Southwest Washington Fishing Reports
2002 Report Archive
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WDFW Sport Sampling Results for April 8-14 , 2002
Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format

Salmon/Steelhead

• Cowlitz River - Anglers continue to catch steelhead. Increasing numbers of spring chinook are also being caught.
• During the past week the separator at Tacoma Power's Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery recovered 1,314 adult steelhead, four spring chinook adults and one jack during five days of separator operations.
• Between April 9 and April 12, Tacoma Power employees transported a total of 553 steelhead adults for release into the upper Cowlitz River at Lewis County Public Utility District's Day Use Park on Lake Scanewa.
• During the past week Tacoma Power employees recycled a total of 415 steelhead adults, four spring chinook adults and one jack downstream to the Olequa boat launch. At total of 159 winter-run steelhead adults were transported to the Cowlitz Trout Hatchery for broodstock.
• River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately 9,000 cubic feet per second on Monday, April 15. Water visibility is over six feet.
• Lewis River - Light effort and catches near the mouth. Flows below Merwin Dam were 11,650 cfs this afternoon.
• East Fork Lewis River - From the top boat ramp at Lewisville Park downstream, opens to fishing for hatchery steelhead tomorrow (April 16). The remainder of the river remains closed to all fishing.
• Flows at Heisson were 2,000 cfs this afternoon.
• Washougal River - From Mt. Norway (Vernon Road) Bridge downstream, opens to fishing for hatchery steelhead tomorrow (April 16).
• Wind River - Last week, boat anglers averaged a spring chinook per every 20 rods last week. Wind River was turbid this weekend. Effort continues to gradually increase with about 40 boats there this last Saturday (April 13).
• Drano Lake - Producing some spring chinook. Was also turbid last weekend but has started to clear. Also about 40 boats here last Saturday.
• White Salmon River - Some effort but no catch observed there last week. Near Underwood, flows were 2,790 cfs. The mean for today is 1,530 cfs.
• Klickitat River - A few steelhead being caught and released but no signs of spring chinook yet. Flows near Pitt were 4,660 cfs this afternoon, nearly twice the mean of 2,360 cfs.
• Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Boat angling slowed slightly last week but fishing from the bank improved. Boat anglers averaged a chinook kept or released per every 4.9 rods based on complete trips while bank anglers averaged a fish per every 8.7 rods based mainly on incomplete trips. Nearly 60% of the fish caught last week were hatchery keepers.
• Flows and fish counts at Bonneville Dam have increased but visibility has decreased. Today, flows reached 300,000 cfs. Yesterday (April 14) visibility was 2.5 feet. Visibility had been around 5 feet.
• Yesterday (April 14), nearly 5,900 adult spring chinook were counted at Bonneville Dam. To date, 24,350 fish have been counted. The recent 10-year average is 26,800. Last year, 134,800 adult spring chinook had been counted at Bonneville Dam through April 14.
• Upper Bonneville Pool - Some spring chinook are being caught by boat anglers.
• The Dalles Pool - Anglers are catching increasing numbers of spring chinook.
• John Day Pool - Bank anglers continue to catch steelhead. No spring chinook have been found in the sample to date.
• Ringold - High winds kept fishing effort to a minimum over the weekend. No salmon were sampled last week but some steelhead continue to be caught.
  

Sturgeon

• Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Boats anglers from Washougal to Kalama averaged nearly a legal per boat last week. A few legals are being caught off the bank in the Longview area.
• Bonneville Pool - Including legals released, bank anglers averaged a fish per every 5 rods last week. Boat anglers are also catching a few legals.
• The Dalles Pool - Boat anglers averaged a legal per every 3.6 rods last week. Fishing was slow from the bank.
• John Day Pool - Generally slow for legal sized fish.
  

Walleye and Bass and other warmwater fish

• Bonneville Pool - Boat anglers are catching some bass. No effort found for walleye last week.
• The Dalles Pool - Including fish released, boat anglers averaged a walleye per rod last week. Not much effort or catch for bass.
• John Day Pool - Boat anglers averaged about 6 bass per rod last week. A few walleye were caught and released by boat anglers.
  

Trout

• Recent releases of catchable size rainbows:
  • Kress Lake near Kalama - 3,100 fish
  • Lake Sacajawea in Longview - 3,000 fish
  • Silver Lake near Castle Rock - 3,300 fish