Southwest Washington Fishing Reports
2002 Report Archive
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WDFW Sport Sampling Results for May 27-June 2, 2002
Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format

Salmon/Steelhead

• Cowlitz River - Producing a mixture of hatchery spring chinook and steelhead. Last week, boat anglers averaged 0.4 steelhead per rod. Most of the steelhead catch occurred in the Blue Creek area.
• During the past week Tacoma Power's Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator recovered 335 spring chinook salmon, 38 spring chinook jacks and 65 adult steelhead during four days of separator operations.
• Between May 28 and May 31, Tacoma Power employees recycled 189 spring chinook adults, 32 spring chinook jacks and 71 steelhead adults downstream to the Olequa boat launch.
• From May 28 to May 31, Tacoma Power employees released 103 spring chinook adults, 13 spring chinook jacks and 132 adult steelhead into the upper Cowlitz River at the Day Use Park in Lake Scanewa above Cowlitz Falls Dam.
• On May 26, a single steelhead adult that originated in the Tilton River was released at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton, Washington.
• River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately 10,700 cubic feet per second on Monday June 3. Water visibility is eight feet.
• Lewis River - Also producing a mixture of hatchery spring chinook and steelhead. Through May 29, a total of 927 chinook had returned to the facilities. 54 fish were recycled downstream to Pekin's Ferry. Flows below Merwin Dam were 6,210 cfs today.
• Wind River - Effort and catch is focused in the coffer dam area. Last week, anglers averaged nearly 1.25 fish per rod there. However, some fish continue to be caught at the mouth and below Shipherd Falls. Effort is waning below Shipherd Falls. Little catch upstream from the coffer dam even though 1,441 fish had returned to Carson National Fish Hatchery through May 29.
• Drano Lake - A few spring chinook continue to be taken but effort and catch is declining fairly rapidly. Through May 29, a total of 695 fish had returned to Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery.
• White Salmon River - No effort observed here last week.
• Klickitat River - Anglers continue to catch spring chinook below the Fisher Hill Bridge. Through May 29, a total of 280 fish had returned to the hatchery. Flows at Pitt were a slightly higher than average 2,640 cfs today.
• Lower Columbia below the I-5 Bridge - Hatchery summer-run steelhead continue to be taken from Kalama downstream to Cathlamet.
• Ringold - No catch was observed here last week
• Kalama - 05/26-06/01: Bank- 117 anglers, 13 hatchery steelhead and 4 ad clip springers kept, 2 "wild" springers and 3 wild steelhead released, Boats- 79 anglers, 17 hatchery steelhead and 10 ad clip springers kept, 1 wild steelhead released. For the week of May 28-31, 45 wild winter steelhead passed upriver and 21 wild and 15 hatchery summer steelhead passed upriver.

Sturgeon

• Chinook/Ilwaco - Last week, charter boat anglers averaged 0.9 legals per rod while private boaters averaged nearly a legal per every 3 rods. Some charter boats caught limits in an hour late last week. Quite a few fish in the 4 foot range are being caught. Some legals are also being caught from the bank.
• Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day pools - Boat anglers in The Dalles Pool are catching some legal size fish. Slow for legal fish elsewhere.
  

Walleye, Bass and other warmwater fish

• Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day pools - Including fish released, boat anglers averaged a walleye per rod last week in John Day Pool. Anglers are catching bass in all three pools.
  

Trout

• Trout continue to be caught in several southwest Washington lakes.

Shad

• Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Creel checks are currently unavailable. About 100 anglers were counted in the Bonneville area last Thursday (May 30). Nearly 100,000 shad were counted at Bonneville Dam last Friday (May 31). Through June 2, about a half million shad have been counted at both Bonneville and The Dalles dams.