| March 16, 2008
Salmon/Steelhead
Cowlitz River
- Steelhead are being caught from the Barrier Dam downstream to
Olequa. No spring chinook were found in the sample last week.
Last week, Tacoma
Power recovered 21 winter-run steelhead adults at the Cowlitz Salmon
Hatchery separator during five days of operations. Tacoma Power employees
released eleven radio-tagged winter-run steelhead into the Cispus River,
six steelhead adults into Lake Scanewa at the Day Use Site, and three
winter-run steelhead into the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in
Morton, Washington.
River flows at Mayfield
Dam are approximately at 5,650 cubic feet per second on Monday, March
17. River water visibility is over nine feet.
Kalama River
- Light effort. Some steelhead are being caught.
Lewis River -
Generally light effort. Some spring chinook are being caught from the
North Fork.
Lower Columbia
mainstem from the Hayden Island powerlines to Bonneville Dam - Fairly
high effort and decent catches for boat anglers on the March 16 opener.
Boat anglers averaged a chinook kept/released per every 5.5 rods based
on the 110 boats sampled yesterday (Sunday March 16). Bank angling was
slow with only 2 chinook released for 90 rods.
41 of the 49 chinook
caught (84%) were kept. 32 of the 37 fish mark sampled (86%) were upriver
stock based on Visual Stock Identification.
368 salmonid boats
and 106 WA bank and 64 OR bank anglers were counted during yesterday's
flight. Highest number of boats (110) were found near the Airport. 35
boats were counted from the I-5 Bridge to the Hayden Island west powerlines.
Nearly all the bank effort was found just below Bonneville Dam although
some suspected salmonid effort (bank and boats) were found downstream
from the Hayden Island west powerlines.
Beginning March
24 Hayden Island west powerlines to Bonneville Dam will be closed to
fishing for all species from one hour after official sunset Mondays
to one hour before official sunrise Wednesdays.
Buoy 10 to the
Hayden Island west powerlines - Salmon fishing will be open seven
days per week from March 24 to April 4 with a daily limit of one hatchery
adult chinook salmon. Hatchery steelhead and shad may also be kept.
Bonneville Dam
to McNary Dam - The few salmonid anglers sampled in Bonneville Pool
had no catch. Anglers in The Dalles and John Day pools had good catches
of steelhead but no chinook were found in the sample.
Sturgeon
Lower Columbia
below Bonneville Dam - No legals were sampled though boat anglers
in the Camas/Washougal area are releasing some sublegals. 41 sturgeon
boats and 18 WA and 10 OR bank anglers were counted during yesterday's
flight. Effort was spread throughout the river.
Bonneville Pool
- Bank anglers are catching some legals.
The Dalles Pool
- Through the end of the year all sturgeon must be released.
John Day pool
- Boat anglers are catching some legals. The harvest has accumulated
quickly in John Day Pool over the last two and one-half weeks. Staff
will begin looking at catch projections this week.
Walleye and Bass
Bonneville Pool
- Boat anglers averaged a walleye/bass per rod when including fish
released. No effort was observed from the bank.
The Dalles Pool
- Boat anglers are catching some walleye. No effort was observed
for bass.
John Day Pool
- Including fish released, boat anglers averaged a walleye per every
3 rods and 3 bass per rod. No effort was observed from the bank.
Trout
Klineline Pond
- Including fish released, bank anglers averaged 6 trout per rod.
Largest was a six pound brooder. Best fishing is in the swimming area
by anglers using flies, lures, or shrimp.
Planted with 1,500
over half-pound rainbows March 10. Scheduled to be planted with browns
this week.
Burns Pond in
Wahkiakum County - Planted with 2,000 catchable size rainbows March
12.
Lake Sacajawea
in Longview - Planted with 4,300 catchable size rainbows March 10.
Battleground
Lake - Planted with 2,000 over half-pound rainbows March 10.
Smelt
No
new reports.
Anglers are reminded
new licenses will be needed April 1. In addition, all anglers must return
their catch record cards by April 30 even if nothing is caught or they
did not fish.
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