Deep River -
By permanent regulation, the salmon daily limit reverts back to no more
than 2 adults beginning Jan. 1. In addition, all chinook must be adipose
fin clipped to be kept through July.
Elochoman River
- December 31 was the last day to fish for salmon.
Cowlitz River
- 60 bank anglers between the Barrier Dam and Blue Creek kept 6
steelhead, all from the Blue Creek area. 63 boat anglers sampled at
Blue Creek released 2 steelhead.
By permanent regulation,
the salmon daily limit reverts back to no more than 2 adults beginning
Jan. 1. In addition, all chinook must be adipose fin clipped to be kept
through July. Also, Mill Creek near the salmon hatchery closed to all
fishing the same day.
Flows below Mayfield
Dam are 8,200 cfs this morning, Tuesday Jan. 6. Flows are expected to
peak at 21,000 cfs in the next couple days.
Lake Scanewa
(Cowlitz Falls Reservoir) - By permanent regulation, the salmon
daily limit reverts back to no more than 2 adults beginning Jan. 1.
In addition, all chinook must be adipose fin clipped to be kept through
Feb. and again in June and July.
Kalama River
- From Chris Wagemann, WDFW Biologist on December 29: Steelhead
returns to Kalama Falls Hatchery (KFH) have been extremely poor so far
this winter. In fact only 97 hatchery winter steelhead have returned
to KFH through December and are the lowest counts for the past 10 years.
Only a handful of
wild and hatchery steelhead were sorted at KFH the last two weeks due
to low, cold water temperature. However, fishing had been good throughout
the river these past two weeks with several limits being taken.
By permanent regulation,
the salmon daily limit reverts back to no more than 2 adults beginning
Jan. 1. In addition, chinook may be retained but all wild fish must
be released through July.
Lewis (including
North Fork) - By permanent regulation, the salmon daily limit reverts
back to no more than 2 adults beginning Jan. 1. In addition, chinook
may be retained but all wild fish must be released through July.
Flows at Merwin
Dam were nearly 12,000 cfs this morning (Tuesday Jan. 6).
Washougal River
- By permanent regulation, the salmon daily limit reverts back to
no more than 2 adults beginning Jan. 1.
Drano Lake -
December 31 was the last day to fish for salmon.
Lower mainstem
Columbia:
From Buoy 10
to the I-5 Bridge - Under permanent rules, the salmon daily limit
is 6 fish of which no more than 2 may be adults. Release wild Chinook,
wild coho, sockeye, and chum.
Lower Columbia
from the I-5 Bridge upstream - Under permanent rules, now closed
to fishing for salmon.
The Washington
Fish and Wildlife Commission will consider adopting new fishery management
plans for Columbia River spring and summer chinook salmon during public
meetings scheduled for Jan. 9-10. Those plans, which include guidelines
for allocating sport and commercial harvest opportunities for the
popular chinook fisheries, will top the commission*s agenda Jan. 10,
the second day of the two-day meeting. The public meeting is scheduled
to get under way at 8:30 a.m. both days in Room 172 of the Natural
Resources Building, 1111 Washington St. S.E. on the state Capitol
Campus in Olympia.
The next Compact/Joint
State Hearing is scheduled for 10 AM Thursday, January 29, 2009 in
Oregon City, Oregon at the Clackamas County Historical Society, 211
Tumwater Drive 97045. Topics for this meeting will include salmon,
steelhead, sturgeon and shad stock status, and non- Indian recreational
and commercial fishing seasons in the Columbia River and Select Areas.
Sturgeon
anglers are reminded that effective Jan. 1, 2009, a new method of measuring
sturgeon for retention took effect statewide. Under the new
rules, sturgeon are measured from the tip of the nose to the fork in
the tail (rather than the tip of the tail). Remember, all of these figures
for minimum and maximum sizes are simple conversions of the old method
of measuring sturgeon. It does not mean you can keep smaller fish, only
that the method of measuring *keepers* has changed.
Lower mainstem
Columbia:
From the mouth
to the Wauna power lines - Retention of white sturgeon is open seven
days per week from through April, May 9 through June 28, and from July
2-5 or until the harvest guideline is reached. From Jan. 1 to April
30, the fork length of retained sturgeon must be a minimum of 38 inches
and a maximum of 54 inches. From May 9 to June 28 and from July 2-5,
the fork length of retained sturgeon must be a minimum of 41 inches
and a maximum of 54 inches. Catch-and-release fishing is allowed May
1-8, June 29 to July 1, and July 6 to Dec. 31.
From the Wauna
power lines to Bonneville Dam - An estimated 900 anglers kept zero
legals during the month of December.
Retention of white
sturgeon is open three days per week (Thursday through Saturday) through
July 31 and Oct. 1 through Dec. 31. The fork length of retained sturgeon
must be a minimum of 38 inches and a maximum of 54 inches. Catch-and-release
fishing is allowed Aug. 1 through Sept. 30 and on days when retention
is prohibited. All fishing for sturgeon will be closed from May through
July in the sturgeon spawning sanctuary downriver from Bonneville Dam
5.5 miles to Navigation Marker 85.
Bonneville, The
Dalles, and John Day pools - In Bonneville pool, 13 bank anglers
released 4 sublegals.
Retention of white
sturgeon is open seven days per week until individual catch guidelines
are met in the Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day pools. In the Bonneville
Pool, the fork length of retained sturgeon must be a minimum of 38 inches
and a maximum of 54 inches. In The Dalles and John Day pools, the fork
length of retained sturgeon must be a minimum of 43 inches and a maximum
of 54 inches. Catch-and-release fishing is allowed after the guidelines
are met in all three areas above Bonneville Dam. All fishing for sturgeon
will be closed from May through July in spawning sanctuaries located
below John Day Dam downstream 2.4 miles and from McNary Dam downstream
1.5 miles.
Catch guidelines
for areas above Bonneville Dam to McNary Dam will be evaluated in January,
but are likely to remain the same as this year for Bonneville Pool and
for John Day Pool. The population in The Dalles Pool appears to be on
the rebound and the population may be healthy enough to allow managers
to relax the guideline for 2009.
Cowlitz River
- Starting Jan. 3, the Cowlitz River is open to smelt dipping from
6 a.m. to 10 p.m. each Saturday through March 28th. The daily limit
is 10 pounds per person.
Flows at Castle
Rock were just under 15,000 cfs this morning. Flows are expected to
peak just over 100,000 cfs in the next couple days.
All other Washington
Columbia River tributaries - Remain closed to fishing for smelt.
Mainstem Columbia
- The Columbia River from the mouth to Bonneville Dam is open 7
days per week, 24 hours per day through March 31, 2009. Daily limit
is 25 pounds per person.
Water temperature
this morning near Cathlamet was just under the 42 degrees that smelt
prefer (see http://www.stccmop.org/CORIE/network/woody/).
