WDFW Sport Sampling Results:
March 20, 2005
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Latest
Southwest Washington |
Salmon/Steelhead -
Cowlitz River - Some spring chinook are being caught. During the past week, Tacoma Power and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife employees recovered 93 steelhead and six spring chinook adults during four days of separator operations at Tacoma Power’s Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery.
Tacoma Power employees released 19 steelhead and six spring chinook adults into the upper Cowlitz River at the Lake Scanewa Day Use area above Cowlitz Falls Dam during the week. In addition, they transported two steelhead adults to the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton during the week.
During the week Tacoma Power employees recycled 91 steelhead adults downstream to the Massey Bar boat launch.
River flows at Mayfield Dam are currently at 3,620 cubic feet per second on Monday, March 21. Flows will be increased for a 12-hour daylight period during Tuesday, March 22 for downstream juvenile fish migration. Flows will be reduced to 3,400 cubic feet per second on Wednesday, March 22. Water visibility is over ten feet.
Kalama River - From Chris Wagemann, Fish Biologist:
"March 16 - River is still low and clear. Good steelheading throughout the river, with fair numbers of "fresh" winter run (some hatchery, mostly wild) and a couple salmon being caught.
On Monday (March 14), 65 wild winter steelhead were passed upstream of Kalama Falls Hatchery while 8 hatchery winter steelhead were recycled to the lower river."
Lewis River - A few spring chinook and steelhead are being caught. Flows below Merwin Dam were 2,340 cfs today. The 80-year mean is 6,165 cfs for this date.
Wind River - No reports on angling success. Four boats observed there this morning.
Drano Lake - No report on angling success. Light effort also observed there.
Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Catch and effort continues to increase. Last week we sampled 1,342 anglers with 55 chinook kept and 23 released. Boat anglers averaged a chinook kept/released per every 16.1 rods. Highest catch rates were in the Woodland/Vancouver area. However, boat anglers at Cathlamet reported as many fish kept as those lost to sea lions on Saturday March 19. The only catch observed from the bank was just below Bonneville Dam.
72% of the catch was lower river stock based on Visual Stock Identification.
During the same period in 2004, boat anglers averaged a chinook kept/released per every 16.6 rods. Bonneville bank anglers had the same number of fish kept (4) for over twice as many fishers.
In February 2005, an estimated 7,551 angler trips produced a catch of 39 hatchery spring chinook and 26 hatchery steelhead.
Through March 18, a total of 25 spring chinook had been counted at Bonneville Dam. The recent 10-year average is 1,174 fish. Water temperature was 45 degrees yesterday.
Bonneville Pool - No effort for salmonids was observed.
The Dalles Pool - A bank angler caught one of the few spring chinook counted at The Dalles Dam so far. Bank anglers were also catching some steelhead.
John Day Pool - Bank anglers were catching some steelhead.
Sturgeon -
Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Continues to be slow for legal sized fish. For the first time since at least 1978, no sturgeon were estimated caught during the month of February. There were over 4,000 angler trips last month.
Bonneville Pool - Some legals are being caught by bank and boat anglers. An estimated 149 of the 700 fish guideline had been taken through February.
The Dalles Pool - Boat anglers are catching some legals. Through February, an estimated 59 of the 400 fish guideline had been taken.
John Day Pool - Slow for legal sized fish. An estimated 5 of the 165 fish guideline had been taken through February.
Walleye and Bass -
Bonneville Pool - Light effort and no catch for bass and no effort for walleye were observed.
The Dalles Pool - Boat anglers averaged nearly a walleye per rod when including fish released. No effort observed for bass.
John Day Pool - Including fish released, boat anglers averaged ½ walleye per rod. Some bass are also being caught.
Trout -
Klineline Pond - Including fish released, bank anglers averaged 2 rainbows per rod.
No trout plants were reported last week.
Smelt -
Cowlitz River - No fish reported caught during the commercial fishery last Wednesday night or during the sport fishery last Saturday.