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, wh