WDFW Sport Sampling Results: February 11, 2007 Latest Southwest Washington Sport Sampling Summaries [PDF Format] Salmon/Steelhead Cowlitz River - Steelhead fishing is still pretty slow in the Cowlitz. 18 bank anglers kept 5 steelhead while 3 boaters had no catch. All the steelhead were sampled at Blue Creek. Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - 1 boat/1 angler near Vancouver had no catch. There is some early interest with 19 boats and 62 Oregon and 19 Washington bank anglers counted during the Saturday February 3 flight. Spring Chinook test fishing will begin on Sunday February 25 with the first winter commercial salmon season expected to begin Tuesday February 27. Bonneville Pool - No effort was observed. The Dalles Pool - Boat anglers are catching some steelhead. Ringold - From Feb 1-11, we've interviewed 66 anglers with a combined total of 12 steelhead. Very slow fishing for the bank anglers with only 1 steelhead caught for every 67 hours of fishing. Boat anglers are doing better at 12 hours per fish. Sturgeon Lower Columbia from the Wauna powerlines to Bonneville Dam - 11 bank anglers just below Bonneville Dam and 2 boats/3 anglers near Vancouver had no catch. Bonneville Pool - Bank anglers are catching some legals. In January, an estimated 13 (2%)of the 700 fish guideline had been taken. The Dalles Pool - No legals were sampled. An estimated 34 (34%) of the 100 fish guideline had been taken in January. Walleye and Bass Bonneville Pool - The few boat anglers sampled averaged 5 walleye kept per rod. No effort was observed for bass. The Dalles Pool - No walleye were found in the sample. No effort was observed for bass. New State Walleye Record - Mike Hepper, a veteran angler from Richland, has set a new state record for the largest walleye caught in state waters, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has confirmed. Hepper, 64, caught the 19.3-pound walleye Feb. 5 on the Columbia River above McNary Dam, and had its weight certified that day at a meat market in Pasco. The fish was 33.7 inches long, with a girth of 22.24 inches, said Paul Hoffarth, a WDFW fish biologist who verified the catch. Mr. Hepper caught the fish on a spinner-and-worm combination. The state’s previous record was an 18.9-pound walleye caught downriver in the John Day Pool in 2002. Tennessee holds the record for the largest walleye, a 25-pounder caught in 1960. Washington’s new record-size walleye ranks sixth in the nation compared to those in other states. Trout South Lewis County Pond near Toledo - Planted with 20 adult winter steelhead averaging nearly 10 pounds each on February 7. Sacajawea Lake in Longview and Kress Lake near Kalama - Both were planted with 1,500 nearly half-pound rainbows on February 7 and 6, respectively. Klineline Pond - Planted with 2,100 half-pound rainbows on February 5. Smelt The Cowlitz River at Castle Rock is running at 8,500 CFS (below normal for this time of the year; mean is 13,500). The temperature of the Columbia River downstream of the Cowlitz is 40º and the lower Cowlitz River at the Salmon Hatchery is 41º F. Water temperatures are still a little cold for good smelt movement.There has been bird activity reported near the Church Hole in Chinook. No birds or seals were reported elsewhere on the lower Columbia or in the Cowlitz. Catches: Columbia River: Commercial: No commercial landings have been reported since January 15, 2007. 2,609 lbs Cumulative since mid-December Cowlitz River: Sport: There were a couple of smelt dipped the 1st two Saturdays in January but no confirmed landings since then. Commercial: No landings reported to date.