2000 Creel Survey Archive [ CURRENT REPORT ] [ 2006 Archive ] [ 2005 Archive ] [ 2004 Archive ] [ 2003 Archive ] [ 2002 Archive ] [ 2001 Archive ] [ 2000 Archive ] [ 1999 Archive ] WDFW Sport Sampling Results for December 25-31, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Elochoman River - No report on angling success. Through December 27, a total of 75 winter steelhead had returned to the hatchery. Cowlitz River - Slow steelhead fishing for boat anglers last week. Boat anglers averaged a hatchery steelhead per every 12 rods while bank rods averaged one per every 5. Jack Tipping, WDFW fish biologist on the Cowlitz River, reports that 2-salt steelhead are not showing well and the overall steelhead run is far below expectations to date. Through December 27, a total of 860 winter steelhead had returned to the Cowlitz Trout Hatchery. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 5,050 cfs today. Blue and Mill creeks, tributaries to the Cowlitz River, have closed to fishing. Kalama River - No report on angling success. Through December 27, a total of 26 wild and 133 hatchery winter steelhead had returned to Kalama Falls Hatchery. Most of the hatchery fish were recycled downstream. Lewis River - Some hatchery winter steelhead are being caught and coho are still being released. Through December 27, a total of 159 winter steelhead had returned to Lewis River Hatchery and 218 fish were counted at the Merwin Dam trap. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 2,900 cfs today. Washougal River - No report on angling success. Through December 27, a total of 74 winter steelhead had returned to Skamania Hatchery. John Day Pool - Anglers continue to catch some hatchery steelhead. Salmon fishing is now closed in the mainstem Columbia upstream from Bonneville Dam. Spring chinook forecasts have been made for the lower Columbia tributaries. Listed below are actual adult returns in 2000 and the predictions for 2001; River 2000 Actual Return 2001 Predicted Return Cowlitz 1,700 1,000 Kalama 1,400 1,000 Lewis 2,200 2,800 Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Last week, 5 bank anglers just below Bonneville Dam had no catch while 2 bank anglers near Camas/Washougal had released one sublegal. Near Vancouver, 15 boat anglers had released 15 sublegals and 1 oversized fish. Bonneville and The Dalles pools and their tributaries - Sturgeon retention allowed beginning Jan. 1. John Day Pool - Slow for legal sized fish. Walleye and Bass John Day Pool - Slow for walleye. No effort was observed for bass. Smelt A few hundred pounds were reported landed in the mainstem commercial fishery last week. The Cowlitz will be open to recreational fishing for smelt this Saturday (Jan. 6). The open hours are 6 AM to 10 PM. Daily limit is 10 pounds. Trout Recent trout plants - Sixty-two surplus brood stock rainbows were released into Spearfish Lake. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for December 11-17, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - At mid week last week, bank anglers averaged a hatchery steelhead per every 4.3 rods while boat anglers averaged one per every 2.5. High flows at mid-week made angling difficult for boat anglers but conditions should improve if flows drop. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be back down to 6,280 cfs today. Lewis River - Some hatchery steelhead are being caught. Still quite a few coho being caught and released. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 2,900 cfs today. The North Fork Lewis River from Colvin Creek upstream to the overhead power lines below Merwin Dam opened to fishing for hatchery steelhead beginning last Saturday (Dec. 16). Bonneville Pool tributaries spring chinook forecasts for 2001: Wind River - 42,600. Comprised of 39,400 four-year-olds and 3,200 five-year-olds. Record return. About twice the size of the 2000 return. Drano Lake - 11,100. Comprised of 8,300 four-year-olds and 2,800 five-year-olds. Similar to return in 2000 which was a record. Klickitat River - 1,900. Comprised of 600 four-year-olds and 1,300 five-year-olds. Similar to return in 2000. Rich Pettit, Fish Biologist at the Vancouver Region 5 office, will have a more detailed report available this week. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - 1 bank angler at Woodland had no catch while 11 boat anglers sampled from Camas-Woodland had kept 3 legals and released 9 sublegals. The Columbia River Compact met today to discuss Columbia River sturgeon sport fishing options. It was adopted to prohibit retention of sturgeon in the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam during August 16-September 15. Catch and release angling may continue. The fishery is to be managed for 40,000 white sturgeon sport catch. The sport fishery will be monitored in-season and if necessary, the retention restriction will be 1) extended through September 30, 2) reduced to shorter duration, or 3) eliminated altogether. If the 40,000 white sturgeon sport catch is exceeded in 2001, then the 2002 guideline will be reduced accordingly. Smelt Commercial mainstem landings to date have been small to non-existent with few fishers participating. Mainstem Columbia water temperatures are warm for this time of year. Temperature at Bonneville Dam was 48 degrees on December 11. The Columbia is also very clear with a visibility of 7 feet measured at Bonneville on the same day. The prognosis for this year's Columbia River smelt return is unclear. Population estimates are not available but relative annual abundance may be indexed using commercial landings data. Adult production in Columbia River tributaries, as indexed by commercial landing data, was poor for 1994-1999. Commercial landing data combined with sport fishery data suggests the return in 2000 was the largest since 1993. Spawning success in 2000, as indexed by larval sampling, was good in the mainstem Columbia and several tributaries including the Cowlitz River. The 1997 and 1998 parent broods for this year's return was small. However, improving ocean conditions may benefit smelt returns in 2001. A draft Joint State Management Plan provides for three levels of fishing based on 1) parental run strength, 2) juvenile production, and 3) estimates of ocean productivity. Level 1, expectation of a poor run or great uncertainty concerning abundance, provides tributary sport fisheries of 12-24 hours per week. Level 2, promising abundance but uncertainty about whether run is moderate or strong, tributary sport fisheries could be increased to two or three days per week. Level 3, very positive indicators of strong abundance and productivity, tributary sport fisheries would be opened four days per week. Currently, all Washington Columbia River tributaries are closed to fishing for smelt. From Jan. 6 through March 31, 2001, the Cowlitz River will be open to sport fishing for smelt on Saturdays only, 6 AM until 10 PM. The daily limit will be 10 pounds per person. Trout Last week's plants of ½ pound rainbows - Klineline Pond - 5,000 Battleground Lake - 5,000 Ice House lake near bridge of the Gods - 2,000 Little Ash Lake near Stevenson - 2,000 WDFW Sport Sampling Results for December 4-10, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Grays River - No angling report although some winter run steelhead have been spotted in the river recently. The mainstem Grays from the Hwy. 4 Bridge upstream to the South Fork along with the West Fork from the mouth to the water intake/footbridge above the hatchery opens to fishing for hatchery steelhead beginning Friday, December 15. Cowlitz River - Last week, boat anglers averaged a hatchery steelhead per every 2.7 rods while bank anglers averaged one per every 3.4. Cowlitz River steelhead fishing has not lived up to expectations to date. Hopefully things will improve with a good rain. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 10,100 cfs today. Lewis River - Light effort and catches. Still some hatchery coho and summer-run steelhead around but most are being released. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 6,000 cfs through 2 p.m. today and then be slowly ramped back down to 3,000 cfs. John Day Pool - Bank anglers are catching some fall chinook while boat anglers are catching summer-run steelhead. The attached file (pdf format) gives the preliminary accountability of the 2000 return of Columbia River fall chinook and the general outlook for 2001. For the best comparison, use the 2001 December outlook vs the 2000 preliminary return. A forecast using more in-depth analysis will be available on February 9. In general, the Columbia fall chinook forecast for 2001 predicts larger returns of lower river and Bonneville Pool hatchery "tule" type fish, improving numbers of lower river wild fall chinook, and similar or slightly higher numbers of upriver bright and mid-Columbia bright stocks than this past year's run. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - The 2 sturgeon bank anglers sampled just below Bonneville Dam and the 6 bank anglers near Longview had no catch last week. In November, an estimated 1,200 legal sturgeon were caught from the lower Columbia sport fishery. An estimated 39,700 sturgeon have been caught through November 30. John Day Pool - Light effort and catches. Boat anglers are catching some legals. Walleye and Bass John Day Pool - The few boat anglers sampled last week had caught no walleye. Trout Klineline Pond - Bank anglers are catching rainbows, browns, and some steelhead. Cormorants have been observed moving into the area. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for November 27-December 3, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead  Cowlitz River - Boat anglers continue to average about ½ hatchery steelhead per rod while bank anglers averaged about a hatchery steelhead per every 3 rods. Catches are a mixture of summer and winter run fish. Fairly heavy bank effort near the mouth of Blue Creek on Friday afternoon. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 7,640 cfs today. Through November 29, a total of 93 winter run steelhead had returned to the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery and 29 to the trout hatchery. Blue Creek (trib. of the Cowlitz River) - About 9 anglers on the creek Friday morning. Some summer-run steelhead were taken. Anglers are reminded that sinking lures with treble hooks are prohibited. The creek is still low and clear making fishing difficult. Once the ozone system at the hatchery is turned off (hopefully this week), the flow will increase substantially (from 20 cfs to 50 cfs) and more fish will move in. Lewis River - Still producing some hatchery coho although a lot of the fish are dark and most are being released. Flows below Merwin Dam were unavailable today. Through November 29, a total of 88 winter run steelhead had been counted at the Lewis facilities. John Day Pool - Bank anglers are still catching some fall chinook although most are being released. Some summer-run steelhead are also being taken. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - The 2 bank anglers sampled just below Bonneville Dam had no catch last week. John Day Pool - Light effort and catches there last week. Walleye and Bass John Day Pool - No effort found for those species in John Day Pool last week. Trout Last week's brood stock rainbow plants: Lake Sacajawea in Longview - 60 fish weighing 10 pounds each and 132 fish weighing 5 pounds each; Carlisle Lake near Onalaska - 17 fish weighing 10 pounds each and 39 weighing 5 pounds each; Ice House Lake near Bridge of the Gods - 10 fish weighing 10 pounds each and 21 fish weighing 5 pounds each. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for November 20-26, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - Angling success has shifted from the barrier dam down to Blue Creek. Last week, boat anglers averaged a ½ steelhead per angler. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 7,640 cfs today. Lower portions of Blue and Mill creeks (tributaries to the Cowlitz River) will open to fishing for hatchery steelhead during the month of December. Blue Creek will be open from the mouth to the posted sign near the rearing pond outlet. Mill Creek will be open from the mouth to the hatchery road crossing culvert. Night closures and non-buoyant lure restrictions will be in effect during the one month season. All wild steelhead and steelhead with missing a right ventral fin must be released. On Blue Creek, there will be a special area set aside for wheel chair bound anglers. In addition, the creek may be opened to retention of sea run cutthroat. Look for a Fishing Rule Change Notice within the next couple days. Kalama River - Most of the coho are dark and are being released. Lewis River - Most of the coho are dark and are also being released. Stream flows were expected to be 3,700 cfs today. John Day Pool - Light steelhead catches last week. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - 15 bank anglers sampled from Bonneville to Camas last week had released 2 sublegals. Eleven bank anglers near Longview had released 4 sublegals. John Day Pool - Effort was light due to low temperatures and dense fog. Walleye and Bass John Day Pool - Walleye effort was low and no in-sample catches were observed. No effort for bass was found last week. Trout No report WDFW Sport Sampling Results for November 13-19, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - Hatchery coho catch has dropped considerably at the barrier dam after flows came up and fish were no longer "recycled" to the boat ramp. However, boat anglers averaged better than ½ hatchery steelhead per person last week. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 7,640 cfs today. Kalama River - Still producing some hatchery coho. Lewis River - Continues to slow for hatchery coho. Most of the fish are being released. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 2,900 cfs today. John Day Pool - Producing some hatchery steelhead for boat anglers. The run size forecast upper Columbia River adult spring chinook for 2001 has been made. An estimated 364,600 fish are expected to return to the mouth of the Columbia next year. The run is predicted to be comprised of 330,500 four year-olds and 34,100 five year-olds. The forecasted upper Columbia adult spring chinook return in 2001 represents a dramatic increase from the 178,600 fish that actually returned in 2000. The 2000 forecast was for a return of 134,000 adults. The 2001 upper Columbia adult spring chinook return is expected to be well above the 1996-2000 average of 84,200 adults and the 1991-2000 average of 71,300 fish. The 2001 return is expected to be the largest since record keeping began at Bonneville Dam in 1938. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - The 17 bank anglers sampled just below Bonneville Dam last week had released 1 sublegal and 1 oversize fish. John Day Pool - Slow for legal sized fish. Walleye and Bass John Day Pool - No effort observed there last week. Trout No report WDFW Sport Sampling Results for November 6-12, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Mainstem Grays River from the mouth upstream to the Hwy. 4 Bridge - Re-opens to fishing for hatchery steelhead beginning Wed. Nov. 15. The mainstem Grays from the Hwy. 4 Bridge upstream to the South Fork and the West Fork re-opens to fishing for hatchery steelhead beginning Dec. 15. The entire Grays River remains closed to fishing for salmon, including chum. Cowlitz River - Still producing good numbers of hatchery coho. Bank anglers are also catching sea-run cutthroats. Four of the 11 steelhead sampled last week were winter-runs. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 8,390 cfs today and were expected to decrease over the next few days. Kalama River - A little slower for hatchery coho last week. Lewis River - Continues to slow for hatchery coho although boat anglers still averaged better than ½ fish per person last week. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 3,500 cfs today. John Day Pool - Bank anglers continue to catch a few fall chinook. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - No sampling data is currently available. John Day Pool - Slow for legal-sized fish. Walleye and Bass John Day Pool - Little effort or catch last week. Trout Riffe Lake - No report on angling success. The reservoir was reported to be nearly 60 feet below full pool today. The lake is at its lowest level that Mossyrock boat ramp is still useable. Both the Taidnapum and Kosmos boat ramps were reported to be unuseable. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for October 30-November 5, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - Fishing for hatchery coho remains hot at the barrier dam. Through November 4, a total of 10,400 adult coho had been "recycled" to the barrier dam boat ramp. In addition, over 18,400 adult and 5,700 jack coho had been released into the upper Cowlitz watershed through November 4. Releases include: Cowlitz River near Packwood - 3,592 adults and 1,142 jacks Cispus River - 2,959 adults and 858 jacks Lake Scanewa (Cowlitz Falls Reservoir) day use area - 4,756 adults and 1,182 jacks Tilton River - 7,160 adults and 2,558 jacks Flow reports below Mayfield Dam are currently unavailable. Kalama River - Still producing hatchery coho. Boat anglers had the best success with nearly a fish per person last week. Lewis River - A little slower for hatchery coho last week. River flows were higher for a portion of the week. Flows below Merwin Dam have dropped back down and were expected to be 3,300 cfs today. Washougal River - Some hatchery coho are being caught here. Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Formal creel surveys for salmonids on the lower Columbia have been completed for the year. Informal sampling at Camas/Washougal area last week revealed 7 boat anglers with 2 adult hatchery coho kept. John Day Pool - Continues to produce some fall chinook and hatchery summer-run steelhead. "Winter Steelhead" - Some winter steelhead are making an early appearance in Southwest Washington rivers. Two winter steelhead were caught on the Cowlitz River last week. In addition, 5 winter steelhead have been counted at the Lewis facilities and 1 fish at Kalama Falls Hatchery through November 1. Jack Tipping, WDFW fish biologist on the Cowlitz River, predicts this could be an excellent winter steelhead season on the Cowlitz River if river flows remain fishable. Yakima River - Some fall chinook were being caught though a lot of the fish are on redds. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - The 8 sturgeon bank anglers sampled below Longview last week had no catch. John Day Pool - Slow for legal size fish. Sturgeon retention is allowed until further notice. Walleye and Bass John Day Pool - Light effort for walleye and bass. A few bass were sampled last week. Trout No report on angling success from Southwest Washington lakes last week. Sampling at Merwin Reservoir has been completed. Anglers can find Lewis river flows and reservoir levels by calling Pacific Power and Light @ 1-800-547-1501. Recent trout releases - Almost 3,500 surplus hatchery sea-run cutthroats were released into Riffe Lake last week. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for October 23-29, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - Remained hot for hatchery coho at the barrier dam last week. Loads of "recycled" coho are contributing significantly to the harvest. Including jacks, boat anglers averaged 3 fish per person. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 4,060 cfs today. Flows were expected to increase slightly over the next several days. Kalama River - Still producing good catches of hatchery coho. Boat anglers had over a fish per person last week; bank anglers averaged 0.3 per rod. Lewis River - Boat anglers averaged a hatchery coho per rod last week; bank anglers averaged about 2/3 fish each. Overall, adult hatchery coho comprised 60% of the overall catch. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 5,400 cfs today. Klickitat River - Boat anglers in the lower Klickitat and at the mouth averaged close to a adult hatchery coho per person last week. John Day Pool - Some fall chinook and a few summer run steelhead were caught there last week. Yakima River - Lots of fishermen last week. Some adult fall chinook are being caught. A lot of fall chinook have begun spawning on the lower Yakima. Anglers are reminded the salmon season has been extended through November 15 on the Yakima River from the eastbound lane of I-82 Bridge at Union Gap to 400 feet below Roza Dam plus the Naches River from the mouth to the confluence with the Tieton River (near the junction of U.S. Hwy. 12 and State Route 410). Hanford Reach - The Hanford Reach fall chinook fishery has wound down with the exception of the Ringold area. About as many steelhead as chinook were sampled last week. Whitefish anglers are having good catches in the Reach area. Last week, 7 boat anglers sampled had kept 85 whitefish. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Some legals are being caught off the bank below Bonneville Dam. John Day Pool - Boat anglers are catching a few legal sized fish. Walleye and Bass John Day Pool - No walleye were sampled last week. No effort for bass was observed. Trout Merwin Reservoir - Eight boat anglers sampled there last week had kept 17 kokanee and released 8 others. The lake was reported 2 feet below full pool last Friday (Oct. 27). Last week, Battle Ground Lake received 98 surplus hatchery summer run steelhead. Klineline Pond received 122 steelhead. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for October 16-22, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - Shore anglers are doing well for hatchery coho at the barrier dam especially in the new deadline area. The closed waters below the barrier dam has been reduced to about 200 feet. Overall, bank anglers averaged nearly a fish per person. Through October 22, a total of 2,005 adult and 481 jack coho had been released into the upper Cowlitz near Packwood, 1,512 adult and 264 jack coho to the Cispus River, 2,116 adult and 386 jack coho to Lake Scanewa (Cowlitz Falls Reservoir) and 2,008 adult and 479 jack coho to the Tilton River. Also, over 4,900 adult sea-run cutthroat are on hand at the Cowlitz Trout Hatchery Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 4,270 cfs today. Toutle River - No creel sampling last week though most fish are reported to be dark and beginning to spawn. The area received about 0.7" of rain last Friday (Oct. 20). The river undermined about 40 feet of the temporary rack. Almost 14,300 coho had been released upstream through Oct. 22. Kalama River - Still producing some hatchery coho. Lewis River - Continues to produce hatchery adult and jack coho. Bank anglers averaged nearly 0.75 fish per person last weekend, mainly hatchery adult coho. Boat anglers averaged a fish per person, mostly hatchery jack coho. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 3,300 cfs today. Washougal River - Producing some hatchery coho. Bonneville Pool tributaries - Boat anglers are doing well on hatchery adult coho on the lower Klickitat River. Wind River is open to fishing for salmon through October 31. Yakima River - Effort and catch is slowing down. Anglers are beginning to release more fish now. The salmon seasons on the Yakima River from the eastbound lane of the Interstate 82 Bridge at Union Gap to 400 feet below Roza Dam and the Naches River from the mouth to the confluence with the Tieton River (near the junction of U.S. Hwy. 12 amd State Route 410) have been extended through November 15 Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Boat anglers in the Camas/Washougal area averaged better than 0.5 hatchery adult coho per person last week. The river from Beacon Rock upstream to Bonneville Dam is open to fishing for salmon from boats through October 31. Bonneville Pool - Boat anglers were doing well on hatchery adult coho last week John Day Pool - Bank anglers are catching a mixture of fall chinook and hatchery summer-run steelhead. Hanford Reach - Salmon season is winding down but the catch rate is good. Last week, boat anglers averaged an adult chinook per every 3.7 rods, or one for every 22 hours of effort. October 31 is the last day to keep an adult chinook between the Vernita Bridge and Priest Rapids Dam. The river from the Vernita Bridge to the old Hanford townsite wooden powerlines had closed to all angling on October 23. Bank anglers averaged a hatchery steelhead per every 2.7 rods last week. The mainstem Columbia River from Priest Rapids Dam upstream to Wells Dam and between the Hwy. 173 Bridge at Brewster and the Hwy. 17 Bridge at Bridgeport to the Hwy. 97 Bridge at the confluence of the Okanogan River is open to fishing for chinook salmon through October 31. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Bank anglers below Bonneville Dam are catching some legals. John Day Pool - Boat anglers are catching some legal sized fish. Walleye and Bass John Day Pool - Slow for walleye but boat anglers averaged over 5 bass per rod last week. Trout Merwin Reservoir - Creel sampling summaries are currently unavailable. The reservoir was reported 1.75 feet below full pool last Friday, Oct. 20. Swift and Yale reservoirs were reported 48.25 feet and 25.5 feet below full pool, respectively. Swift Reservoir, including the power canal, is open to fishing through October 31. Klineline Pond - Bank anglers are catching a mixture of rainbows, browns, and hatchery steelhead. Last week's trout plants: Goose Lake - 1,950 sea-run cutthroats averaging 1.5 lbs. each Little Ash Lake (near Stevenson) - 457 sea-run cutthroats also averaging about 1.5 lbs. each. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for October 9-15, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead   Green River - (Cowlitz County) - Anglers above and below the rack are doing well on adult hatchery coho with nearly a fish or more per rod. Quite a few dark fish being released by anglers above the rack. Cowlitz River - Anglers are catching a variety of fish including hatchery coho, steelhead, and sea-run cutthroats. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 4,220 cfs today. Kalama River - Continues to produce hatchery coho. Lewis River - Producing good catches of hatchery adult and jack coho. Anglers averaged about a fish per rod last week. Flows were expected to be 3,500 cfs today Washougal River - Produced good catches of hatchery adult coho on the opener (October 15). Bonneville Pool tributaries - The Klickitat River is producing good catches of hatchery adult coho. Boat anglers averaged 1.5 fish while bank anglers averaged 0.5 fish per person last week. Some coho are also being caught by bank anglers at the mouth of the White Salmon River. Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Hatchery adult and jack coho are being caught off the mouth of the Cowlitz. Bonneville Pool - Producing good numbers of hatchery coho, primarily at the mouth of the Klickitat. Some coho and chinook are also being caught off the mouth of the White Salmon River. John Day Pool - Producing good catches of chinook and hatchery steelhead for bank anglers. Including fish released, anglers averaged 0.5 fish per person last week. Yakima River - Pretty good fishing with a lot of effort near Prosser. Hanford Reach - Boat anglers caught a chinook per every 3.4 rods last week. Steelhead angling is improving with a fish for every 4 bank rods. Boat anglers are also catching fairly good numbers of hatchery steelhead. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Effort and catches were light last week. John Day Pool - Boat anglers are catching a few legals. Through September 30, an estimated 374 of the 560 fish guideline had been taken. Walleye and Bass John Day Pool - Light effort and catches were observed last week. Trout Merwin Reservoir - Light effort and catches. Merwin Reservoir was reported 8.25 feet below full pool last Friday (October 13). Swift and Yale reservoirs were reported 38.5 and 17 feet below full pool, respectively. Southwest Washington lakes planted with surplus sea-run cutthroats and summer-run steelhead during the first week of October - Goose Lake - 975 sea-run cutthroats averaging 1.5 pounds each; Klineline Pond - 284 steelhead averaging 8 pounds each; Battle Ground Lake - 122 steelhead averaging 8 pounds each. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for October 2-8, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Toutle River - By the end of the week catches improved to over one coho caught for every angler. North Fork Toutle was very high and visibility only two to three inches at the beginning of the week. Visibility increased through the week to six to ten inches. The Green River below the rack also saw catches improve through the week from one fish for every six anglers to better than one fish for every two anglers by the end of the week. Catches on the Green River above the rack remained good throughout the week averaging over one fish per angler. Most of the catch was coho with some chinook and steelhead also being caught. Cowlitz River - Boat anglers averaged close to a fish per angler, mostly coho with a few steelhead. Bank anglers averaged a fish for every four anglers with a lot of cutthroat showing up in the catch. Anglers fishing red wiggle-warts seem to be doing best. Kalama River - Catches of coho were very good this week. Bank anglers averaged more than ½ a fish per person. No boat anglers were checked. Lewis River - No creel sampling was conducted last week. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 3,400 cfs today. Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Salmonid effort and catch continues to drop. A couple of coho were caught by boat anglers fishing below Bonneville Dam. Bonnevillle Pool and its tributaries - Wind River boat anglers caught some adult hatchery coho. Drano Lake is producing some hatchery coho and steelhead. Klickitat boat and bank anglers both produced some good numbers of coho. Bonneville Pool boat anglers caught 16 coho for 23 anglers last week John Day Pool - Bank anglers caught some chinook and steelhead this week. Boat anglers had good success with about a fish for every two anglers. Yakima River - Bank anglers caught a few chinook this week. Hanford Reach - Bank anglers produced about a fish for every five anglers, including fish released, while boat anglers averaged about a fish for every 3 - 4 anglers. Catch consisted mainly of chinook and hatchery steelhead. Major regulation changes coming up: Grays River remains open to salmon and steelhead angling through Oct 15. Beginning October 16 it closes to all fishing. Washougal River re-opens to fishing for trout (including steelhead) and hatchery coho on October 15. It will remain closed to chinook retention. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Sturgeon bank anglers at Bradford Island below Bonneville Dam were very successfull this week with four legals kept for eleven anglers. Boat angling had some activity with 23 sublegal sturgeon released and 1 legal sturgeon kept for 16 anglers. John Day Pool - Boat anglers were catching some legal sized fish. Bank anglers had one legal kept for 15 anglers. Walleye and Bass John Day Pool - Boat anglers did very well with bass fishing averaging over four fish per angler, while walleye anglers had little success. Trout Merwin Reservoir - Boat anglers had some success with 6 kokanee kept and 5 released for four anglers. Merwin Reservoir was reported 7.0 feet below full pool today. Swift and Yale reservoirs were reported 33 and 14.5 feet below full pool, respectively. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for September 25-October 1, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Toutle River - Catches deceased last week, probably in part to the turbid water conditions last weekend. Flows are beginning to drop. Best hatchery adult coho catches continues to be from the North Fork and Green rivers. Some fish were able to escape into the upper Green as the temporary rack had a hole in it from the high flows. All roads in the area re-opened over the weekend. Cowlitz River - Good hatchery adult coho catches for boat anglers from the mouth of the Toutle downstream during the middle of last week. Bank anglers were also catching fish at the mouth of the Toutle. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 4,260 cfs today Lewis River - No creel sampling conducted last week. Several thousand coho had returned to the hatchery since Friday. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 5,000 cfs today. Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Effort and catches continue to wane. However, hatchery coho continue to be caught off the mouth of the Cowlitz and below Longview. Some chinook are being caught in the gorge area. Bonneville Pool and its tributaries - Wind River boat anglers are catching good numbers of hatchery adult coho. Drano Lake is producing some hatchery coho and steelhead. White Salmon River boat anglers caught some decent sized hatchery steelhead last week. Lower Klickitat bank anglers are catching some fall chinook. Bonneville Pool boat anglers are catching some chinook and hatchery coho. John Day Pool - Anglers are catching some hatchery steelhead. Boat anglers are also catching some chinook. Yakima River - Fishing remained fair last week with a few more coho appearing in the creel. Hanford Reach - Last week's effort and catches were down compared to the same time last year. Harvest of chinook was 42% of the same week last year. Twelve hatchery steelhead were sampled on opening day. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Several legals were caught off the bank just downstream from Bonneville Dam last week. John Day Pool - Boat anglers are catching some legal sized fish. Walleye and Bass John Day Pool - Boat anglers averaged about ½ legal walleye and 5 bass per rod last week. Trout Merwin Reservoir - Boat anglers are catching some kokanee and a few coho. Merwin Reservoir was reported 6.25 feet below full pool today. Swift and Yale reservoirs were reported 29 and 12.5 feet below full pool, respectively. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for September 18-24, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Elochoman River - No report on angling success. Beginning Sunday October 1, the salmon daily limit increases to 6 salmon, no more than 4 adults. Wild coho release. Cowlitz River - Boat anglers averaged about ½ adult hatchery coho per person last week. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 4,260 cfs today. From 400 feet or posted markers below the Barrier Dam, the daily limit increases to 6 fish of which 6 may be adult hatchery coho beginning this Sunday (October 1). All chinook must be released through December 31. From the upper boundary of Lake Scanewa (Cowlitz Falls Reservoir) upstream to the confluence with the Muddy Fork and Ohanapecosh rivers), the Cispus River from posted markers at the Lewis Co. PUD kayak launch upstream to the North Fork, and the Tilton River from mouth to West Fork, the salmon daily limit will be 6 fish, no more 4 adults beginning October 1. Toutle River - Bank anglers on the North Fork Toutle averaged about ½ adult hatchery coho per person; above the Green River rack, anglers averaged nearly a fish per rod when counting fish released. Not many anglers on the Green River Saturday due to Weyerhaeuser closing some roads. Daily salmon limit increases to 6 fish of which 6 may be adult hatchery coho beginning Sunday October 1. Wild coho release. All chinook must be released. Kalama River - Bank anglers continue to catch some hatchery adult coho. Lewis River - Anglers are catching some adult hatchery coho. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 3,000 cfs today. Daily limit increases to 6 fish, no more than 6 adult hatchery coho beginning Sunday October 1. All chinook must be released through January 31, 2001. Fishing from boats from Johnson Creek (located below the salmon hatchery) upstream to Colvin Creek (Located upstream from the salmon hatchery) is still prohibited through October 15. Bonneville Pool tributaries - Producing some adult hatchery coho. Steelhead angling continues to slow. Yakima River - Lots of activity with some nice fish being caught. Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Effort and catches are declining sharply. Bonneville Pool - Some adult and jack chinook are being caught off the Bonneville Pool tributaries. Hanford Reach - Lots of effort last week but catch sampled was only 60% of the same time last year. Boat anglers averaged an adult chinook per every 7.1 rods last week. Increasing numbers of jack chinook are appearing in the catch. Over a hundred boat trailers were counted at the Vernita ramp on Saturday afternoon. The mainstem Columbia from the Hwy. 395 Bridge at Pasco upstream to the old Hanford townsite wooden powerline will be open to fishing for hatchery steelhead beginning Sunday October 1. Daily limit is two hatchery steelhead. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - A few keepers were being caught off the bank near Vancouver. Walleye and Bass John Day Pool - Walleye fishing was fair with a good evening bite. Bass angling effort was low but the catches were good. Trout Riffe Lake - No report on angling success. The lake was reported 32.5 feet below full pool today. The Taidnapum and Kosmos boat ramps were reported to be unuseable; however, the Mossyrock boat ramp is useable. Merwin Reservoir - The few boat anglers sampled last week averaged nearly 3 kokanee per person. The reservoir was reported 3.25 feet below full pool on Friday September 22. Swift and Yale reservoirs were reported 26.5 and 7.5 feet below full pool, respectively. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for September 11-17, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Buoy 10 - On water observations Friday and Saturday showed fairly light effort and catches. Creel sampling and catch estimates should be available by Wednesday Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Boat anglers averaged an adult chinook per every 7.7 rods while bank anglers averaged one per every 11.1. Some adult hatchery coho are being caught by boat anglers off the mouth of the Cowlitz and jack coho are being caught off the bank below Longview. Effort remains fairly high on the lower Columbia. A total of 759 salmonid boats were counted during the Saturday (Sept. 16) flight. Two hundred seventeen boats were counted from Camas/Washougal downstream to the I-205 Bridge. Another 143 boats were counted at the mouth of the Cowlitz, 117 downstream from the mouth of the Lewis and 98 near Kalama. Bonneville Pool and its tributaries - Producing a mixture of fall chinook, coho, and steelhead. On the White Salmon River from posted markers ½ mile upstream from the Hwy. 14 Bridge upstream, all chinook must be released from October 1 through December 31. John Day Pool - Also producing a mixture of fall chinook, coho, and steelhead. Yakima River - Lots of effort on the opener but fishing was slow. Hanford Reach - Effort increased but catches declined to more normal levels for this time of year. Boat anglers averaged an adult chinook per every 7.5 rods last week. About a hundred boat trailers were counted at the Vernita Bridge yesterday (Sept. 17) afternoon. Through September 17, a total of 47,594 adult chinook had been counted at McNary Dam. The McNary Dam count has exceeded the escapement goal for the 17th consecutive year. However, the Upriver Bright stock adult returns to the mouth of the Columbia has been downsized from 208,200 to 163,700. The Bonneville Pool hatchery stock (mainly Spring National Fish Hatchery fish) was downsized from 26,900 adults to 20,100 fish. Based on 9,000 tule fall chinook jacks (including large size jacks) passing Bonneville Dam through September 13, this year's return is the largest count on record. Based on 25,500 bright jacks passing Bonneville Dam through September 13, this year's final returns are projected to total about 60,000 fish which would be the largest count since 1988. Elochoman River - No report on angling success. To further protect natural spawning fall chinook, all chinook caught upstream from the Foster (Risk) Road Bridge must be released beginning October 1. Historically, chinook over 28" had to be released from this area during that period. Cowlitz River - Very light effort above the mouth of the Toutle; lots of effort below. Boat anglers are catching good numbers of hatchery coho and some sea-run cutthroats. Most boats are launching below the Camelot trailer Park. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 4,260 cfs today Toutle River - North Fork Toutle and Green River (above the rack) bank anglers averaged almost ½ adult hatchery coho per person last week. Nearly 3,000 adult coho had been released upstream from the hatchery as of September 14. Kalama River - Bank anglers on the lower river are catching hatchery coho. To further protect natural spawning fall chinook, all chinook caught upstream of the natural gas pipeline to the upper hatchery must be released October 1 through December 31. Historically, chinook over 28" had to be released from this area during that period. Lewis River - Bank anglers are catching adult and jack hatchery coho. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 3,000 cfs today. Anglers are reminded that the river from Colvin Creek upstream to Merwin Dam closes to all fishing beginning October 1 as listed in the permanent regulations. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Sturgeon fishing was slower for the anglers sampled at the Deep River and Knappton boat ramps last week. Some legals are being caught off the bank just below Bonneville Dam John Day Pool - Sturgeon fishing was reported fair with a good evening bite last week. Walleye and Bass John Day Pool - Walleye fishing was fair with a good evening bite. Bass angling effort was low but the catches were good. Trout Riffe lake - No report on angling success. The lake was reported 29 feet below full pool today Lewis River impoundments - No report on angling success. Swift, Yale, and Merwin reservoirs, respectively, were reported 22.25, 6.5, and 2.5 feet below full pool last Friday (Sept. 15). WDFW Sport Sampling Results for September 4-10, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Buoy 10 - On water monitoring last Friday and Saturday revealed relatively light effort and catches. Water was rough on Friday. Creel sampling data from the ports of Chinook and Ilwaco are currently unavailable Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Boat anglers averaged an adult chinook kept per every 6.6 rods last week. Coho catches are increasing at the mouth of the Cowlitz River. Bank anglers averaged an adult chinook per every 16 rods last week Bonneville Pool - Improving for chinook off the mouth of the White Salmon River John Day Pool - Slow for summer-run steelhead. Hanford Reach - Boat anglers averaged an adult chinook per every 3.7 rods last week. We sampled nearly 4 times as many adult chinook last week than at the same time last year.Cowlitz River - Fish are reported jumping but not biting. However, boats near the mouth of the Toutle did well on Saturday. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 4,220 cfs today. Toutle River - Effort and catch for coho is increasing on the mainstem and North Fork Toutle rivers. No effort was observed on the Green River. Water color was vert poor on the North Fork and mainstem due to rains that brought sediment from the Sediment Retention Structure. Some coho are beginning to return to the hatchery. Kalama River - Bank anglers are catching adult hatchery coho. Lewis River - Producing good numbers of hatchery coho jacks and some adults, especially for bank anglers near the salmon hatchery. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 3,000 cfs today. Bonneville Pool tributaries - The Wind, White Salmon, and Klickitat rivers plus Drano Lake are producing a mixture of fall chinook, coho, and steelhead. Steelhead are on the move with over 7,500 counted at the Dalles Dam yesterday. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Boat anglers sampled at the Deep River and Knappton ramps in the estuary averaged about a legal per boat last week. Sturgeon catches are improving off the bank just below Bonneville Dam. Creel sampling data from the ports of Chinook and Ilwaco are currently unavailable John Day Pool - Slow for legal sized fish. Through August 31, an estimated 324 of the 560 fish guideline had been caught. Walleye and Bass John Day Pool - Slow for walleye. The few boat anglers sampled that were fishing for bass had done very well. Trout Riffe Lake - No report on angling success. The reservoir was reported 26 feet below full pool today. Mossyrock boat ramp was reported useable; Taidnapum was reported not useable.Merwin Reservoir - The seven boat anglers sampled there last week had kept 16 kokanee and released two rainbows. The reservoir was reported 0.5 feet below full pool last Friday. Swift and Yale reservoirs were reported 18.5 and 6 feet below full pool, respectively. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for August 28-September 3, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Buoy 10 - Fair to good for hatchery coho, slow for chinook. Yesterday Monday Sept. 4 at the ports of Chinook and Ilwaco, private boat anglers averaged slightly better than ½ hatchery coho per person while charter boaters averaged slightly less than 3/4 fish per rod. Through September 4, the combined totals from Washington and Oregon show an estimated 61,224 angler trips have produced 5,955 chinook and 18,231 hatchery coho from Buoy 10 Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Last week, boaters from Camas/Washougal downstream to Longview averaged an adult chinook kept per every 3.7 rods based on mostly completed trips. Boat anglers are also catching increasing numbers of hatchery coho. Salmon fishing was slower from the bank with anglers averaging an adult chinook per every 11.9 rods based on mostly incomplete trips. In August 2000, an estimated record 45,000 salmonid trips on the lower Columbia from Bonneville Dam downstream to Cathlamet produced 3,300 fall chinook and 3,000 hatchery steelhead Fall chinook counts were the highest of the season (so far) at Bonneville Dam with 8,200 fish counted there on Friday Sept. 1. Cowlitz River - No report on angling success. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 3,080 cfs today North Fork and Mainstem Toutle plus Green River (Cowlitz Co.) - Light effort and no catches observed there last weekend. However, fish were reported rolling in the mainstem and the North Fork Kalama River - Fairly heavy effort near the I-5 Bridge with some catches of hatchery coho and fall chinook Lewis River - No formal creel sampling there last week. Reports of adult and jack hatchery coho being caught by shore anglers around the hatchery. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 1,500 cfs today. Bonneville Pool tributaries - Producing mostly hatchery steelhead with increasing numbers of fall chinook and hatchery coho Bonneville Pool - Slow for salmon at the mouth of the Washington tributaries. John Day Pool- Light effort and catches of hatchery summer run steelhead. Hanford Reach - Effort and catches are increasing. Last week, boat anglers averaged 2 adult chinook per every 3 boats. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Private boat anglers averaged about a legal kept per boat while charter boaters averaged 0.6 legals per person. A few legals are being caught off the bank just below Bonneville Dam. John Day Pool - Boat anglers are catching a few legals. Walleye and Bass John Day Pool - Boat anglers averaged better than 1/3 legal walleye person last week. No effort for bass was observed. Trout Riffe Lake - Boat anglers averaged one fish per every 4 hours while shore anglers averaged one per every 5. This was the last Riffe Lake creel until next May. The reservoir was reported almost 23 feet below full pool today. Mossyrock boat ramp was reported to be useable; Taidnapum ramp was not useable. Merwin Reservoir - The one boat angler sampled there last week had kept 3 kokanee. The reservoir was reported 4.5 feet below full pool last Friday. Swift and Yale reservoirs were reported 15 and 3.75 feet below full pool, respectively. Trout plants during the last week of August - Mayfield lake - 300 rainbows averaging 2 pounds each, 3,000 rainbows averaging 3/4 pound each, and 5,100 catchable size rainbows. Skate Creek - 600 rainbows slightly larger than a pound each and 1,400 catchables. Tilton River - 500 rainbows slightly larger than a pound each and 2,000 catchables. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for August 21-27, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Buoy 10 - From Friday thru Sunday, slower for chinook but fair to good for coho. Private boat anglers sampled at the ports of Chinook and Ilwaco averaged a chinook per every 15 rods while charter boaters averaged one per every 11. Private and charter boat anglers averaged about ½ hatchery coho per person High number of boats were counted in the estuary during the Saturday August 26 flight. An estimated 1,500 private boats were counted from Buoy 10 upstream to the Megler-Astoria Bridge. Through August 27, an estimated 5,800 chinook had been caught at Buoy 10. Fishery managers from the Oregon and Washington departments of Fish and Wildlife are expected to meet tomorrow to discuss re-opening Buoy 10 to chinook retention. In any event, Buoy 10 will remain open to fishing for hatchery coho. Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Last week, bank anglers averaged a hatchery steelhead kept per every 9.8 rods. A few fall chinook are also being caught from the Washington shore Not including Buoy 10 anglers sampled at the Deep River and Knappton ramps, boat anglers averaged an adult fall chinook per every 9.4 rods last week. Some hatchery steelhead are being caught near the mouths of the Cowlitz and Lewis rivers. Some hatchery coho are also appearing in the catches Boat effort for salmonids is intense on the lower Columbia. A total of 1,129 boats from Bonneville Dam downstream to Cathlamet were counted during the Saturday August 26 flight. Over 400 boats were counted in the Camas/Washougal to Government Island area. Slightly over two hundred boats were counted at the mouth of the Cowlitz and nearly two hundred more counted below the mouth of the Lewis. One hundred boats were counted in the Vancouver area Through August 27, nearly 200,000 summer-run steelhead had been counted at Bonneville Dam. Cowlitz River - Some hatchery summer-run steelhead are being caught near the hatcheries. Effort has been light. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 3,050 cfs today. Kalama River - A few fall chinook and hatchery coho are appearing in catches from the lower river. Lewis River - Bank anglers near the hatchery are catching some hatchery coho. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 2,700 cfs today. Bonneville Pool tributaries (Wind and White Salmon rivers plus Drano Lake) - Still producing hatchery summer-run steelhead. Bonneville Pool - A few fall chinook are being caught off the mouth of the tributaries John Day Pool - Bank anglers are catching some summer-run steelhead. Hanford Reach - Fall chinook are beginning to show up with catches reported throughout the reach. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Private boat anglers averaged about ½ legal per rod while charter boaters averaged 0.87 legal per person last week. John Day Pool - Effort was light and catches were only fair last week. Walleye, Bass, and Tiger Muskies John Day Pool - Bass fishing was fair-to-good last week. Boat anglers were having good success for walleye. Trout Riffe Lake - Very few anglers out during spot checks last week. Shore anglers fishing deep at the north side of Mossyrock Dam and boat anglers fishing the thermocline are still catching nice-sized coho. The lake was reported 21 feet below full pool last Friday. Mossyrock boat ramp was reported to be useable; Taidnapum ramp was not useable. Merwin Reservoir - Boat anglers continue to catch some kokanee. The reservoir was reported 2 feet below full pool. Swift and Yale reservoirs were reported 13.75 and 3 feet below full pool, respectively. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for August 14-20, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - Good numbers of hatchery steelhead were caught this week. Kalama - Some chinook are being caught in the sport catch Lewis River - Some catch is showing up at the mouth - hatchery steelhead and reports of some coho. Wind River - Steelhead fishing was very good this week with about one fish for every two boat anglers and about one fish for every eight bank anglers. Drano Lake - Boat anglers continue to do very well with almost a fish for every angler, counting released fish. Bank anglers averaged about a fish for every five anglers, counting released fish. White Salmon River - Boat anglers averaged 1.3 hatchery steelhead per angler and when counting released fish it was 1.7 fish per angler. Bank anglers did well also with a hatchery steelhead for every five anglers. Buoy 10 - An estimated 16,474 anglers caught 1,871 chinook, and 3,968 coho for catch rates of .11 chinook and .24 coho per angler. Effective 12:01am on Monday August 28 all chinook must be released. The fishery will remain open for the retention of hatchery coho. A news release will be issued by the end of this week. Counts of chinook over Bonneville Dam were getting into the 4,000 - 5,000 range by the end of last week. The count for August 22 was 5,048 chinook, 419 coho, and 3,945 hatchery steelhead. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Private boat anglers averaged a legal kept per every 4 - 5 anglers while charter boat anglers averaged .73 legal sturgeon per person. Effort for sturgeon fishing has dropped as effort to catch salmon has increased. The Columbia River below the Wauna power lines will remain open to the retention of sturgeon during September 1 - 15. John Day Pool - Boat anglers averaged about one legal sturgeon for every 10 anglers. Walleye, Bass, and Tiger Muskies John Day Pool - Boat anglers averaged .38 walleye per angler including fish released and over four bass per angler including released fish. Trout Riffe Lake - Boat anglers are averaging about 3 fish per boat, those fishing deep are doing better than those fishing shallow. It was fairly slow for shore anglers. Merwin Reservoir - Boat anglers averaged 2 kokanee per angler. No bank anglers were interviewed. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for July 31-August 6, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Buoy 10 - Fishing was decent on the opener with an average of a hatchery coho per boat. From Wednesday through Friday, the average was a hatchery coho per person. In addition, some chinook are being taken. However, fishing was slower over the weekend and even slower yesterday (Monday Aug. 7). Yesterday, 67 private boat anglers sampled at the ports of Chinook and Ilwaco had 4 chinook and 2 coho. Through Aug. 6, an estimated 210 chinook and 1,745 hatchery coho were caught by nearly 5,000 anglers. Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Counting fish released, boat anglers averaged a steelhead per every 5 rods while bank anglers averaged one per every 9.2. Most of the boat effort is centered at the mouth of the Cowlitz where 158 boats were counted during last Saturday's flight. Over 300 salmonid bank anglers were counted on the Washington shore from Vancouver downstream during the same flight. Cowlitz River - Continues to produce hatchery steelhead. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 3,110 cfs today Lewis River - Light effort and catches. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 2,500 cfs today. Wind River - Light effort although anglers are catching some hatchery summer-run steelhead Drano Lake - Effort increased but catches decreased last week. Almost 100 boats were counted there Saturday morning. Counting fish released (including some hatchery fish), boat anglers averaged 2/3 steelhead per rod last week. White Salmon River - Producing some hatchery summer-run steelhead. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Private boat anglers averaged a legal kept per every 3.7 rods while charter boat anglers averaged .91 fish per person. Two hundred sixty-three private and 15 charter boats were counted in the estuary last Saturday. Some legals are being caught off the bank from Knappton-Chinook and just below Bonneville Dam. John Day Pool - Boat anglers averaged a legal kept per every 9.5 rods last week. Walleye, Bass, and Tiger Muskies John Day Pool - Counting fish released, boaters averaged 1/4 walleye and 6 bass per rod last week. Trout Riffe Lake - Slow for trout and landlocked salmon. The reservoir was reported 15 feet below full pool today. Lake Scanewa (Cowlitz Falls Reservoir) - Boat anglers averaged 1.7 trout per rod. Bank angling is slow. Merwin Reservoir - Counting fish released, boat anglers averaged 3.3 kokanee per rod last week. The reservoir was reported 5.25 feet below full pool today. Swift and Yale reservoirs were reported 3.25 and 2.25 feet below full pool, respectively. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for July 24-30, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco) - The catch estimate through Sunday (July 23) is 782 chinook on a guideline of 4,300 and 11,166 coho on a quota of 37,500. Updates should be available on Wednesday. Cowlitz River - Boat anglers sampled one day last week at the Mill Creek and Blue Creek ramps averaged a steelhead per rod. Bank anglers were also catching some steelhead at the areas listed above. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 4,500 cfs today. Lewis River - Effort and catches have dropped recently. Flows were expected to be 1,800 cfs today Bonneville Pool tributaries - Counting fish released, Drano Lake boat anglers averaged a steelhead per rod last week. Bank anglers at Wind and White Salmon rivers were also catching some fish Ringold - Today is the last day to fish for spring chinook and summer-run steelhead. Through yesterday (July 30), an estimated 364 adult and 265 jack spring chinook plus 222 hatchery summer-run steelhead had been taken in the Ringold bank only fishery Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Counting fish released, bank anglers on the Washington shore from Bonneville Dam downstream averaged a summer-run steelhead per every 7.2 rods based on mostly incomplete trips last week. Boat anglers averaged a steelhead per every 2.7 rods based on completed trips. Most of the boat effort was centered at the mouth of the Cowlitz. Bonneville Dam counts of summer steelhead continue to be 3,000-4,000 fish per day. Through July 30, almost 90,000 steelhead had been counted at the dam. Of those, over 40% (37,089) were classified as wild fish. This compares to the recent 10-year average of 51,000 steelhead of which 9,100 were wild John Day Pool - The few bank anglers sampled there last week had taken some summer-run steelhead. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Boat anglers sampled last week at Deep River/Knappton averaged a legal kept per every 2.8 rods. Last weekend, the greatest concentration of boats in the estuary was found near Desdemona Sands below the Megler-Astoria Bridge. Bank anglers in the estuary and just below Bonneville Dam continue to catch some legal sized fish. The data from the ports of Chinook and Ilwaco is currently unavailable. It may be available later today or tomorrow. John Day Pool - Boat anglers averaged a legal kept per every 6.9 rods last week. Walleye, Bass, and Tiger Muskies John Day Pool - Counting fish released, boat anglers averaged 0.5 walleye and 3.6 bass per rod last week. Trout Riffe Lake - Spot checking the west side of the lake last week revealed very few anglers and even fewer fish. The reservoir was reported 13 feet below full pool last week Lake Scanewa (Cowlitz Falls Reservoir) - Boat anglers averaged slightly better than 2 trout per person last week. Most of the fishing success has been taking place in the Cispus arm of the reservoir where the water is clearer and a little cooler. Merwin Reservoir - Boat anglers averaged 2 kokanee kept per person last week. Last Friday (July 28), the reservoir was reported 3 feet below full pool. Swift and Yale reservoirs were reported 0.75 and 1.5 feet below full pool, respectively. Last week's trout plants - Riffe Lake - 4,400 catchable size brown trout Skate Creek - 1,900 catchable size rainbows and 400 fish slightly over a pound each Tilton River - 1,800 catchable size rainbows and 470 fish slightly over a pound each WDFW Sport Sampling Results for July 17-23, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Marine Area 1 - Through Sunday July 16, an estimated 170 chinook of the 4,300 fish guideline and 5,474 coho of the 37,500 quota had been taken. Updates should be available on Wednesday. Cowlitz River - No report on angling success. Through today, more than 900 steelhead had returned to the salmon hatchery. The Cowlitz, mainstem and North Fork Toutle, and Green (Cowlitz Co.) rivers are opening to fishing for hatchery coho beginning August 1. Chinook and wild coho must be released. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 4,490 cfs today. Lewis River - Catches of spring chinook mini-jacks have dropped off. However, hatchery summer-run steelhead are still appearing in the catches. All chinook must be released effective August 1. Fishing from a floating device from Colvin Creek (located upstream from the salmon hatchery) downstream to Johnson Creek (located downstream from the salmon hatchery) will be prohibited August 1 through October 15. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be a low 1,500 cfs today. Washougal River - Hatchery steelhead are being recycled downstream. The river was originally slated to close to all fishing from August 1 through October 15 to protect the expected low return of fall chinook. Look for a Fishing Rule Change Notice this week for a possible 2-week extension of the trout (including hatchery steelhead) sport fishery. Bonneville Pool tributaries - Drano Lake boat anglers had excellent catches of summer-run steelhead last week. Counting fish released, anglers averaged nearly a fish per person. Best catches were reported in the early morning. Wind and White Salmon rivers - Fairly low effort but anglers are catching hatchery summer-run steelhead. Wind River downstream from the railroad bridge and Drano Lake open to fishing for salmon beginning August 1. White Salmon River downstream from the powerhouse is already open to fishing for salmon. Wild coho must be released. On the Wind River downstream from the railroad bridge, Drano Lake, and White Salmon River from the powerhouse downstream, non-buoyant lure restrictions become in effect beginning August 1. Fishing remains open 24 hours/day. Ringold bank fishery - Spring chinook catches have tapered off to nothing but summer-run steelhead angling has been good. Next Monday (July 31) is the last scheduled day of the Ringold spring chinook/hatchery steelhead fishery. The fall salmon season from the Hwy. 395 Bridge at Pasco upstream to Priest Rapids Dam opens August 16. Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Including fish released, bank anglers on the Washington side of the river averaged a steelhead per every 5.4 rods last week. Beginning August 1, adult salmon may be kept from Buoy 10 upstream to the Hwy. 395 Bridge at Pasco. From Buoy 10 upstream to the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line, the daily limit is 2 salmon, no more than 1 chinook. Wild coho release. The fishery (including North Jetty) is open 7 days/week and barbed hooks are allowed. Through September 30, minimum size is 16" for coho and 24" for chinook. Chinook retention at Buoy 10 may not last through Labor Day. The states of Washington and Oregon departments of fish and wildlife are expected to meet after this Thursday's (July 27) Compact Meeting to determine how the non-Indian 8.25% impacts on Snake River wild fall chinook will be allocated in the sport and commercial fisheries. It is expected the mainstem Columbia fall salmon season upstream from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line will run interupted. On the Washington side of mainstem Columbia upstream from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line, the salmon daily limit is 6 fish, no more than 2 adults. Wild coho release except between John Day Dam and McNary Dam. Effective August 1, release of chinook will be required in the mainstem Columbia around the mouth of the Lewis to protect the expected record low return of wild fall chinook. The low adult returns to the Lewis are attributed to the flooding in 1996. Fishing for hatchery coho and steelhead will be allowed in the area closed to chinook retention. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Since July 12, Ilwaco and Chinook boat anglers averaged a legal kept per every 4 rods. Charter boat anglers averaged 0.8 legals kept per rod. Last week, boat anglers at Deep River averaged a legal kept per every 2 rods. Bank anglers in the estuary and just below Bonneville Dam were catching a few legals. The Washington and Oregon departments of fish and wildlife are expected to meet after this Thursday's (July 27) Compact Meeting to determine whether sturgeon retention below the Wauna powerlines will be restricted from mid-August through mid-September and above the Wauna powerlines in November John Day Pool - Boat anglers are catching some legal size fish. Walleye, Bass, and Tiger Muskies Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Boat anglers in the Camas/Washougal area are catching some walleye. John Day Pool - Counting fish released, boat anglers averaged a walleye and a bass per person last week. Trout Riffe Lake - Fishing was spotty during a weekday sampling trip last week. The lake was reported less than 11 feet below full pool today. Mayfield Lake - Was planted last week with nearly 6,000 rainbows weighing 3/4 pound each and 1,000 rainbows weighing 2 pounds each. Merwin Reservoir - Including fish released, boat anglers averaged 2.5 kokanee per person last week. Last Friday, the reservoir was reported one foot below full pool. Swift Reservoir was reported 2.5 feet below full pool; Yale one foot below full pool. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for July 10-16, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - The river is fairly low and clear. Lots of hatchery steelhead are present. The best catches are reported early in the morning. Through July 13, a total of 725 hatchery summer-run steelhead had returned to the salmon hatchery. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 4,470 cfs today. Kalama River - Anglers continue to catch hatchery summer-run steelhead. Through July 13, a total of 462 hatchery and 112 wild summer-run steelhead had returned to Kalama Falls Hatchery Lewis River - Continues to produce chinook mini-jacks and hatchery summer-run steelhead. Through July 13, over 1,000 hatchery summer-run steelhead had returned to the Lewis River facilities. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 2,000 cfs today Washougal River - No report on angling success. Through July 13, a total of 1,172 summer-run steelhead had returned to Skamania Hatchery. Drano Lake - Beginning to produce good numbers of hatchery summer-run steelhead for boat anglers. At Bonneville Dam, the Columbia River water temperature was 68 degrees today. The warm mainstem water may soon spur fish movement into the Bonneville Pool tributaries. Over 2,800 steelhead were counted at Bonneville Dam yesterday (Sunday July 16). White Salmon River - Beginning to produce hatchery summer-un steelhead Ringold - Effort remained light but steelhead success remains fair. Mainstem Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Based mainly on incomplete trips, bank anglers averaged a hatchery steelhead kept per every 10 rods last week. A few chinook jacks are also being caught. From Bonneville Dam downstream, over 300 bank anglers fishing for salmonids were counted on the Washington shore during last Saturday's (July 15) flight. Based on completed trips, boat anglers averaged a hatchery steelhead kept per every 6 rods last week. Most of the boat effort is centered at the mouth of the Cowlitz River. Sixty-six boats were counted there during the same flight. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Boat anglers sampled from Deep River to Ilwaco averaged a legal sturgeon kept per every 3.1 rods last week. Over 450 sturgeon boats were counted from Bonneville Dam downstream during last Saturday's flight. Almost 350 of those boats were found in the estuary. The greatest concentration of boats occurred below the Megler-Astoria Bridge near Desdemona Sands and just off Astoria. Based mainly on incomplete trips, bank anglers between Knappton and Chinook averaged a legal kept per every 11 rods last week. Sixty-seven bank anglers were counted there last Saturday. Bank anglers just below Bonneville Dam are also catching a few legals. John Day Pool - Boat anglers were catching a few legal sized sturgeon. Through June 30, an estimated 105 of the 560 fish guideline had been taken. Walleye, Bass, and Tiger Muskies Riffe Lake - Smallmouth bass are being caught on the eastern end of the lake. John Day Pool - Counting fish released, boat anglers averaged 2/3 walleye per rod last week. Boat anglers averaged a bass per rod. Trout Riffe Lake - Anglers are catching chinook mini-jacks at the north side of Mossyrock Dam. Some rainbows and coho are being caught around the lake. The reservoir was reported 9 feet below full pool today. Merwin Reservoir - Boat anglers averaged a kokanee per angler last week. The reservoir was reported 1.5 feet below full pool last Friday (July 14). Swift and Yale reservoirs were reported 1 foot and 2 feet below full pool, respectively. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for July 3-9, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - No report on angling success. Through July 7, over 500 summer-run steelhead had returned to the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery. Flows below Mayfield Dam are expected to be 5,050 cfs today. Kalama River - Fishing was fair on the Kalama last week with 7 steelhead kept for 52 bank anglers. For 6 boat anglers one steelhead was caught and a few chinook jacks were released. Through July 7, over 300 hatchery summer-run steelhead have returned to Kalama Falls Hatchery. Lewis River - Catch of summer-run hatchery steelhead is picking up with about 1 kept for every 8 anglers. Catch of chinook jacks remains pretty good with about one jack for every 2-3 anglers. Through July 7, 853 hatchery summer-run steelhead have returned to the Merwin Dam trap. Flows below Merwin Dam are expected to be 2,000 cfs today. Washougal River - No report on angling success. Through July 7, a total of 939 hatchery summer-run steelhead had returned to Skamania Hatchery. Wind River - Closed to fishing for spring chinook as of June 30. Slight effort for steelhead, however, no catch for last week. Drano Lake - Very little effort. One steelhead kept and one released for three boat anglers. White Salmon - Effort starting to increase for hatchery summer-run steelhead. One steelhead kept and one released for 9 anglers. Klickitat - Ten anglers interviewed with 2 chinook jacks released. Ringold - Effort remains light; steelhead angling is fair Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Catch of hatchery summer-run steelhead is starting to pick up. For bank anglers the average is about 1 steelhead for every 8 - 10 anglers. Boat fishing is very good with 1 steelhead for every 2 - 3 anglers. Best catches are still below Longview. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Effort and catch remain high for sturgeon at Deep River and Knappton. Boat anglers averaged 1 legal kept for every 2 - 3 anglers, while bank anglers averaged 1 legal for every 18 anglers. Private boats at Ilwaco and Chinook averaged 1 legal for every 4 anglers. Charter boats were getting close to 1 legal for every angler. On July 16, Beacon Rock to Hamilton Island Boat Ramp (across to Robbins Island) will open to boat sturgeon angling. John Day Pool - Catch of legal size sturgeon remains low. Walleye, Bass, and Tiger Muskies John Day Pool - Boat anglers in John Day Pool were getting 1 walleye for every 4 anglers. Trout Riffe Lake - Bank anglers averaged 1 coho for every 2 anglers. Pool level is at 5.2 feet below full pool. Lake Scanewa (Cowlitz Falls Reservoir) - Boat anglers were very successful averaging 2.5 trout for every angler. Bank anglers were also catching some trout Merwin Reservoir - Boat anglers did very well averaging over 2 kokanee for every angler. The reservoir was at 1.75 feet below full pool. Klineline Pond - No report on angling success. Recent catchable trout plants - For Lewis County, Lewis and Clark Pond received 210 rainbows, Mayfield Lake received 3,400 rainbows, Skate Creek received 2,013 rainbows, and Tilton received 2,361 rainbows. For Skamania County, Counsil Lake received 1,480 eastern brook, and Takhlakh Lake received 4,072 eastern brooks. Shad Effort has dropped way off, catch was 4 shad for 6 anglers last week. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for June 19-25, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - No report on angling success. Through June 25, nearly 400 summer-run steelhead had returned to the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 6,840 cfs today. Kalama River - Producing hatchery summer-run steelhead. Through June 22, a total of 119 hatchery summer-run steelhead had returned to Kalama Falls Hatchery. Lewis River - Continues to produce lots of spring chinook mini jacks about 13" in length and hatchery summer run steelhead. Through June 22, a total of 511 hatchery summer run steelhead had returned to the Merwin Dam trap. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 2,800 cfs today Washougal River - No report on angling success. Recently, thirty to forty summer-run steelhead were returning daily to Skamania Hatchery. Through June 22, a total of 413 summer-run steelhead had returned to the hatchery Wind River - Effort and catches continues to decline. The river remains open to fishing for spring chinook through Friday June 30. By the end of the season, an estimated 10,000 spring chinook will have been caught in the sport fishery. Drano Lake - Effort and catches for hatchery steelhead have been low. Klickitat River - Producing some spring chinook jacks and hatchery steelhead. Ringold - Low effort. A couple fish a day caught during weekdays, a few more on weekends Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Bank anglers on the Washington sand bars averaged a hatchery steelhead per every 9 rods last week. Best catches and highest effort was from Longview downstream. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Private boat anglers sampled at the ports of Chinook and Ilwaco averaged a legal (including fish released) per every 2.9 rods through the middle of last week. Charter boat anglers averaged nearly 0.8 legals per rod during the same period. Boat anglers sampled at Deep River averaged a legal (including fish released) per every 1.6 rods during late last week through the weekend. Bank anglers between Knappton and Chinook continue to catch some legals. A few legals are also being caught from the bank just downstream from Bonneville Dam. John Day Pool - Boat anglers are catching some legal sized fish. Walleye, Bass, and Tiger Muskies John Day Pool - Including fish released, boat anglers fishing for walleye averaged ½ fish per person last week. Merwin Reservoir - A 39" tiger muskie was reported caught from Cresap Bay on Merwin Reservoir last weekend. Trout Riffe Lake - Fishing from shore is good by the dam and also at the fishing bridge at the upper end of the lake. Bank anglers averaged a fish per person last week. The lake was reported 5 feet below full pool. Lake Scanewa (Cowlitz Falls Reservoir) Boat anglers averaged 1.5 trout per person during the weekend of June 17 and 18. Merwin Reservoir - Boat anglers averaged nearly 2 fish per person last week. Kokanee were the dominant species caught there. The reservoir was reported 1.25 feet below full pool last Friday (June 23). Swift and Yale reservoirs were reported 1.25 and .75 feet below full pool, respectively. Klineline Pond - Bank anglers averaged about a fish per person with the catch consisting of mainly rainbows plus a few browns Southwest Washington waters receiving recent plants of rainbows since mid June: Jewitt Creek (near Bingen) - 1,000 catchables Rowland Lake near Lyle - 1,657 catchables Mayfield Lake - 400 rainbows averaging 2 pounds each and 3,000 large size catchables Skate Creek and the Tilton River - 1,500 catchables and 300 averaging a pound each were planted into each system. Shad Effort appears to be declining but catches remain fairly good. Bank anglers near Bonneville (including Cascade Island) averaged 3 shad per person based on mainly incomplete trips. Over the weekend 22,000-23,000 shad were counted each day at Bonneville Dam. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for June 5-11, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - No report on angling success. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 5,090 cfs today. Through June 8, a total of 371 adult spring chinook and 99 hatchery summer-run steelhead had returned to the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery. Kalama River - Flows were high and the river was turbid this morning. Anglers had been catching some spring chinook and summer-run steelhead. Through June 8, a total of 434 adult spring chinook and 119 hatchery summer-run steelhead had returned to Kalama Falls Hatchery. Lewis River - Producing mainly hatchery summer-run steelhead and spring chinook mini jacks. The mini jacks are about 13 inches long. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 2,750 cfs today. Through June 8, a total of 682 adult spring chinook and 287 hatchery summer-run steelhead had been counted at the Lewis River facilities. Washougal River - No report on angling success. Through June 8, a total of 193 hatchery summer run steelhead had returned to Skamania Hatchery. Wind River - Bank anglers on the upper Wind averaged nearly 2/3 of a spring chinook each last week. However, the fish are beginning to turn dark. In addition, the river was up and dirty this morning Drano Lake - Re-opens to fishing for hatchery steelhead beginning Friday June 16. Smolt plants originally slated for Wind River are now released into Drano Lake. Adults from the 51,400 smolts released in 1998 should be returning to Drano Lake this summer. Salmon angling remains closed until August 1. White Salmon River - Effort and catches remain light. Under permanent regulations, the river from the powerhouse upstream to Northwestern (Condit) Dam closes to all fishing beginning June 16. This section of river will re-open to fishing beginning November 16. Klickitat River - Light effort and catches. Through June 8, a total of 358 adult spring chinook had returned to Klickitat Hatchery. Ringold - Effort and catches have fallen off. Through June 11, an estimated 294 adult and 233 jack spring chinook plus 56 hatchery summer-run steelhead had been caught in the bank only sport fishery. Over three hundred adult spring chinook have returned to the hatchery. In addition, the hatchery recycled 200 jacks. Lower Columbia below the I-5 Bridge - Slow for hatchery summer-run steelhead off the Washington sand bars last week. The mainstem Columbia from the I-5 Bridge upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge at Pasco opens to fishing for hatchery steelhead beginning this Friday (June 16). Sturgeon Estuary - During June 1-7, private boat anglers sampled at the ports of Chinook and Ilwaco averaged a legal per every 3.3 rods. Charter boat anglers averaged nearly 3/4 per person during the same period Last week, boat anglers sampled at Deep River averaged a legal kept per every 4.9 rods. Bank anglers from Knapton-Chinook averaged a legal kept per every 7.1 rods. Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Bank anglers just downstream from Bonneville Dam are finding fair success for legal size fish. A total of 75 bank anglers fishing for sturgeon were counted from the deadline downstream to Hamilton Island during the Saturday June 10 flight. The Dalles Pool - Including legals released, boat anglers averaged 3/4 fish per person last week. Bank anglers were also catching some legals. Effort was nearly double the recent 6-week average. The Dalles Pool remains open to sturgeon retention through Sunday June 18. Beginning Monday June 19, sturgeon angling will remain open but all fish must be immediately released unharmed. John Day Pool - Sturgeon anglers are catching some fish but few are legal size. Walleye and Bass The Dalles Pool - Boat anglers were catching some legal walleyes and also averaged slightly more than 2 bass each. Bank anglers averaged 3.6 bass per rod. John Day Pool - Boat anglers were catching some legal walleyes while bank anglers were catching some bass. Trout Riffe Lake - Bank anglers are catching mostly 14" coho at the fishing bridge at the upper end of the lake. Boat anglers also caught the same sized fish by trolling. The lake was reported 12 feet below full pool. Merwin Reservoir - Bank anglers were catching coho and rainbows while boat anglers caught primarily kokanee. The lake was reported 1 foot below full pool. Swift Reservoir was reported 2 feet below full pool; Yale 1 foot below full pool. Klineline Pond - Bank anglers averaged slight better than a rainbow each last week. The pond recently received a plant of 1,900 catchable size rainbows. Other Southwest Washington waters receiving plants of catchable size rainbows: Battle Ground Lake - 2,320 fish Horsethief Lake (near Dallesport)- 4,065 fish Rowland Lake (near Lyle) - 2,400 fish Spearfish Lake (near Dallesport) - 2,475 fish Shad Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Including fish released, bank anglers just below Bonneville Dam (including Cascade Island) averaged nearly 2 fish each based on mainly incomplete trips last week. Boat anglers in the Ives Island and the Camas/Washougal areas catches were slightly higher based on completed trips. Over 200 bank anglers fishing for shad just downstream from Bonneville Dam (including Cascade Island) were counted during the June 10 flight Through June 11, over 620,00 shad had been counted at Bonneville Dam. Nearly 840,000 shad had been counted at The Dalles Dam. The lower Bonneville Dam count is the result of fish swimming through the locks. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for May 29-June 4, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - Remains closed o fishing for salmon. Through May 30, a total of 343 spring chinook had returned to the salmon hatchery. The escapement goal is 1,150. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 5,110 cfs today. Green River (Cowlitz Co.) - No report on angling success. On Thurs. June 1, the upper boundary moved upstream to the 2800 Road Bridge. Fishing for hatchery steelhead also opened June 1. Kalama River - Producing some spring chinook and hatchery summer- run steelhead. Through May 30, 190 spring chinook had returned to the Kalama Falls hatchery. The hatchery escapement goal is 450. Lewis River - Slow to fair catch for spring chinook and summer-run steelhead. A good number of spring chinook mini-jacks are being released. Through May 29, a total of 660 spring chinook and over 300 hatchery summer-run steelhead had returned to the facilities. The spring chinook hatchery escapement goal is 750. Spring chinook restrictions were lifted Fri. (May 26). The salmon daily limit of 6 fish, no more than 2 adults. In addition, the river is open to bank and boat angling for salmon and steelhead from the mouth upstream to the overhead power lines below Merwin Dam. Flows were expected to be 3,000 cfs today. Wind River - Spring chinook catches have increased in the upper river with almost a fish per angler. The mouth and gorge area (400 feet below Shipperd Falls downstream) is slow with little to no effort White Salmon River - Light effort and catch. Effective June 1, the salmon daily limit is 6 fish, no more than 2 adults. In addition, the trout(including steelhead) daily limit is 2 fish, minimum size 14 inches. Klickitat River - Effective June 1, the Klickitat River from 400 feet above #5 fish way (located upstream from the Fisher Hill Bridge near Lyle) upstream to the boundary markers below the salmon hatchery, the salmon daily limit is 6 fish, no more than 2 adults. Typically, this section if the river is limited to jacks only in June and July. Under permanent regulations, the Klickitat River from the Fisher Hill Bridge downstream to the mouth salmon daily limit is 6 fish, no more than 2 adults. In addition, fishing is permitted 7 days a week. Through June 1, more than half (278) of the hatchery escapement goal (500) had been reached. Ringold bank only fishery - Fishing was good Memorial Day and last Saturday (6/3). Through June 4, an estimated 265 adult and 216 jack spring chinook plus 51 summer-run steelhead had been caught. Lower Columbia below the I-5 Bridge - Some hatchery summer-run steelhead are being caught from the Washington sand bars with most effort between Longview and Cathlamet. Bonneville Dam Counts - The final count of spring chinook totaled 177,896 adults and 20,964 jacks. The recent ten year average is 61,719 adults and 2,688 jacks. This years adult count is the second highest on record. Adult record being 178,300 fish counted in 1972. This years jack count is a record high . Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - At the ports of Chinook and Ilwaco from May 27-29, charter boat anglers averaged ½ legal per person while private boaters averaged a legal per every 6 anglers. Just below Bonneville Dam, bank anglers averaged a legal every 13 anglers. An aerial flight Sat. (6/3) counted 278 boats in the estuary and 167 boats just below Bonneville Dam. The Dalles Pool - Effort and catch were up. Anglers averaged 1.65 fish per angler. John Day Pool - Some catch, anglers averaged ½ fish per angler. Warm Water Species The Dalles Pool - Walleye angling was generally slow. Boat anglers averaged over 2.7 bass per rod, while bank anglers averaged 1 per rod. John Day Pool - Walleye anglers averaged 1 fish every 5 anglers out of the boat. Bass anglers from the boat averaged 5 fish/rod Vancouver Lake - Not much catch or effort last week. Trout Riffe Lake - Low effort with a good catch of coho and some rainbow trout by both boat and bank anglers. All ramps are open though Kosmos can be a problem with debris. The lake is full at 778 feet. Merwin Reservoir - Boat anglers averaged just over a kokanee per rod. The reservoir reported being at 1.25 feet below full pool as of Fri. (6/3). Yale Res. Was reported at 2.75 feet below full pool and Swift Res. Reported at 2.0 feet below full pool Klineline Pond - Lots of effort. Bank anglers averaged ½ a fish per person Recent trout plants: Canyon Creek - 1,625 Rainbow Tilton River - 2,385 Rainbow Goose Lake - 2,475 brown trout Little White Salmon River - 3,570 Rainbow Shad Lower Columbia Below Bonneville Dam- Bank anglers just below Bonneville Dam (includes Cascade Island) averaged 2.4 shad per person last week, based on incomplete trips. Bonneville Dam count was 28,923 shad yesterday (Sun. 6/4). Through June 4, 415,214 shad have been counted over Bonneville Dam. The Dalles Dam had 93,952 shad counted Sunday (6/3). WDFW Sport Sampling Results for May 22-28, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - Remains closed to fishing for salmon. Through May 29, a total of 343 spring chinook had returned to the salmon hatchery. The hatchery escapement goal is 1,150. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 5,090 cfs today. Green River (Cowlitz County) - No report on angling success. The upper boundary moves upstream to the 2800 Road Bridge beginning June 1. In addition, fishing for hatchery steelhead also opens. Kalama River - Continues to produce some spring chinook and hatchery summer-run steelhead. Through May 26, a total of 190 spring chinook had returned to Kalama Falls Hatchery. Sixty-two hatchery summer-run steelhead had returned through May 25. The hatchery escapement goal is 450 spring chinook Lewis River - Fair for spring chinook. Increasing numbers of hatchery summer steelhead are being found. Through May 29, a total of 660 spring chinook and over 300 hatchery summer-run steelhead had returned to the facilities. The spring chinook hatchery escapement goal is 750 fish. Spring chinook restrictions were lifted last Friday (May 26). The salmon daily limit is 6 fish, no more than 2 adults. In addition, the river is open to bank and boat angling for salmon and steelhead from the mouth upstream to the overhead powerlines below Merwin Dam. Flows were expected to be 3,200 cfs today. Washougal River - No report on angling success. Through May 25, a total of 62 hatchery summer-run steelhead had returned to Skamania Hatchery. Wind River - Spring chinook catches have increased in the upper river. The gorge area (from 400 feet below Shipherd Falls downstream), good early last week, has slowed considerably. Effort and catches are light at the mouth. Through May 21, an estimated 6,505 spring chinook had been caught from the Wind. Over 3,100 spring chinook had returned to Carson National Fish Hatchery through May 29. The hatchery escapement goal is 1,200 fish. White Salmon River - Light effort and catches. Effective June 1, the salmon daily limit is 6 fish, no more than 2 adults. In addition, the trout (including steelhead) daily limit is 2 fish, minimum size 14 inches. Through May 21, an estimated 138 spring chinook had been caught. Klickitat River - Effective June 1, the Klickitat River from 400 feet above #5 fishway (located upstream from the Fisher Hill Bridge near Lyle) upstream to boundary markers below the salmon hatchery, the salmon daily limit is 6 fish, no more than 2 adults. Typically, this section of river is limited to jacks only in June and July. Under permanent regulations, the Klickitat River from the Fisher Bridge downstream to the mouth salmon daily limit is 6 fish, no more than 2 adults. In addition, fishing is permitted 7 days/week. Through May 29, slightly more than half (257) of the hatchery escapement goal (500) had been reached. Ringold bank only fishery - Fishing was pretty slow most of the week but anglers did pretty well on Sunday (May 28). Through May 28, an estimated 194 adult and 166 jack spring chinook plus 29 hatchery summer-run steelhead had ben caught. Lower Columbia below the I-5 Bridge - Some hatchery summer-run steelhead are being caught from the Washington sand bars. Bonneville Dam counts - Through May 29, a total of 176,332 adult and 20,674 jack spring chinook had been counted at Bonneville Dam. With two days of counting of spring chinook left, both counts should be near record counts. The recent ten-year average is 61,719 adults and 2,688 jacks. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - At the ports of Chinook and Ilwaco from May 15-25, charter boat anglers averaged nearly 2/3 legal per person while private boaters averaged less than 1/4 per person. Just below Bonneville Dam, bank anglers averaged a legal kept per every 13.5 rods last week. The Dalles Pool - Anglers were catching a few legals. John Day Pool - Remains slow for legal sized fish. Warm Water Species Kress Lake near Kalama - In addition to some trout, the lake is also producing a variety of warmwater species. Water temperature was 65 degrees last week. The Dalles Pool - Walleye angling was generally slow. Boat anglers averaged 7 bass/rod while bank anglers averaged better than 2 per person last week. John Day Pool - Walleye effort and catch was up last week. Boat anglers averaged nearly 3/4 legal walleye per rod. Boat anglers averaged over 5 bass/rod while bank anglers averaged about a fish per person. Vancouver Lake - Not much effort or catch last week. Water temperature was 63 degrees last week. Trout South Lewis County Pond (Lewis County) - Anglers are doing well on the 15,249 surplus sea-run cutthroats recently planted there. However, the fish are small, between 5-6 inches in total length. Riffe Lake - Two year-old coho are starting to be caught though very few anglers are limiting. All boat ramps are now open although Kosmos ramp is still plagued with woody debris. Tacoma Power crews have been working at clearing the ramp but heavier boats are advised to use the other ramps. The reservoir was reported 16 feet below full pool. Swofford Pond - No report on angling success. Recently planted with 12,828 surplus sea-run cutthroats averaging 5-6 inches in length. Horseshoe Lake near Woodland - Fishing is slow. Merwin Reservoir - Boat anglers are averaging better than 2 fish a rod, the catch comprised mainly of kokanee. The reservoir was reported 2.5 feet below full pool last Friday (May 26). Yale Reservoir was 3.5 feet below full pool and Swift 3 feet. Klineline Pond - Bank anglers averaged slightly less than a ½ trout per person last week. Klickitat County streams recently planted with catchable size rainbows for the June 1 opener Bird Creek - 876 fish Blockhouse Creek - 169 fish Bloodgood Creek - 168 fish Bowman Creek - 424 fish Little Klickitat River (Juveniles only; opened last Sat. in April) - 693 fish Mill Creek - 424 fish Outlet Creek - 876 fish Spring Creek - 1,773 fish Other streams expected to be planted with trout for the June 1 opener - Tilton River (planted at the park in Morton - 2,600 catchable size rainbows and 400 rainbows a pound each), Canyon Creek (Clark County) and the Little White Salmon River. Skate Creek will not be planted until next week due to the high flows. It is expected the Tilton River and Skate Creek will be planted the same week on an every other week basis throughout most of the summer. Other recent trout plants: Mayfield Lake - 500 rainbows over a pound each plus 3,058 catchables. Goose Lake - 1,700 brown trout at 3/4 pound each. Shad Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Bank anglers just below Bonneville Dam (including Cascade Island) averaged 2.8 shad per person last week, based mainly on incompleted trips. Bonneville Dam counts were 17,000 and 21,000 fish over the weekend. Through May 29, nearly 200,000 fish had been counted at the dam. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for May 15-21, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - Closed to fishing for spring chinook beginning today. Through May 22, a total of 191 spring chinook had returned to the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery. Kalama River - Producing some spring chinook and summer-run steelhead. Through May 22, a total of 36 spring chinook had returned to Kalama Falls Hatchery. Lewis River - Producing spring chinook and some summer-run steelhead for bank anglers near the hatchery and for boat anglers fishing from Johnson Creek downstream. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 5,800 cfs today. Through May 22, a total of 449 spring chinook had returned to the Lewis River facilities. Wind River - Boat anglers caught a chinook per every 4.2 rods while bank anglers at the mouth averaged one for every 7 rods last week. Bank anglers in the gorge averaged better than ½ chinook per rod last week. Catches have been steady in the gorge since last Thursday (May 18). The upper river from the High Bridge to boundary markers below Carson National Fish Hatchery opened to fishing for spring chinook and steelhead today. Initial reports indicated fishing was slow there with 16 bank anglers sampled with 4 chinook. Through May 22, a total of 1,251 spring chinook had returned to Carson National Fish Hatchery. Through May 14, an estimated 5,472 spring chinook had been caught in the Wind River sport fishery. Drano Lake - Closed to fishing for spring chinook and steelhead beginning today. Will re-open to fishing for steelhead beginning June 16 and salmon angling on August 1. Through May 22, a total of 4,904 spring chinook had returned to Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery. Through May 14, an estimated 2,793 spring chinook had been caught in the Drano Lake sport fishery. White Salmon River - Light effort and catches last week. Through May 14, an estimated 138 spring chinook had been caught in the White Salmon River sport fishery. Klickitat River - Bank anglers from Fisher Hill Bridge downstream averaged a chinook per every 3 rods last week. Through May 22, a total of 175 spring chinook had returned to the Klickitat Hatchery. Through May 14, an estimated 175 spring chinook had been caught in the Klickitat River sport fishery. Mainstem Columbia from the I-5 Bridge to the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line - Hatchery steelhead catches were light last week. A total of 210 salmonid bank anglers were counted on the Washington shore during the Saturday May 20 flight. Ringold bank area only fishery - Pretty good catches on the opener but dropped off as the week progressed. For the week, an estimated 133 adult and 104 jack spring chinook plus 20 hatchery steelhead were caught. Most of the steelhead were caught at night. Through May 21, a total of 170,812 adult and 18,788 jack spring chinook had been counted at Bonneville Dam. This compares to the recent ten-year average of 59,232 adults and 2,400 jacks. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Effort and catches are increasing in the estuary. A total of 346 sturgeon boats were counted from Bonneville Dam downstream during the Saturday May 20 flight. Nearly 200 private boats and 15 charters were counted in the estuary. One hundred boats were counted in the gorge are below Bonneville Dam downstream from Beacon Rock. The Dalles Pool - Bank and boat anglers were catching a few legals. John Day Pool - Continues to be slow for legal size fish. Warm Water Species Riffe Lake - Bank anglers are catching brown bullheads. Bank and boat anglers are catching some small mouth bass. A 12 pound channel catfish was reported caught at Swofford Pond. A 22 pound tiger muskie was caught from Mayfield Lake. The Dalles Pool - Light effort for walleye. Boat anglers averaged 3.4 bass per rod while bank anglers were also catching a few fish last week. John Day Pool - Light catches of walleye. Boat anglers averaged 4.7 bass per rod last week. Trout Riffe Lake - Fishing has picked up for landlocked coho and trout. Most of the catch is from the Hwy. 108 Bridge at the upper end of the lake. Most of the fish caught are coho about 14-15" in length. Mossyrock and Taidnapum boat ramps are open. However, debris is causing some problems at the ramps. The lake was reported 20 feet below full pool. Merwin Reservoir - Boat anglers averaged a kokanee per person last week. The lake was reported ½ foot below full pool last week. Both Yale and Swift reservoirs were reported 4 feet below full pool. Klineline Pond - Bank anglers are doing well on rainbows. Shad No report on angling success on the lower Columbia. However, nearly 8,000 fish/day were counted at Bonneville Dam last weekend. Sixty-five shad bank anglers and 48 boats were counted in the Bonneville-Washougal area during the Saturday May 20 flight. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for May 8-14, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - Angling continues to be slow with the only bright spot being plunkers below Castle Rock are getting a few spring chinook and summer steelhead. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 5,150 cfs today. Through May 11, a total of 80 spring chinook had return to the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery. Kalama River - Producing spring chinook and summer run steelhead. No spring chinook have been reported at Kalama Falls Hatchery. However, 11 hatchery summer-run steelhead have returned. Lewis River - Producing some spring chinook and summer-run steelhead. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 5,800 cfs today. Through May 15, a total of 290 spring chinook had returned to the Lewis River facilities. In addition, 25 hatchery summer-run steelhead were reported through May 11. Washougal River - No report on angling success. Through May 11, a total of 13 summer run steelhead had returned to Skamania Hatchery. Wind River - Boat anglers averaged a chinook per every 3.1 rods while bank anglers at the mouth averaged one per every 6.8. Peak daily counts of less than 100 boats were found last week. Bank anglers in the gorge averaged better than a ½ fish per person. However, the river level continues to be high and catches are sporadic. Through May 11, a total of 145 spring chinook had returned to Carson National Fish Hatchery. An estimated 4,500 spring chinook had been caught in the Wind River sport fishery through May 7. Drano Lake - Boat anglers averaged a chinook per every 3.9 rods. Peak daily counts were about 50 boats or less last week. Approximately 400 more spring chinook were "recycled" to the Drano Lake boat ramp last Friday. Some recycled fish were caught on Saturday. Through May 12, a total of 764 fish had been recycled. More fish are expected to be recycled early this week. Sunday, May 21, is the last day of the Drano Lake spring chinook fishery. Through May 11, a total of 3,314 spring chinook had returned to the Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery. An estimated 2,500 spring chinook had been caught in the Drano Lake sport fishery through May 7. White Salmon River - A few spring chinook are being caught from the bank at the mouth. Klickitat River - Bank anglers averaged a chinook per every 4.4 rods last week. Through May 11, a total of 96 spring chinook had returned to Klickitat Hatchery. An estimated 122 spring chinook had been caught in the Klickitat River sport fishery through May 7. Through May 14, a total of 164,617 adult and 16,902 jack spring chinook had been counted at Bonneville Dam. The recent ten-year average is 56,052 adults and 1,883 jacks. Lower Columbia from the I-5 Bridge downstream to the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line - Re-opens to fishing for hatchery steelhead tomorrow, May 16. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - No report on angling success. The Dalles Pool - Boat anglers averaged a legal kept per every 4 rods last week. Bank angling is slow for legal sized fish. Through April 30, an estimated 327 of the 600-800 fish guideline had been taken. John Day Pool - Continues to be slow for legal size fish. Through April 30, an estimated 68 of the 560 fish guideline had been taken. Walleye and Bass Riffe Lake - Decent fishing for smallmouth bass and brown bullhead catfish on the eastern end of the lake. No creel sampling checks are currently available. The Dalles Pool - Bass angling was good for bank and boat anglers last week. Walleye effort and catches were light. John Day Pool - Bass angling was good last week. Boat anglers averaged ½ walleye (including fish released) per person. Trout Riffe lake - Very slow for salmonids. The lake was reported 25 feet below full pool. The Mossyrock boat ramp is usable. However, the Taidnapum boat ramp was reported to be unusable. Merwin Reservoir - Boat anglers averaged 3.5 kokanee per person last week. Last Friday, the lake was reported 1.5 feet below full pool. Yale and Swift reservoirs - No report on angling success. Last Friday, Swift Reservoir was reported 2.5 feet below full pool. Yale was reported 7 feet below full pool. Southwest Washington lakes planted with catchable size trout last week: Battleground Lake - 2,500 eastern brooks and 4,100 rainbows; Klineline Pond in Hazel Dell - 3,700 rainbows and 3,500 sea-run cutthroats; Rowland Lake near Lyle - 6,000 sea-run cutthroats; Carlisle Lake near Onalaska - 2,000 rainbows; Ice House Lake near Bridge of the Gods - 2,000 sea-run cutthroats; Little Ash Lake near Stevenson - 2,000 sea-run cutthroats. Shad Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Reopens to fishing for shad beginning tomorrow, May 16. Through May 14, a total of 600 shad had been counted at Bonneville Dam. Anglers can get counts of shad at the mainstem Columbia dams from the department's web site. Click on the Fishing/Shellfish section. Dam counts are listed on the non-agency links. Also check out the Southwest Washington creel sampling summaries or Fishing for Shad in Washington sections for additional helpful information. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for April 23-30, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - Some spring chinook and a few summer steelhead are appearing in the catches. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 5,170 cfs today Kalama River - Some spring chinook and a few summer steelhead are appearing in the catches. Lewis River - The Cedar Creek hole is producing increasing numbers of fish. However, the North Fork Lewis River from Johnson Creek (located downstream from the hatchery) upstream to Colvin Creek (located above the hatchery) is closed to fishing from boats beginning today through mid-October. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to increase to 5,800 cfs today. Two spring chinook had returned to the hatchery as of April 27. Wind River - Boat anglers averaged a chinook per every 3.7 rods while bank anglers averaged one per every 6.9 last week. Some chinook are being caught from the gorge although flows are still a bit high. Overall, nearly 2,000 spring chinook had been caught from Wind River through April 23. Effort has been intense on the Wind River. Weekday counts showed about 100 boats/day. Over 200 boats were counted yesterday morning (April 30). No fish had returned to Carson Hatchery through April 27. Drano Lake - Boat anglers averaged a chinook per every 3.3 rods and bank anglers one for every 8.9 last week. An estimated 1,200 spring chinook had been caught at Drano Lake through April 23. One hundred boats were counted at Drano each day last weekend. There was about ½ the effort during the weekdays. Over 900 spring chinook returned to Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery last weekend. White Salmon River - Bank anglers at the mouth are catching a few spring chinook almost every day. Klickitat River - Bank anglers averaged a chinook per every 4.5 anglers last week. River conditions have been generally good. Through April 23, an estimated 34 chinook had been caught. Through April 30, a total of 123,491 adult and 6,093 jack spring chinook had been counted at Bonneville Dam. The recent ten-year average is 40,530 adults and 494 jacks. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - No angling report available for last week. The mainstem Columbia and its tributaries from the Wauna power lines downstream to the mouth re-opens for sturgeon retention beginning today. The area from Beacon Rock upstream to Bonneville Dam is closed to fishing for sturgeon from boats beginning today through July 15. The Dalles and John Day pools - Most of the catch was sublegals. A few legals are being caught off the bank in The Dalles Pool. Walleye and Bass The Dalles Pool - Walleye anglers averaged ½ fish per person including fish released. However, the number of anglers sampled was small. Boat anglers averaged 3 bass per rod while bank anglers averaged a fish per person. John Day Pool - Boat anglers averaged 1/4 walleye per person including fish released. Boat anglers averaged more than 6 bass per rod. Trout Riffe Lake - Extremely slow for trout anglers. Rising level of lake is drawing in lots of woody debris which is beginning to collect on both sides of Mossyrock Dam. The lake was reported 29 feet below full pool. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for April 10-16, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - Producing some spring chinook especially for plunkers downstream from Castle Rock. Creel checks are a little misleading in that some anglers are catching their one salmon daily limit and leaving before the samplers arrive. Boat effort is fairly light during weekdays; however, 30-40 trailers were counted at the I-5 ramp yesterday. Through April 13, a total of 8 adult spring chinook had returned to Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 5,110 cfs today. Green River (Cowlitz County) - Light effort. Not much salmon catch reported although some steelhead were reported released. Kalama River - Producing some spring chinook and summer-run steelhead. Lewis River - Producing some spring chinook for boat anglers at the mouth. Thirty two boats were counted there yesterday around noon. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 5,200 cfs today. East Fork Lewis River from the mouth upstream to the top boat ramp at Lewisville Park and the Washougal River from the mouth upstream to the Mt. Norway Bridge at Vernon Road - Both areas opened to fishing for hatchery steelhead yesterday. No report on angling success. Wind River - Has been good at times for spring chinook. Boat anglers averaged slightly less than a fish per every 5 rods last week. Bank anglers at the mouth are also beginning to catch a few fish. Over 100 boats were counted each day last weekend. Drano Lake - Like Wind River, has been good at times for spring chinook. Boat anglers averaged a little better than a fish per every 5 rods last week; bank anglers averaged nearly one for 4 rods. Close to 100 boats and 50 bank anglers were counted there each day last weekend. White Salmon River - Bank anglers are catching some spring chinook near the mouth of the river. Klickitat River - Effort and catches are increasing. Last Saturday, river flows were up with the increased snow melt. Bonneville Dam counts - At Bonneville Dam, 2,000 adult spring chinook crossed the dam on Saturday. Nearly 2,700 fish were counted yesterday. Through April 16, almost 42,000 adult and 540 jack spring chinook had been counted at Bonneville Dam. This compares to the recent 10 year average of 15,600 adults and 65 jacks. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Not much sampling on sturgeon as the focus has been sampling the tributary spring chinook fisheries The Dalles Pool - Sturgeon catches improved for bank and boat anglers. John Day Pool - Remains slow for legal size fish. Walleye and Bass The Dalles Pool - Boat anglers averaged a legal walleye kept per every 3.7 rods last week. Effort and catches of bass are increasing. John Day Pool - Walleye effort was down and no in-sample catches were observed. Boat anglers averaged 6.6 bass per rod last week. Trout Riffe Lake - Sampling was limited to one day last week. Fishing was slow except for smallmouth bass. The lake was reported 37 feet below full pool. The 2nd boat ramp at Mossyrock Park is now open. Swofford Pond - The few anglers sampled had done well on brown trout. Merwin Reservoir - Boat anglers averaged better than 2 kokanee per rod last week. The reservoir was reported 6.5 feet below full pool. Recent trout plants - Lake Sacajawea in Longview received 4,300 catchable size rainbows the first week of April. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for April 3-9, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - A few late winter steelhead and spring chinook are being caught. The first spring chinook of the year returned to Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery last Tuesday. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 5,240 cfs today. Kalama River - A few steelhead are being caught. A few spring chinook are reported being caught but none have been sampled to date. Lewis River - Some spring chinook are being caught. Twenty one boats were counted at the mouth on Saturday morning. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 2,900 cfs today. Wind River - Fishing has slowed some from the opener but fishing still remains fair. Boat anglers averaged one chinook per every 6.8 rods last week. Forty nine boats were counted there Friday and Saturday. Drano Lake -Fishing also slowed here during the week but still remains better than Wind River. Drano Lake boat anglers averaged one chinook per every 4.8 rods last week. Bank anglers were also catching some fish. Sixty-eight boats were counted there on Saturday morning White Salmon and Klickitat rivers - Both were beginning to produce some spring chinook for bank anglers. Through April 9, a total of 17,164 adult and 122 jacks had been counted at Bonneville Dam. This compares with the recent ten year average of 4,621 adults and 14 jacks. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Limited sampling last week as most of our effort was focused on the tributary spring chinook fisheries. A total of 234 sturgeon boats were counted from Bonneville Dam downstream during last Saturday's (April 8) flight. Approx. a third of the boats were counted in the gorge just below Bonneville Dam. Bonneville Pool - Open to catch and release only for sturgeon. The Dalles Pool - Catches were down from the previous few weeks. Through March 31, an estimated 229 of the 600-800 fish guideline had been taken.John Day Pool - Catches and effort were up last week. Boat anglers were catching a few legals. Bank angling remains slow. Through March 31, an estimated 15 of the 560 fish guideline had been taken. Walleye and Bass Riffe Lake - Some smallmouths are being caught by bank anglers. The Dalles and John Day pools - Effort and catches for walleye were down last week. Effort and catches of bass in John Day Pool continue to increase.\ Trout Riffe Lake - Fishing is slow. Pleasure boaters are starting to use the lake on nice days. Ajlune Road and Mossyrock (the long one) boat ramps are open. The lake was reported 45 feet below full pool. Merwin Reservoir - Boat anglers averaged ½ kokanee kept per person last week. Five of the fish sampled were from Speelyai Hatchery releases. The lake was reported 3 feet below full pool. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for March 27-April 2, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - Some wild winter steelhead are being caught and released at the barrier dam. No spring chinook had returned to the salmon hatchery through March 30. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 5,090 cfs today. Kalama River - No salmon or steelhead were sampled there last week. Lewis River - Some spring chinook are being caught at the mouth. Fishing is slow upriver. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 2,800 cfs today. Wind River and Drano Lake - The spring chinook season started off with a bang last weekend. Boat anglers at Wind River averaged a chinook per every 5 rods; Drano Lake anglers averaged one for every 2. Some fish were also caught from the shore at Drano Lake. Fish up to 30 pounds were caught On Saturday morning, 30 and 22 boats were counted at Wind River and Drano Lake, respectively White Salmon and Klickitat rivers - Slow for spring chinook and hatchery steelhead last weekend. Two thousand spring chinook were counted at Bonneville Dam yesterday (Sunday April 2). Through yesterday, 5,239 fish had been counted at the dam. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Boat anglers between Longview and Vancouver averaged a legal kept for about every 10 rods last week. Bank angling remains slow. Bonneville Pool - Bank and boat anglers are catching some legals. Fishing switches to catch and release only for sturgeon in the mainstem Columbia and its tributaries from Bonneville Dam upstream to The Dalles Dam beginning April 8. The Dalles Pool - Bank and boat anglers are catching some legals. John Day Pool - Remains slow for legal size fish. Walleye and Bass Bonneville Pool upstream to John Day Pool - Walleye catches were down in these pools last week. However, boat anglers are catching good numbers of bass in John Day Pool. Trout Riffe Lake - Fairly slow for boat anglers and slower for bank anglers. The lake was reported 49 feet below full pool today. The Mossyrock ramp was reported to be useable. Merwin Reservoir - Boat anglers had fair catches of kokanee. About a third of the fish kept were from Speeylai Hatchery releases. Battle Ground Lake - Received 4,000 catchable size rainbows last week. Razor Clam Digging Long Beach Peninsula - Is scheduled to be open midnight to noon April 6,7,8. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for March 20-26, 2000 Latest SW Washington Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - No report on angling success. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be a moderate 5,090 cfs today. Kalama River - Some wild steelhead are being caught and released by boat anglers. Some spring chinook were also reported being caught although none were sampled last week. Lewis River - A few spring chinook are being caught at the mouth. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 2,800 cfs today. Bonneville Pool upstream to John Day Pool - Slow for steelhead. Friday March 31 is the last day to fish for steelhead from Bonneville Dam upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge at Pasco. The mainstem Columbia below Bonneville Dam will remain closed to fishing for salmon and steelhead. Through March 25, a total of 222 adult spring chinook had been counted at Bonneville Dam. Some of the web site locations to find dam counts are at www.fpc.org. or www.nwp.usace.army.mil/op/fishdata/adultfishcount.htm. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Boat anglers from Longview to Vancouver averaged about a legal kept per every 8 rods last week. Bank angling continues to be slow. Anglers are reminded the area from the Wauna power lines near Cathlamet downstream to Buoy 10 will be catch-and-release only from April 1-30 Bonneville Pool - Last week, boat anglers a legal kept per every 3 rods while bank anglers averaged one per every 7. The Dalles Pool - Counting legal fish released, boat anglers averaged a fish per every 3 rods last week. Bank anglers were also catching a few legals. Best success for boat anglers was in the Maryhill and Celilo areas. John Day Pool - Continues to be slow for legal size fish. Walleye and Bass The Dalles Pool - Both bank and boat anglers are doing well on walleye. Counting fish released, boat anglers averaged slightly less than ½ fish per person. John Day Pool - Counting fish released, boat anglers averaged a walleye per every 3.3 rods last week. Boat anglers were also catching a few bass. Trout No report for Southwest Washington lakes. No new trout releases were made last week. Halibut Halibut seasons in Marine Areas 1-13. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for March 6-12, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Lower Columbia below the I-5 Bridge - Best salmon angling was in the Vancouver-Bachelor Island area. A few fish were also caught near Light 72 and the mouth of the Kalama. NMFS may make a decision today on the necessary paperwork which will determine whether the lower Columbia spring chinook sport fishery should remain open or be closed. Lewis River - A few winter steelhead are still being caught. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 5,200 cfs today. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Boat anglers averaged a legal kept per every 8 rods last week. Bank angling from the Washington shore remains slow. Trout Riffe Lake - Some landlocked coho are being caught. The lake was reported over 50 feet below full pool today Merwin Reservoir - Slow for the few anglers sampled. The ramp at Speelyai Bay is barely useable to small boats. The lake was reported 6.5 feet below full pool last Friday (March 10). Klineline Pond - Fishing is slow due to the fish are hanging around the net pens. A 18 pound steelhead was caught there last week. Battle Ground Lake - Closed to fishing by the Health Department. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for February 28-March 5, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - No report on angling success. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 6,040 cfs today. Lewis River - Light effort and catches. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 5,800 cfs today. Lower Columbia from the I-5 Bridge downstream - Effort increased last weekend. A total of 150 salmonid boats were counted during the Sunday March 5 flight. A few spring chinook were caught off Bachelor Island last week. The Dalles Pool - The few bank anglers sampled did well on steelhead. John Day Pool - Light effort and no catches of steelhead were observed. Sturgeon Lower Columbia from Bonneville Dam downstream - Based on completed trips, boat anglers from Vancouver to Cathlamet averaged a legal kept per every 7 rods last week. Bank angling remains slow. Effort remains pretty intense on the lower Columbia. A total of 350 boats were counted during the Sunday March 5 flight. Heaviest effort was in the Gorge with 110 sturgeon boats counted there. Bonneville Pool - Boat anglers averaged better than ½ legal kept per person last week. Bank anglers were also catching a few fish. The Dalles and John Day pools - No legals were sampled in either pool last week. Walleye and Bass John Day Pool - Effort and catches were up from the previous weeks. Boat anglers averaged slightly better than a legal kept per every 3 rods last week. A few anglers are being to pursue bass in John Day Pool. Success was been limited. Trout Riffe Lake - Continues to produce some fish, mainly landlocked coho. The lake was reported 50 feet below full pool today. Merwin Reservoir - A few kokanee were caught by boat anglers. The reservoir was reported 8 feet below full pool last Friday (March 3). Last week's trout plants: Klineline Pond - 3,500 rainbows, averaging about ½ pound each. Lacamas Lake - 10,400 brown trout, averaging about ½ pound each. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for February 21-27, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - No report on angling success. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 6,100 cfs today. Lewis River - Light effort and catches. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 8,300 cfs today. Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Salmon effort remains fairly light and only a few spring chinook were rumored to be caught. Most of the effort was for sturgeon. The Dalles Pool - Effort and catch for steelhead have been increasing. Good catches for bank and boat anglers. John Day Pool - Light effort. The steelhead sampled was the first fish observed caught in the last 6 weeks. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Catches remain good for boat anglers around the Vancouver area. Bonneville Pool - Catches increased last week. Boat anglers averaged about ½ legal kept per person. Bank anglers were also catching some fish. Through January 31, an estimated 59 fish of the 1,520 guideline had been taken. The Dalles Pool - Effort and catches were down last week. Through January 31, an estimated 15 fish of the 600-800 guideline had been taken. John Day Pool - Effort and catches were up last week although overall, fishing remains slow. In January, no fish were taken from the 560 guideline. Walleye and Bass Bonneville Pool - For walleye, catch and effort was up from the previous weeks. Boat anglers averaged ½ legal per person last week. The first effort for bass was found last week; however, no catch was observed. The Dalles Pool - Effort for walleye was up but catches were down last week. No effort for bass was observed. John Day Pool - Walleye effort and catches were both up last week though fishing remains generally slow. No effort for bass was observed last week. Trout Riffe Lake - Fairly slow for bank anglers and only slightly better for boaters. The reservoir was reported to be 50 feet below full pool today. The Mossyrock boat ramp was reported to be un-usable. Battle Ground Lake - Fishing resumes there March 1. Recently, 7,500 catchable size rainbows and 100 surplus hatchery winter steelhead were released there. The steelhead averaged 7 pounds each. In addition, 160 brood stock rainbows weighing 5 to 11 pounds each were planted in mid January. Klineline Pond - Effort is high with lots of fish being caught. Creel sampling data is currently unavailable. Lacamas Lake - Continues to be slow for trout. Smelt Cowlitz River sport - The final two days of the fishery (Friday Feb. 26 and Saturday Feb. 27) produced light catches. At this time, no further extensions are anticipated. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for February 14-20, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - No report on angling success. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 6,410 cfs today. Lewis River - A few winter steelhead are being caught. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 5,800 cfs today. Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Effort is slowly increasing. Only a few reports of salmon/steelhead being caught. Bonneville Pool upstream to John Day Pool - Anglers continue to catch steelhead in the Dalles Pool. John Day Pool is slow and there was no effort in Bonneville Pool. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville - Catches remain slow off the Washington bank. Boat angling was slow in the Kalama/Longview area last weekend. High numbers of sturgeon boats were counted on the lower Columbia last weekend. On the Saturday Feb. 19 flight, a total of 426 boats were counted from Camas/Washougal downstream. Most effort was found between the mouth of the Willamette and Kalama. In January, an estimated 750 sturgeon were harvested in the lower Columbia sport fishery. Bonneville Pool - Boat anglers averaged slightly better than ½ fish per person last week. A few legals were taken by bank anglers. The Dalles Pool - No legals were observed caught here last week. John Day Pool - Boat anglers are catching some fish. Walleye and Bass Bonneville Pool upstream to John Day Pool - Effort and catches are increasing. Boat anglers in Bonneville and the Dalles pools averaged slightly better than ½ fish (including fish released) per person. Boat angling was slow in John Day Pool. No effort for bass was observed in any of the pools last week. Trout Riffe Lake - Anglers are catching some coho, cutthroats, and rainbows. The lake was reported 49 feet below full pool today. The Mossyrock boat ramp was reported to be un-usable. Silver Lake - Warm water fishing still pretty slow. Lake level was up. Lake Sacajawea near Longview - The lake is turbid. Catch and effort is light. Kress Lake near Kalama - 78 surplus hatchery winter steelhead were recently released into Kress Lake. Anglers were also catching some catchable size rainbows. Horseshoe and Lacamas lakes and Merwin Reservoir - Light effort and catches. Klineline Pond - Produced a 28" brood stock rainbow and steelhead to 27" last week. Smelt Cowlitz River sport - Slowed a bit from the previous week but still pretty good. Limits possible in less than an hour. Catches ranged from 0 fish to 1 to 2 pounds a dip. Best dipping was from the Kelso Bridge upstream to at least Lexington. Gearhart Park was slower. Catch was mostly large, spawned out males along with a few mature females. Two additional days of Cowlitz River sport dipping has been added. Dipping will be allowed on Friday Feb. 25 and Saturday Feb. 26. The daily limit is still 10 pounds. WDFW will continue to monitor the run for any possible additional opportunities. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for February 7-13, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - No angling report. On Friday Feb. 11, Cowlitz River flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 6,390 cfs. Lewis River - No angling report is currently available. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to increase to 8,000 cfs today. Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Salmonid effort and catches continue to be light. The mainstem Columbia from the I-5 Bridge downstream will remain open to salmon angling until the quota of 1,200 Willamette stock spring chinook have been taken. It is expected a total of 1,500-1,700 spring chinook will be harvested before quota of the Willamette stock is reached. Based on historic catch rates, the fishery is expected to remain open until about March 20-25. Fishery managers will actively monitor and update the catches. Steelhead and shad angling will close with the salmon fishery. Bonneville Pool upstream to John Day Pool - Steelhead effort and catch has been light. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - The Washington bank continues to be slow. Boat anglers from Kalama upstream to Vancouver are having good success using fresh smelt. Several steps were taken to protect Lower Columbia sturgeon. At a meeting in conjunction with the Columbia River Compact last Friday, fisheries managers from Washington and Oregon adopted four measures to prevent the sport catch of white sturgeon from exceeding the annual target of 40,000 fish. As adopted, the conservation measures will: Prohibit the retention of white sturgeon during the entire month of April below the Wauna power lines near Cathlamet. Extend the existing prohibition on boat angling for sturgeon between Beacon Rock and Bonneville Dam by two weeks, resulting in a closure from May 1 through July 15. Prohibit sturgeon fishing below the Wauna power lines from Aug. 16-Sept. 15 unless this closure is later found unnecessary to meet the conservation target. Prohibit sturgeon fishing above the Wauna power lines for the month of November unless this closure is later found to be unnecessary to meet the conservation target. However, they also agreed to reconsider - and possibly rescind - the two area closures later in the season if they are not deemed necessary to meet conservation goals. The decision about whether to proceed with those additional closures will be made in late July when fishery managers can assess the pace of the season's harvest. The agreement was part of a three -year management plan for white sturgeon. Any fish caught above or below the target would be added to or subtracted from the next year's fishery. Bonneville Pool - Boat anglers are having good success. Bank angling is slow. The Dalles Pool upstream to John Day Pool - Sturgeon catches are light. Walleye and Bass Bonneville Pool upstream to John Day Pool - Effort for walleye is increasing. Some catch is occurring in Bonneville and John Day pools. There was little effort for bass last week. Trout Riffe Lake - Fishing was OK on Thursday. On Saturday, only 4 coho were seen caught. The lake was reported 57 feet below full pool last Friday. Kress Lake and Lake Sacajawea - Some rainbows are being caught. Horseshoe Lake - A 29" steelhead was sampled there last week. Klineline Pond - Counting fish released, bank anglers averaged nearly 2 rainbows each. Lacamas Lake - Continues to be slow for trout. Ice House Lake - An 18" cutthroat was sampled there last week. Little Ash and Rowland lakes plus Northwestern Reservoir - Light effort with no catches observed. Lakes planted with catchable size rainbows last week: Klineline Pond - 3,304 fish Lake Sacajawea - 1,946 fish Smelt Cowlitz River sport - Smelt dipping on the Cowlitz River last Friday and Saturday (Feb. 11 and 12) was the best in several years. Dippers caught limits from a few dips to a couple hours of effort. From 0 fish to a few pounds were landed per dip. Best catches were from the Kelso Highway Bridge upstream to Castle Rock. Fishing at Gearhart Park in Longview was slower. Most of the catch was large males; however, the numbers of females in the catch had increased from the previous week. Effort was intense on Saturday with approximately 200 people at the Allen Street Bridge and approximately 300 others upstream to Carnival Market. Another 100-250 people were dipping from the Kelso Railroad Bridge upstream to Lexington Park. Enforcement issued over 150 warnings after midnight Saturday for over-limits and fishing on a closed day. Smelt fishers are reminded the Cowlitz River is open on Friday and Saturdays only through Feb. 19 and the daily limit is 10 pounds per person. This Friday and Saturday (Feb. 18 and 19) are the last scheduled days of the Cowlitz River sport smelt fishery. Updates about current run sizes and any adjustments to the sport and commercial fisheries will be discussed at the Compact meeting on Friday Feb. 18. Mainstem Columbia Commercial - During the Wednesday February 9 twelve hour limited commercial test fishery, some fishers landed 700-800 pounds/delivery in the Rainier area. Catches were much lighter downstream in the Cathlamet area. This Wednesday (Feb. 16) is the final day of the scheduled mainstem commercial smelt fishery. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for January 31-February 6, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Lewis River - A few winter steelhead are being caught. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 5,700 cfs today. Bonneville Pool upstream to John Day Pool - Light effort and catches of steelhead. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Slow off the Washington bank. Boat anglers in the Kalama area averaged about a legal kept per every 5 rods last weekend. Bonneville Pool - Boat anglers averaged a legal kept per every 3 rods last week. Bank anglers were also catching some legals. The Dalles and John Day pools - Sturgeon catches were light. Walleye and Bass Bonneville Pool upstream to John Day Pool - Walleye effort was up from the previous 6 week average. Some legals are being caught by boat anglers. No effort was observed for bass last week. Water surfaces were in the low 40s. Trout Riffe Lake - Bank and boat anglers are catching good numbers of fish. The lake was reported 51 feet below full pool today. Kress Lake near Kalama - A 29" brood stock trout was sampled there last week. 2,500 catchable size rainbows were planted last week. Horseshoe Lake near Woodland - Producing a variety of trout. A 18" brown trout was sampled there last week. 48 winter run and 208 summer run surplus hatchery steelhead were released here last week. Klineline Pond - 23 anglers kept 16 rainbows and released 14 others last week. The pond was planted with 2,500 catchable rainbows last week. Icehouse Lake near Bridge of the Gods - Producing rainbows and surplus hatchery sea-run cutthroats. Little Ash Lake near Stevenson - Continuing to produce rainbows. Smelt Mainstem Commercial - The 12 hour limited commercial test fishery last Wednesday (February 2) produced an average of 38 pounds per drift in the Cathlamet area last week. However, of the 722 pounds landed, 500 pounds were taken by one fisherman right after daylight. Water temperature was 39 degrees and there was 46" of visibility. Cowlitz River sport - There was a light abundance of smelt in the Cowlitz last Friday and Saturday. Fishers caught between zero fish to limits (10 pounds). Catches ranged from 0-6 dip with lots of zeros. Average was around a smelt per every 10 dips. However, some fishers caught their limits in a couple hours. Best catches were near Carnival Market with some fish also caught near Gearhart Park at Longview. Water temperature was near 40 degrees and visibility 14-24" . WDFW Sport Sampling Results for January 24-30, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - Steelhead angling continues to slow. This will be the last creel check for the winter. Through Jan. 28, a total of 1,797 hatchery winter steelhead had returned to the trout hatchery and 443 to the salmon hatchery. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 6,160 cfs today.Lewis River - Slow for steelhead. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 5,600 cfs today. Lower Columbia below Bonneville - Light effort and no catch observed last week. Bonneville and The Dalles pools - Light effort and catches last week. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Light effort and no catches observed from the Washington bank last week. Bonneville Pool and The Dalles pools - Effort and catches were down last week. Walleye and Bass Bonneville and The Dalles pools - Boat anglers in Bonneville Pool and bank anglers in The Dalles Pool are catching some walleye. Bass effort was light and catches were non-existent. Water surface temperatures were in the low 40s. Trout Riffe Lake - Bank anglers near the dam had good catches of 11" coho. The lake was reported 53 feet below full pool today. Little Ash, Ice House, and Lacamas lakes plus Klineline Pond are producing catchable size rainbows. Klineline Pond is also producing some excess adult hatchery steelhead. Ice House Lake is producing good catches of surplus hatchery sea-run cutthroats between 13-17" long. Rowland Lake is producing some rainbows of 15-17". The Speelyai boat ramp on Merwin Reservoir was out of the water last week. Merwin Reservoir was expected to be 6 feet below full pool today. Water quality is poor at Lake Sacajawea. Last week's trout plants of catchable size rainbows: Horseshoe Lake near Woodland - 4,364 Kress Lake near Kalama - 4,150 Lake Sacajawea near Longview - 4,042 Maryhill Pond near Goldendale - 203 Rowland Lake near Lyle - 1,275 Spearfish Lake near Dallesport - 1,107 South Lewis County Pond near Toledo - 3,182 Last week, 700 surplus hatchery sea-run cutthroats measuring 13-17" each were released into Ice House Lake near Bridge of the Gods. Smelt Lower Columbia mainstem commercial - The 12 hour limited test fishery last Wednesday (Jan. 26) was fairly productive in the Cathlamet area. Nine boats were observed fishing with an estimated 71 drifts producing a total of 800 pounds of smelt. Water visibility was 33" and temperature was 40 degrees. On the lower Columbia near Astoria, a couple catches of 600 - 1000 pounds drift were found. Cowlitz River - The Cowlitz smelt sport fishery on Friday and Saturday (Jan. 29 & 30) was the same as before - low effort and no observed catches. Water temperature was 41.5 degrees and visibility was approximately 24". WDFW Sport Sampling Results for January 17-23, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - Water conditions were very good but fish numbers were on the downside. Last Friday (Jan. 21), flows below Mayfield Dam were 6,200 cfs. Lewis River - Fishing has slowed though some winter steelhead are still being caught. Only 18 steelhead were counted in the Merwin Dam trap today. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 8,400 cfs today. Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - The few bank anglers sampled last week had no catch. The Dalles Pool - Effort for steelhead was low. No in-sample catches were observed last week. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Bank angling is slow. Boat anglers are catching some legals near Kalama. Bonneville Pool - Boat anglers averaged a legal kept per every 4.6 anglers last week. Bank angling was slow. The Dalles Pool - No legal size sturgeon were sampled from the bank last week. Walleye and Bass Bonneville and The Dalles pools- Walleye effort and catches were light in the Dalles Pool and non-existent in Bonneville Pool. No effort for bass was observed in either pool. Trout Riffe Lake - Bank anglers near the dam averaged 1.5 coho per rod last week. Fish averaged about 11". Riffe Lake was reported 51 feet below full pool last Friday. Horseshoe Lake - One angler sampled last week caught a 29" brood trout. Klineline Pond - Bank anglers averaged a trout kept per person last week. Lacamas, Kress, and Sacajawea lakes - no effort was observed during the creel surveys last week. Icehouse, Ash, and Rowland lakes weren't sampled due to ice and snow. Recent plants of 5 to 11 pound brood stock rainbows: Rowland Lake - 158 fish Spearfish Lake - 126 fish Northwestern lake - 39 fish These lakes are located between White Salmon and Dallesport. Smelt Mainstem Columbia Commercial - Catches dropped slightly last week. During the 12-hour test fishery on Wednesday Jan. 19, the boats monitored in the Cathlamet area averaged about 8 pounds smelt/drift. Water temperature was 40.5 degrees and visibility was 25". Cowlitz Sport - Same as the last few weeks - Few fishers and no catches were observed last Friday and Saturday (Jan. 21 and 22). Water temperature was 42.5 degrees and visibility was 24". No seals or birds were observed in the area. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for January 10-16, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Grays River - No angling report. Through Jan. 13, a total of 289 winter steelhead had returned to Grays River Hatchery. Most fish have been "recycled" downstream. Elochoman River - No angling report. Through Jan. 13, a total of 385 winter steelhead had returned to Beaver Creek Hatchery. Cowlitz River - Bank and boat anglers averaged ½ steelhead per person last week. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 8,680 cfs today. River color is good for fishing. Good fishing is expected to be good for another week or so. Through Jan. 13, a total of 1,475 and 339 winter steelhead had returned to the trout and salmon hatcheries, respectively. Kalama River - No angling report. Through Jan. 13, a total of 213 hatchery and 17 wild winter steelhead had returned to Kalama Falls Hatchery. Most of the hatchery winter steelhead have been "recycled" downstream. Lewis River - Angling report was currently available. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 9,000 cfs today. Through Jan. 13, a total of 140 winter steelhead had returned to the Lewis River salmon hatchery and 217 to the trap at Merwin Dam. The Dalles and John Day pools - Light effort and catches of steelhead. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Last week, effort and catches were light off the Washington shore just below Bonneville Dam and near Longview. Cowlitz River - Three sturgeon anglers on the lower Cowlitz had no catch last week. Bonneville Pool - Fishing from boats is improving. Bank angling is slow for legal size fish. The Dalles and John Day pools - Effort and catches were down from the previous weeks. Walleye and Bass Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day pools - No effort or catches were observed last week. Water temperatures were in the high 30s to low 40s last week. Water is relatively clear. Trout Riffe Lake - Lots of shore anglers with limits in less than an hour. Most fish were 11" coho. Other Southwest Lakes - Brood stock trout up to 33" were caught at Klineline Pond and over 20" at Horseshoe Lake last week. Kress Lake produced steelhead over 22" last week. Klineline Pond is also producing good numbers of recently released catchable size rainbows. In addition to catchable size trout, the following three and four year-old brood stock fish weighing 5 to 11 pounds each were released into Southwest Washington lakes: Kress Lake near Kalama - 162 Horseshoe Lake near Woodland - 177 Kidney Lake near North Bonneville - 47 Ice House Lake near Bridge of the Gods - 29 Little Ash Lake near Stevenson - 29 Tunnel Lake - 31 Smelt Mainstem Columbia commercial - Catches continue to increase near Cathlamet. During the Wednesday Jan. 12 twelve hour test fishery, commercial fishers averaged about 19 pounds a drift. Just after dark and before the fishery closed for the day, catches had increased to 100 pounds drift. Tides were favorable for the commercial fishery last week i.e. high tide just after dark. Water temperature was 42 degrees. Visibility was 31 inches. An increase in seal and bird activity in the area was noted. Cowlitz sport - On Friday Jan. 14 and Saturday Jan. 15, low effort and no catch was observed in the Cowlitz. Water temperature was 42.5 degrees. Visibility was 24". On Saturday, 7 seals were sighted on the east side of the river near Gearhart Park. No birds or seals were seen Friday or any other location on Saturday. Razor Clams On the Longbeach Peninsula and Twin Harbors, digging will be allowed Jan. 20-22 and Feb. 19-20. Digging is open noon to midnight. Copalis will also be open Jan. 22, noon to midnight. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for January 3-9, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - We were unable to sample the Blue Creek area last weekend. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 12,600 cfs today. Lewis River - Bank anglers averaged one steelhead kept per every 14.5 rods last week. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 8,000 cfs today. The Dalles Pool - Anglers are catching fairly good numbers of steelhead. John Day Pool - Slow for steelhead. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Bank anglers near Longview are catching a few legal size fish. Most of the keepers sampled were just above legal size. The Kalama area was slow for boat anglers last weekend. Bonneville Pool- Boat anglers were catching a few keepers; bank angling was slow. The Dalles Pool - Generally slow. John Day Pool - Effort and catches were light. Walleye and Bass Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day pools - Effort was light; no in-sample catches were observed. Water is relatively clear and surface temperatures are in the high 30s to low 40s. Trout Riffe Lake - Anglers averaged a fish per person last week. Lake Sacajawea near Longview - Some brood stock trout are being caught. One 22" rainbow was sampled last week. Effort is picking up. Horseshoe Lake near Woodland - Some brood stock trout are being caught. A 19" rainbow was sampled last week. Effort was low. Merwin Reservoir - No anglers were observed there last week. Klineline Pond near Vancouver - Effort is picking up. Several large sea-run cutthroat and steelhead are being harvested as well as brood stock trout. Recent trout plants: Lacamas Lake near Camas - 13,897 brown trout and 7,649 rainbows. Klineline Pond near Vancouver - 4,998 rainbows Ice House Lake near Bridge of the Gods - 1,008 rainbows Little Ash Lake near Stevenson - 1,008 rainbows. Smelt Cowlitz River Sport - The sport smelt fishery was extremely slow on Friday and Saturday January 7 and 8. On Friday, only one smelt fisher was checked at Gearhart Park. He had no smelt. No birds or seals were present in the area from Castle Rock downstream to Gearhart. On Saturday, six smelt fishers were checked at Gearhart Park. One group of three dipped from a boat for 5 hours from the mouth up to Carnival Market with zero smelt caught. Three bank dippers at the park made 30 passes each with no fish caught. A fisherman at Gearhart Park reported he had dipped for three hours in the Lexington area and had caught 1 smelt. Cowlitz River water temperature was 45 degrees. Mainstem Columbia Commercial - On Wednesday January 5, average catch was 79 fish/drift based on the 5 drifts monitored. Smelt averaged 9 fish/pound. Seal activity was light in he Cathlamet area with most observed off County Line Park. Gull and cormorant activity was light to moderate in the Cathlamet area. WDFW Sport Sampling Results for December 27, 1999 - January 2, 2000 Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - Boat anglers averaged nearly a steelhead kept per every 2 rods last week while bank anglers averaged one kept per every 4.4. Crowded angling conditions were reported at Blue Creek. Water is high but fishable - will be better for boat anglers when the river drops a bit more. Mostly 2-salt fish in the catch. Should be good fishing for another couple weeks. Flows below Mayfield Dam were expected to be 13,700 cfs today. Lewis River - Produced a steelhead kept per every 9 bank anglers and every 4 boat anglers. Flows below Merwin Dam were expected to be 8,200 cfs today. John Day Pool - Anglers continue to catch some steelhead. Sturgeon Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Catc h and effort is generally light off the Washington shore. John Day Pool - Light effort and catches. Walleye and Bass John Day Pool - Light effort and catches. Water levels have been fluctuating. Surface temperatures are in the low to mid 40s. Trout Riffe Lake - Continues to produce some fish. Smelt During the 12 hour commercial test fishery on Wednesday December 29, catches ranged from a few fish to a few pounds per drift in the Cathlamet area. Water temperature was 44 degrees at Bonneville Dam today.

Files formatted in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) require the Adobe Acrobat Reader to view and print. You can download the free reader directly from Adobe. Windows versions are approximately 4MB in size.