January 13, 2008

Latest Southwest Washington Sport Sampling Summaries [PDF Format]

Salmon/Steelhead

Cowlitz River - Between Olequa and the barrier dam 42 boat anglers kept 11 steelhead and released 4. 23 bank anglers kept 2 steelhead. All the fish were found at the trout hatchery.

River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately at 7,920 cubic feet per second on Monday, January 14.

Bonneville and The Dalles pools - The few boat anglers sampled in The Dalles Pool did well on steelhead. No effort was found in Bonneville Pool.

Sturgeon

Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Effort and catches have been light since the beginning of the new year. 2 bank anglers sampled just below Bonneville Dam released 2 sublegals. 1 bank angler in Longview had no catch.

Bonneville Pool - Effort is light. No catch was observed.

The Dalles Pool - Boat anglers are catching some legals. No legals were observed caught by bank anglers.

Walleye and Bass

Bonneville and The Dalles pools - Effort has been very light. No bass or walleye catch was observed.

Trout

Kress Lake near Kalama - Planted with 64 surplus hatchery winter steelhead averaging ten pounds each Jan. 8.

Battleground lake - Planted with 2,000 half pound rainbows Jan. 7.

Plants of 6 1/4 pound and ten pound brood stock rainbows Jan. 7-9:

• Klineline Pond - 100 6 1/4 pounders and 50 ten pounders (also planted with 1,000 half pound rainbows); Kidney Lake near North
• Bonneville - 40 6 1/4 pounders and 33 ten pounders; Little Ash Lake near Stevenson - 23 6 1/4 pounders and 17 ten pounders;
• Northwestern Lake on the White Salmon River - 23 6 1/4 pounders and 16 ten pounders; Tunnel Lake (just east of Drano lake) - 23 6 1/4 pounders and 16 ten pounders.

Smelt

Lower Columbia mainstem

Commercial - About 222 lbs of smelt have been landed by commercial fishers in the mainstem since the beginning of December; about half were landed during the first three fishing periods in January 2008. On Craigslist, smelt are advertised for $6 pound with about 12 fish per pound.

The temperature of the lower Columbia River downstream from Cathlamet is 43º today (Monday Jan. 14). Smelt prefer water of at least 40º or warmer. Last Thursday (Jan. 10) there was no sign of significant bird or marine mammal activity from Puget Island upstream to the Cowlitz River.

Cowlitz River

Sport - WDFW test dipping on Wednesday, January 9th, produced no catch. The temperature of the Cowlitz was 43º. A reliable report of two dippers at the Gearhart ramp on Saturday (Jan. 12) with a half-bucket each.

Commercial - No commercial landings reported for January 6th and 9th