Southwest Washington Fishing Reports
2002 Report Archive
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WDFW Sport Sampling Results for July 8-14, 2002
Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format

Salmon/Steelhead

• Cowlitz River - It may be hard to believe but fishing from boats for summer run steelhead has even improved. Last week, boat anglers averaged nearly 1.3 fish per rod. Most of fish were caught from Mission Bar upstream to the barrier dam. Bank anglers averaged a steelhead per every 6 rods with most of the catch spread throughout the river.
• During the past week Tacoma Power's Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator recovered 227 spring chinook salmon, 35 spring chinook jacks, and 745 adult steelhead during five days of separator operations. Between July 8 and July 12, Tacoma Power employees recycled 849 summer steelhead, 150 spring chinook adults and five spring chinook jacks downstream to the Olequa boat launch. Between July 8 and July 12, Tacoma Power employees released 114 spring chinook adults and seven spring chinook jacks into the upper Cowlitz River at the Day Use Park on Lake Scanewa, and they released 59 spring chinook jacks into Riffe Lake at Mossyrock Park. Tacoma Power employees transported 100 summer run steelhead downstream to the Cowlitz Trout Hatchery for brood stock. Through July 11, a total of 2,236 steelhead had returned to the salmon hatchery.
  
• River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately 5,130 cubic feet per second on Monday, July 15. Water visibility is over ten feet.
• Kalama River - No report on angling success is currently available. Through July 11, a total of 301 wild, 543 hatchery, progeny of wild stock, and 520 hatchery summer run steelhead had returned to Kalama Falls Hatchery.
• Lewis River - Little sampling last week. Through late last week, nearly 5,000 summer run steelhead had returned to the facilities. Typically, the run is only 44% complete through that time. Flows below Merwin Dam were 2,280 cfs this afternoon.
• Washougal River - No report on angling success. Through July 11, a total of 1,869 summer run steelhead had returned to Skamania Hatchery.
• Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Including steelhead released, bank anglers averaged a fish per every 5.5 rods last week based on incomplete trips. Boat anglers averaged a steelhead kept per every 7.4 rods based on complete trips. Best steelhead catches were from Kalama downstream. A few nice summer chinook are scattered among the catches.
• Effort was slightly down last weekend. On the Saturday July 13 flight, 400 salmonid boats and 445 Washington bank plus 261 Oregon bank anglers were counted. The fishery at the mouth of the Cowlitz is building with 51 boats counted. However, creel sampling shows the fishery to be fairly slow so far.
• An estimated 3,000 hatchery summer run steelhead were caught on the lower Columbia in June. It was the largest catch for June since 1972.
• Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day pools - Bank anglers were catching some summer chinook in Bonneville and The Dalles pools. Light effort and catch in John Day Pool.
  

Sturgeon

• Ports of Chinook and Ilwaco - Data is currently unavailable. It may be available tomorrow.
• Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Effort and catches appear be down slightly from the previous week. On the Saturday July 13 flight, 436 private and 31 charters were counted in the estuary. At Deep River, boat anglers averaged slightly better than a legal per every 4 rods last week based on complete trips. Bank anglers between Chinook and Knappton averaged a legal per every 10 rods based on incomplete trips. The remainder of the river was slow for legal sized fish.
• Through June 30, an estimated 26,525 sturgeon had been caught from the lower Columbia. The target catch is 36,500 fish for 2002. However, there is a 2,000 fish buffer in case the catch ends up higher than the target goal.
• In the estuary duringJune, an estimated 27,500 angler trips produced 13,200 legals. It was the highest effort and catch in the estuary during any single month.
• Bonneville Pool - Anglers are catching some legals. Through June 30, an estimated 678 of the 1,520 (45%) sturgeon guideline had been taken.
• The Dalles Pool - Now closed for sturgeon retention.
  
  John Day Pool - Slow for legal size fish. Through June 30, an estimated 86 of the 165 (52%) guideline had been taken.
  

Walleye, Bass and other warmwater fish

• Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day pools - In John Day Pool, boat anglers averaged slightly more than ½ walleye and slightly less than 9 bass per rod counting fish released last week. Effort was light in Bonneville and The Dalles pools.
  

Trout

• Mayfield Lake - Anglers continue to catch some of the planted rainbows.
• Riffe Lake - Shore anglers are catching mainly landlocked coho and a few landlocked steelhead. The reservoir was reported 2.3 feet below full pool today.
• Vehicles parking alongside haul roads to access fishing spots along the Cowlitz River near Taidnapam Park and the fishing bridge should be aware not to block logging truck traffic or impair line of sight for all traffic. Logging activity is heavy in the area.
• Lake Scanewa (Cowlitz Falls Reservoir) - Scheduled to be planted with 4,000 catchable size rainbows this week.

Shad

• Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Effort and fish counts continue to wane. An estimated 146,000 shad were caught and kept in the lower Columbia sport fishery, a new record.