Southwest Washington Fishing Reports
2002 Report Archive
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WDFW Sport Sampling Results for June 17-23, 2002
Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format

Salmon/Steelhead

• Cowlitz River - Boat anglers continue to average nearly a steelhead per rod. Most of the catch is from Mission Bar upstream. Bank anglers averaged nearly a steelhead per every 3 rods last week. Catches from the bank were spread out from just below the mouth of the Toutle River upstream to the barrier dam. Through June 20, a total of 637 summer-run steelhead had returned to the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery.
• During the past week Tacoma Power's Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator recovered 155 spring chinook salmon, 106 spring chinook jacks and 407 adult steelhead during five days of separator operations. Between June 17 and June 21, Tacoma Power employees recycled 73 spring chinook adults and 487 summer steelhead adults downstream to the Olequa boat launch. Between June 17 and June 21, Tacoma Power employees released 68 spring chinook adults, one spring chinook jack, and two winter steelhead into the Cispus River above the mouth of Yellowjacket Creek. Between June 17 and June 21, Tacoma Power employees released 98 spring chinook jacks into Riffe Lake at Mossyrock Park. River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately 10,700 cubic feet per second on Monday June 24.Water visibility is eleven feet.
• Lewis River - Anglers continue to catch a mixture of spring chinook and summer-run steelhead. Through June 20, a total of 1,804 steelhead had returned to the trap at Merwin Dam. All the fish have been recycled downstream. Flows below Merwin Dam were 3,310 cfs today.
• Wind River - Spring chinook continue to be caught, primarily in the Mile Post 7 area near Stabler. The spring chinook fishery is scheduled to remain open through June 30. Through June 19, a total of 6,100 spring chinook had returned to Carson National Fish Hatchery.
• Drano Lake - Not a lot of effort or catch last week. The spring chinook fishery is scheduled to remain open through June 30. Through June 19, a total of 2,393 adult spring chinook had been collected through limited trapping at Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery.
• Klickitat River - Producing some spring chinook and steelhead. Through June 19, a total of 705 spring chinook had returned to the salmon hatchery. Flows at Pitt were 1,910 cfs today.
• Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Bank anglers averaged a steelhead kept per every 7 rods last week based mainly on incomplete trips. Fish were being caught from Woodland to the mouth of the Elochoman River.
• At Bonneville Dam, a total of 18,234 steelhead had been counted through June 23. This year's count to date is 2/3 above the 10 year average.
• Through June 23, a total of 62,652 adult summer chinook had been counted at Bonneville Dam. This year's run is already the second largest since 1972 and there is still over a month of counts remaining (through July 31). The Technical Advisory Committee will be updating the run size today. The Oregon and Washington departments of fish and wildlife are expected to meet tomorrow to discuss possible angling opportunities on the lower Columbia. Stay tuned for possible fishing rule change notices.
• Bonneville and The Dalles Pool - Not a lot of salmonid anglers sampled last week but those checked had released some chinook and steelhead. Adult chinook may not be retained.
• Ocean - Recreational ocean salmon fishery north of Cape Falcon through Sunday, June 16. The fishery closed June 16.
• Look for a news release about ocean fishing opportunities this summer and how to get updates on where to catch chinook. It's expected to be released this week.
  

Sturgeon

• Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Over 90% of the charter boat anglers sampled at Ilwaco last week had caught their one-fish limit. Counting legals released, private boat anglers at Chinook and Ilwaco averaged over ½ fish per rod while private boaters at Deep River averaged slightly less than one per every 3 rods.
• Bonneville Pool - Slow for legal size fish. Through May 31, an estimated 605 of the 1,520 fish guideline (40%) had been taken.
• The Dalles Pool - Bank anglers are catching some legals. Through May 31, an estimated 343 of the 700 fish guideline (49%) had been taken.
• John Day Pool - Boat anglers are catching some legals. Through May 31, an estimated 32 of the 165 fish guideline (19%) had been taken.
  

Walleye, Bass and other warmwater fish

• Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day pools - Counting fish released, boat anglers in John Day Pool averaged 1.25 walleye and nearly 6 bass per rod last week. Effort and catches were generally low in Bonneville and The Dalles pools.
  

Trout

• Mayfield Lake - Anglers are catching good numbers of the 36,500 half-pound rainbows released from the Friends of Cowlitz net pens in early-mid June.
• Riffe Lake - Producing mainly landlocked coho. Most of the activity on the lake is from pleasure boaters. The reservoir was reported 0.2 feet below full pool today.
• Klineline Pond - Was producing mainly rainbows for the bank anglers there last week.
• Last week's trout releases:
• Battleground Lake - 725 rainbows averaging a pound each;
• Goose Lake in Skamania County - 5,700 brown trout nearly a pound each and 2,000 cutthroats averaging 2/3 pound each.

Shad

• Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Bank anglers just below Bonneville Dam averaged 4.6 shad per rod last week based mainly on incomplete trips. Boat anglers in the Ives Island area averaged over 15 shad per rod based on completed trips. Bank anglers at Steamboat Landing averaged about a shad per rod.
• At Bonneville Dam, flows continue to be around 300,000 cfs with visibility about 5 feet.
• Through June 23, nearly 2.8 million shad had been counted at Bonneville Dam. The record count is 2,947,900 in 1990.