Southwest Washington Fishing Reports
2002 Report Archive
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WDFW Sport Sampling Results for March 4-10, 2002
Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format

Salmon/Steelhead

• Cowlitz River - From the mouth upstream to the I-5 Bridge, 6 bank anglers kept 1 hatchery steelhead last week. There was no sampling upstream from the I-5 Bridge. Flows below Mayfield Dam were 5,150 cfs this morning.
• Kalama River - 03/02-03/09: Bank- 71 anglers, 1 steelhead kept, 0 hatchery and 2 wild steelhead released; Boats- 95 anglers, 19 steelhead kept, 3 hatchery and 18 wild steelhead released.
• Recycled downstream 20(on 3/8). The Kalama River steelhead daily limit will remain three fish through May 31.
• Lewis River - Not much effort last week. One bank angler sampled released 1 hatchery steelhead. Flows below Merwin Dam were 5,300 cfs this morning.
• Lower Wind River and Drano Lake - Open to fishing for spring chinook and hatchery steelhead beginning March 16. Any chinook, with or without adipose fins intact, may be kept.
• Through March 3, a total of 111 adult spring chinook had been counted at Bonneville Dam. Some new hatchery summer-run steelhead have been observed at the dam. Though usually behind counting the video tapes this time of year, fish count information can be found on the DART web site. The address is www.cbr.washington.edu/dart/adult.html.
• At Bonneville Dam, flows have been around 120,000 cfs and water temperature 41 degrees. This information can also be found on the DART web site.
• Lower Columbia from the I-5 Bridge downstream - Spring chinook catches around Vancouver and Woodland are beginning to increase.
• For the month of February, an estimated 5,100 salmonid angler trips produced 18 spring chinook kept and 6 released plus 72 steelhead kept and 94 released.
• The mainstem Columbia from the I-5 Bridge upstream to Bonneville Dam will be open to fishing for hatchery chinook, hatchery steelhead, and shad beginning March 16. Cascade Island, located just downstream from the new powerhouse, will remain closed to access by the Army Corp of Engineers. Hamilton Island, on the mainland Washington shore, will remain open for access.
• Bonneville Pool - Boat anglers were releasing some wild steelhead last week. Bonneville pool will remain open to fishing for trout, including hatchery steelhead through March 31. However, the mainstem Columbia between Bonneville and The Dalles dams will remain closed to fishing for salmon this spring.
• The Dalles Pool - Anglers are catching some steelhead. Fishing for hatchery chinook will open March 16. Fishing for trout, including hatchery steelhead, will remain open concurrent with the spring chinook fishery.
• John Day Pool - No sampling there last week. Opens to fishing for hatchery chinook beginning March 16. Fishing for trout, including hatchery steelhead, will remain open concurrent with the spring chinook fishery.
• Ringold - Steelhead angling effort was very light last week and there were no retained fish reported.

Sturgeon

• Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - A few legals are being caught from Woodland to Vancouver.
• Bonneville Pool - Boat anglers are catching some legals.
• The Dalles Pool - Boat anglers averaged a legal kept per every 4 rods last week. Fishing from the bank was slow.
• John Day Pool - No sampling there last week.

Walleye and Bass and other warm water fish

• Bonneville Pool - No effort for either species was found last week.
• The Dalles Pool - Counting fish released, boat anglers averaged more than 2 walleye per rod last week. No effort was found for bass.
• John Day Pool - No sampling there last week.
  

Trout

• Merwin Reservoir - 6 boat anglers kept 13 kokanee and released two others. The reservoir was reported 1.25 feet below full pool last Friday (March 8).
• Lake Sacajawea in Longview - Planted with 4,300 catchable size rainbows last week.
• Kress Lake near Kalama - Received 15 steelhead averaging 8 pounds each last week.

Smelt

• No report available