Cowlitz River
- 25 bank anglers from Olequa downstream kept 5 winter steelhead.
Kalama River
- 7 bank anglers released 1 wild steelhead.
Lewis River
- On the mainstem Lewis, 23 boat anglers released 1 wild steelhead
while 2 boat anglers had no catch. 11 bank anglers on the North Fork
Lewis kept 1 spring chinook while 1 boat angler released 1 wild steelhead.
Lower Columbia
below Bonneville Dam - Last week we sampled 1,890 boat anglers (864
boats) with 214 chinook and 3 steelhead plus 339 bank anglers with 6
chinook. Overall, 173 (78.6%) of the chinook caught were kept. Based
on Visual Stock Identification, 141 (89.3%) of the chinook sampled were
upriver stock.
Based on Oregon's
sampling, the catch per unit effort for chinook is running about 70%
of last year's. Effort, however, is significantly higher with 1,400
salmon boats counted on 3/21 vs 900 on 3/22 last year.
During March 1-15,
an estimated 16,400 angler trips resulted in 560 Chinook kept (and 170
released).
The recreational
fishery downstream of Hayden Island is open 3 days per week (Thu-Sat)
and is scheduled to remain open through April 18. The recreational fishery
from Hayden Island upstream to Bonneville Dam is open 4 days per week
(Wed-Sat) and is scheduled to remain open through April 22. Fishing
for hatchery steelhead and shad is open only on those days open to fishing
for spring chinook.
Through March 22,
only 63 adult spring chinook had been counted at Bonneville Dam. The
recent 10-year average is 1,250 fish. Water temperature is a cool 42
degrees and flows yesterday were a low 122,800 cfs.
Bonneville Dam
to McNary Dam - Bank anglers in John Day Pool are catching some
steelhead. Light effort and no catch observed in Bonneville and The
Dalles pools.
Lower Columbia
below Bonneville Dam - Continues to be slow for legal size fish.
Bonneville Pool
- Including fish released, boat anglers averaged over 1/2 legal
per rod. Fishing from the bank is slow.
The Dalles Pool
- Boat anglers averaged about 1/2 legal kept per rod while bank
anglers averaged one per every 9 rods.
John Day Pool
- Boat anglers averaged a legal kept per every 10 rods. Fishing
was slow from the bank.
Klineline Pond
- 68 anglers kept 55 rainbows and released 13. Planted with 2,176
half-pound rainbows March 16.
Lacamas Lake
in Camas - Planted with 3,000 half-pound brown trout March 16. No
report on angling success.
