WDFW Sport Sampling Results:
June 5, 2005
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Latest
Southwest Washington |
Salmon/Steelhead -
Cowlitz River - Light effort and catches. During the past week, Tacoma Power and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife employees recovered 247 spring chinook adults, 44 jacks and 13 steelhead during three days of separator operations at Tacoma Power’s Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery.
Tacoma Power employees released 123 spring chinook adults, 31 jacks into the upper Cowlitz River at the Lake Scanewa Day Use area above Cowlitz Falls Dam during the week. In addition, 21 spring chinook adults were released into the upper Cowlitz River in Packwood.
During the week Tacoma Power employees recycled 13 steelhead adults downstream to the Massey Bar boat launch on the Cowlitz River.
River flows at Mayfield Dam are currently at 4,540 cubic feet per second on Monday, June 6. Flows will be increased for a 12-hour period during the day on Tuesday, June 7 for downstream juvenile fish migration. Flows will be reduced to approximately 4,500 cubic feet per second after Tuesday. Water visibility at Mayfield Dam is 11 feet.
Kalama and Lewis rivers - Anglers are catching some spring chinook and summer run steelhead from both rivers. The Kalama River summer run steelhead returns to date are very similar to the same time last year; Lewis River returns are up from 2004. Through June 1, 2005, a total of 481 hatchery summer run steelhead had returned to Merwin Dam trap on the North Fork Lewis River. In 2004, a total of 344 fish had returned through the same period. Last's year's total count at the trap was 12,600 fish.
Washougal River - No report on angling success. Summer run steelhead returns to Skamania Hatchery are ahead of last year. Through June 1, a total of 126 fish had returned to the hatchery. Through the same period last year, a total of 72 fish had returned. A total of 1,200 fish returned to the hatchery in 2004.
Wind River - Effort is light; some spring chinook are being caught at times from the Coffer Dam and upriver areas. Still some fish being counted at the Shipherd Falls trap on the lower river. Through June 6, a total of 624 spring chinook had returned to Carson National Fish Hatchery.
Klickitat River - Bank anglers below Fisher Hill Bridge are catching some chinook. The section from 400 feet above the #5 fishway upstream to the boundary markers just below the Klickitat Salmon Hatchery is again open for retention of adult chinook. Daily limit is 6 salmon, no more than 2 adults. Any chinook, adipose fin clipped or not, may be retained.
Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Including fish released, bank anglers at Bonneville averaged slightly less than a chinook per every 4 rods based on mainly incomplete trips last weekend. We also observed a few chinook handled downriver.
About half the chinook caught were kept. All of the fish kept were of upriver origin based Visual Stock Identification.
Summer run steelhead catches continue to improve from Longview downstream. Boat anglers averaged a fish kept/released per every 2.5 rods based on completed trips while bank anglers averaged one per every 6 rods based on mainly incomplete trips.
Bonneville Pool - No effort for salmonids was observed.
The Dalles Pool - Last weekend, bank anglers averaged nearly 2/3 chinook per rod when including fish released.
John Day Pool - Bank anglers averaged about ½ chinook per rod last weekend. They also caught some steelhead. Fishing was slow for boat anglers.
Sturgeon -
Lower Columbia from the mouth to the Wauna Powerlines (Ports of Chinook and Ilwaco) - From June 2-5, charter boat anglers averaged 0.60 legals kept/released per rod while private boaters averaged 0.15 legals per rod. The large numbers of legals released by charter boat anglers likely reflects the fishing derby.
Lower Columbia from the mouth to Wauna Powerlines (Deep River and Knappton ramps) - Boat anglers there averaged ½ legal kept per boat last Saturday (June 4). Fishing from the bank was slow.
Lower Columbia from the Wauna Powerlines to Beacon Rock - Boat anglers in the gorge averaged a legal per every 8 rods. Some legals are also being caught by boat anglers in the Camas/Washougal and Longview areas.
Bonneville Pool - Anglers are catching some legals. June 10 is the last day of the year that sturgeon may be retained in Bonneville Pool. The cutoff date for retention of sturgeon was adopted because Washington and Oregon fish managers estimate that the harvest guideline of 700 fish will be caught by June 11.
The Dalles Pool - Anglers are catching some legals. Through May, an estimated 237 (59%) of the 400 fish guideline had been taken. Remains open to sturgeon retention until further notice.
John Day Pool - Boat anglers are catching some legals. Slow fishing from the bank. An estimated 95 (58%) of the 165 fish guideline had been taken through May. Remains open to sturgeon retention until further notice.
Walleye and Bass -
Bonneville Pool - Little or no effort. Bank anglers are catching some bass.
The Dalles Pool - Light effort. The few bank anglers sampled averaged over 4 bass and a walleye per rod when including fish released. Boat anglers were catching some bass.
John Day Pool - Including fish released, boat anglers averaged nearly a walleye per rod. Light effort observed for bass.
Tiger Muskie -
Merwin Reservoir - An angler came into the Region 5 office today with pictures of what he claims is a 45", 39.5# tiger muskie. He believes the fish may have actually been heavier - it bottomed out his hand held scale.
The fish was caught by his buddy on May 21. The fish was caught while they were trolling for kokanee. Fortunately the angler was using heavy test line and was able to land the fish.
If accurate, the fish would be a new record for Washington. The current record (as of December 2004), is 31.25 pounds caught at Mayfield Lake in September 2001. Unfortunately, it sounds like the possible new record fish has been processed and may have been already eaten.
Trout -
Lakes planted with rainbows since May 26 -
- Mayfield Lake - 3,360 fish;
- Council lake - 2,000 fish
Streams planted with rainbows since May 31:
- Canyon Creek (Clark County) - 5,537 fish;
- Bloodgood Creek (Klickitat County) - 170 fish;
- Bowman Creek - (Klickitat County) - 422 fish;
- Mill Creek (Klickitat County) - 170 fish;
- Spring Creek (Klickitat County) - 1,753 fish;
- Skate Creek (Lewis County) - 3,360 fish;
- Tilton River (Lewis County) - 3,360 fish
Shad -
Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Including fish released, boat anglers averaged about 9 shad per rod (based on mainly completed trips) in the gorge and the Camas/Washougal areas. Bank anglers averaged around 4 shad per rod (based on mainly incomplete trips) just below Bonneville Dam and at the Steamboat Landing Dock in Washougal. Some fish were also being caught by bank and boat anglers from Vancouver to Longview.
At Bonneville Dam yesterday (June 5), over 167,000 shad were counted - the highest single day count this year. Through June 6, a total of 638,000 fish had been counted at the dam. This represents about 1/3 of the 1.7 million fish that had been counted through the same date in 2004.