz River – Boat anglers are catching some steelhead around the trout hatchery.
Last week, Tacoma Power recovered 585 summer-run steelhead adults, 15 spring Chinook adults, eight jacks, 118 Chinook mini-jacks and four cutthroat trout during five days of operation at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.
During the week Tacoma Power employees released eight spring Chinook adults and seven jacks into the Cispus River above the mouth of Yellow Jacket Creek, 103 spring Chinook mini-jacks into Riffe Lake at Mossyrock Park, and two hatchery-origin cutthroat trout downstream to the Barrier Dam boat launch on the Cowlitz River. The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife transported two cutthroat trout to the Tilton River downstream of Morton, Washington.
River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately 3,180 cubic feet per second with a visibility of 13 feet on Monday, August 10.
Kalama River – Only one day of sampling last week but the bank anglers in the mid river were catching some steelhead.
Lewis River – On the North Fork, boat anglers are doing better for steelhead than bank anglers.
Wind River – Light effort though some steelhead are being caught.
Drano Lake – Including fish released, boat anglers averaged 1.3 steelhead per rod. Just over half the fish caught were kept. Effort is moderate with 45 boats counted there yesterday (Sunday August 9) morning.
White Salmon River – Including fish released, bank anglers averaged about a steelhead per every other rod plus a few Chinook jacks. A couple dozen watercraft were found here yesterday morning.
Buoy 10 – Effort and catch is increasing. On better days, anglers averaged nearly a fish per rod. Most of the catch has been coho. 125 boats were counted during the Saturday August 8 flight.
Lower mainstem Columbia from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line to Bonneville Dam - During the first nine days of August we sampled 771 bank anglers with 199 steelhead and 275 boat anglers (131 boats) with 115 steelhead and 1 adult and 2 jack fall Chinook. About 60% of the steelhead caught were kept. For steelhead, best bank catches were from Longview downstream while boat anglers were doing well from Vancouver downstream.
111 of the 262 boats fishing for salmonids were at the mouth of the Cowlitz during the Saturday flight. In addition, 335 Washington and 117 Oregon bank anglers were counted up and down the lower mainstem Columbia below Bonneville Dam.
The Columbia has cooled a few degrees and fish counts are back on the rise at Bonneville Dam. Yesterday, nearly 500 adult Chinook and 5,700 steelhead were counted.
Bonneville Pool – Only a few boats were observed off the White Salmon River and Drano Lake yesterday. No report on angling success.
John Day Pool - Only 1 boat with 3 anglers sampled last week and they had no catch.
