Southwest Washington Fishing Reports
2002 Report Archive
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WDFW Sport Sampling Results for July 22-28, 2002
Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format

Salmon/Steelhead

• Cowlitz River - Continues to be hot for hatchery summer-run steelhead. Last week, boaters averaged nearly 1.3 steelhead per rod while bank anglers averaged one per every 5.4 rods. Best catches continue to be from Mission Bar upstream to the barrier dam. Flows below Mayfield Dam were 2,830 cfs today. Through July 25, nearly 3,500 hatchery summer run steelhead have returned to Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery of which all have been recycled downstream.
• Beginning August 1, any chinook (fin clipped or not) and hatchery coho may be retained in the Cowlitz and Toutle rivers.
• Kalama River - No report on angling success. Through July 25, a total of 1,311 hatchery (progeny of wild stock), 1,290 hatchery (hatchery stock), and 478 wild steelhead had returned to Kalama Falls Hatchery. Beginning August 1, any chinook (fin clipped or not) and hatchery coho may be retained in the Kalama River.
• Lewis River - Not much creel sampling there last week. Through July 25, a total of 7,300 steelhead had been counted at Merwin Dam. Flows below Merwin Dam were 1,770 cfs today. Beginning August 1, any chinook (fin clipped or not) and hatchery coho may be retained for the mainstem and North Fork Lewis River.
• Washougal River - No report on angling success. Through July 25, a total of 2,138 hatchery summer run steelhead had returned to Skamania Hatchery. Opens to fishing for chinook and hatchery coho beginning August 1.
• Drano Lake - No report on angling success. Approximately 30 boats at there last Sunday (July 28). Opens to fishing for chinook and coho beginning August 1.
• White Salmon River - About a dozen boats there last Sunday. No report on angling success.
• Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Counting fish released, bank anglers averaged a steelhead per every 6 rods while boat anglers averaged one per every 5.2 rods based on incomplete and completed trips, respectively. Hatchery summer chinook continue to be scattered in the catch.
• Last weekend's effort was similar to the previous one. During the Saturday July 27 flight, 335 boats and 247 Washington bank and 119 Oregon bank anglers were counted from Bonneville Dam downstream. Included in the count were 71 boats at the mouth of the Cowlitz River and 72 in the Camas/Washougal area.
• Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day pools - Effort and catches for salmonids has increased. Last week, bank anglers in Bonneville Pool averaged a steelhead/chinook per every 6.6 rods. In The Dalles Pool, bank anglers averaged a salmonid per every 4 rods while boat anglers averaged better than ½ fish per rod. In John Day Pool, boat anglers are catching some steelhead.
• From McNary Dam upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge and in the Hanford Reach - Very little effort and no catch was sampled in either fishery. In the McNary to Highway 395 area, 9 boat anglers had no catch while 2 boat anglers in the Hanford Reach also had no catch.
  

Sturgeon

• Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Light effort since the fishery switched to catch and release only beginning July 25. During last Saturday's (July 27) flight, only 28 boats were counted from Bonneville Dam downstream.
• Bonneville Pool - Bank anglers are catching some legals. From August 5 through December 31, all sturgeon must be released.
• The Dalles Pool - Catch and release only for the remainder of the year.
• John Day Pool - Anglers are catching some legals. Remains open for sturgeon retention.
  

Walleye, Bass and other warmwater fish

• Bonneville Pool - Including fish released, boat anglers averaged 2.6 bass per rod last week. Light effort for walleye.
• The Dalles Pool - Light effort for both species although some fish are being caught.
• John Day Pool - Counting fish released, boat anglers averaged 1.5 walleye per rod. The small number of boat anglers sampled fishing for bass averaged nearly 17 bass per rod.
  

Trout

• Mayfield Lake - Effort and catches were lower.
• Riffe Lake - Anglers continue to catch some landlocked coho and steelhead. The reservoir was reported 2.7 feet below full pool today.
• Lake Scanewa (Cowlitz Falls Reservoir) - No report on angling success. Scheduled to be planted with 3,000 catchable size rainbows this week.