| January 20,
2008
Salmon/Steelhead
Cowlitz River
- No report on angling success. Last week, Tacoma Power recovered
685 coho salmon adults and 49 winter-run steelhead at the Cowlitz Salmon
Hatchery separator during five days of operations. During the week Tacoma
Power employees released 51 coho adults and 23 winter-run steelhead
into Lake Scanewa at the Day Use Site and 13 coho adults and three winter-run
steelhead into the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton, Washington.
River flows at Mayfield
Dam are approximately at 7,920 cubic feet per second on Tuesday, January
22.
Bonneville and
The Dalles pools - The few boat anglers sampled from each pool averaged
a steelhead kept/released per rod. Little to no effort from the bank.
Ringold -
From Paul Hoffarth, WDFW bio in Yakima: All ahead slow. With the cold
weather, angler activity has slowed. WDFW has interviewed 47 anglers
with 11 steelhead in January. Overall, anglers are averaging 1 steelhead
for every 15 hours of fishing. Boat anglers are doing considerably better
than bank anglers. Only 1 steelhead was caught by the 18 bank anglers
interviewed.
Kress Lake near
Kalama - Planted with 38 surplus hatchery winter steelhead averaging
10 pounds each Jan. 15.
Kalama River
- The Kalama River is at moderate flow levels, getting lower every
day this week. The water is clear and cold with temperatures in the
mid to upper 30's. There are still some nice "early stock"
hatchery steelhead showing at the hatchery, however their numbers are
dwindling. These fish will get recycled into Kress Lake on Mondays.
The "late stock" hatchery steelhead are starting to show at
the hatchery, as well as in the creel. Most of these fish are and will
be 2-salts (7-10 pounds) with only a few 3-salts (10+ pounds) expected
to return, as a result of a weak 2-salt return last year. Wild numbers
are on pace for an average (1,000) return. The past week no fish were
recycled to the lower river and only 16 steelhead were planted into
Kress lake from the Kalama.
Sturgeon
Lower Columbia
from the Wauna power lines to Bonneville Dam - 4 bank anglers just
below Bonneville and 4 between Cathlamet and Longview had no catch.
Bonneville Pool
- Bank anglers are catching some legals.
The Dalles Pool
- Slow for legal size fish.
Walleye and Bass
Bonneville Pool
- No effort was observed for either specie.
The Dalles Pool
- Light effort. Bank anglers are catching some walleye.
Trout
Recent plants
of catchable size rainbows averaging up to ½ pound each:
Horseshoe Lake
(Woodland) - 1,504 fish Jan. 10; Battleground Lake - 4,105 fish
Jan. 16; Klineline Pond - 1,000 fish Jan. 14; Icehouse Lake near Bridge
of the Gods - 802 fish Jan. 11; Kidney Lake near North Bonneville -
1,000 fish Jan. 14; Rowland Lake near Lyle - 3,038 fish on Jan. 11
Recent plants of
brood stock rainbows averaging 6.25 and 10 pounds each:
Carlisle Lake
near Onalaska - 34 of the 6.25 pounders and 34 ten pounders Jan.
14; Horseshoe Lake (Woodland) - 42 each of the 6.25 and 10 pounders
Jan. 10; Icehouse Lake - 40 of the 6.25 pounders
Smelt
Lower Columbia
- No sign of smelt (birds/pinniped) between Cathlamet and Longview
Saturday Jan. 19. Water temperature has cooled to 39.5 degrees near
Skamokawa today (Tuesday Jan. 22). Smelt prefer temperatures above 40
degrees.
Cowlitz River
- No sign of smelt last Saturday (Jan. 19) based upon personal observations
and web site reports.
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