Southwest Washington Fishing Reports
2002 Report Archive
[ Current Report ]       [ 2002 Archive ]

WDFW Sport Sampling Results for February 25-March 3, 2002
Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format

Salmon/Steelhead

• Cowlitz River - Last week, 16 bank anglers at the barrier dam kept 1 steelhead and released 1 steelhead. At Blue Creek, 6 bank anglers had no catch while 18 boat anglers kept 11 adult and 1 jack steelhead plus released 2 steelhead. One angler at Mission Bar had no catch.
• During the past week Tacoma Power's Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator recovered 285 adult steelhead, two adult coho salmon and one coho jack during three days of separator operations. On March 1, Tacoma Power employees transported 81 steelhead adults to the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton. Also on March 1, Tacoma Power employees released 92 steelhead adults, two coho adults, and one coho jack into the upper Cowlitz River at Lake Scanewa. During the past week Tacoma Power employees recycled a total of 140 steelhead downstream to the Olequa boat launch.
  Flows below Mayfield Dam were 5,000 cfs this morning and visibility was 5 feet.
• Lewis River - Last week, 4 bank and 1 boat angler sampled had no catch. Flows below Merwin Dam were 6,000 cfs this morning.
• Lower Columbia from the I-5 Bridge downstream - No catch was observed in our sampling last week. Through February 27, a total of 79 spring chinook had been counted at Bonneville Dam.
• Kalama River - 02/24-03/02: Bank- 52 anglers, 8 steelhead kept, 1 hatchery and 2 wild steelhead released; Boats- 59 anglers, 14 steelhead kept, 1 hatchery and 12 wild steelhead released. (24 pound springer caught- non sample day (2/26)).Recycled downstream 34(on 3/1)(rct)winter-brood stock progeny (all have green floy tags). Also, another 15 winter steelhead into Kress Lake(3/1). [Total into Kress Lake = 497]

Sturgeon

• Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - A few legals being caught in the Vancouver area. Fishing is slow in the Kalama area. All sturgeon must be released on Sundays and Mondays through May 13.
• Bonneville and John Day pools - Slow for legal sized fish.
• The Dalles Pool - Boat anglers averaged a legal per every 6.3 rods last week. Fishing was slow from the bank.

Walleye and Bass and other warm water fish

• Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day pools - A little more effort for walleye last week. Boat anglers in John Day Pool averaged a fish released for every 3 rods last week. Fishing was slow in Bonneville and The Dalles pools. No in-sample effort for bass was observed in any of the three pools last week.
  

Trout

• Klineline Pond near Hazel Dell - Last week, 85 bank anglers kept 91 rainbows, 1 brown trout, and one brood trout (22 inches) plus released 22 rainbows. Nearly 2,000 rainbows averaging 2/3 pound each were released there in mid to late February.
• Kress Lake - Received 22 steelhead averaging about 8 pounds each last week.
• Merwin Reservoir - Last week, 6 boat anglers kept 10 kokanee. One boat with two anglers caught all the fish.

Smelt

• Cowlitz River - Unconfirmed reports of 20 pound limits in 10 minutes near Castle Rock last weekend.
• Lewis River - No birds present and no fish seen upstream from Woodland. However, commercial fishers below Woodland are able to fill fresh orders fairly easily.
• Mainstem Columbia - Fish reported up to the I-205 Bridge.