WDFW Sport Sampling Results:
March 27, 2005
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Latest
Southwest Washington |
Salmon/Steelhead -
Cowlitz River - Some spring chinook are being caught by boat anglers near the barrier dam and by bank anglers downstream from the I-5 Bridge. Steelhead are being caught from the Trout Hatchery downstream.
During the past week, Tacoma Power and Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife employees recovered 115 steelhead and two spring chinook adults during four days of separator operations at Tacoma Power’s Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery.
Tacoma Power employees released 72 steelhead and two 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 27 steelhead adults to the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton during the week.
During the week Tacoma Power employees recycled 16 steelhead adults downstream to the Massey Bar boat launch.
River flows at Mayfield Dam are currently at 4,090 cubic feet per second on Monday, March 28. Water visibility is over nine feet.
Kalama River - Winter steelhead are being caught throughout the lower river. Chris Wagemann, WDFW Fish Biologist reported on March 23:
- Moderate flow with a little color- excellent drift boat conditions.
- 74 wild and 7 hatchery winter-run steelhead handled at Kalama Falls Hatchery this past week.
Lewis River - Light effort. Some steelhead are being caught.
Wind River, Drano Lake, and the White Salmon River - Light effort. No catch observed.
Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - We sampled almost 2,100 salmonid anglers with 166 chinook kept and 44 released. 79% of the fish caught were hatchery fish. Based on Visual Stock Identification, 68% of the fish kept were lower river stock.
Boat anglers averaged a chinook kept/released per every 9.2 rods. Bonneville bank anglers averaged a chinook per every 12.6 rods. In comparison, boat anglers averaged a chinook kept/released per every 8.5 rods and Bonneville bank anglers a fish per every 5.6 rods during the same period in 2004.
Through March 26, a total of 30 spring chinook had been counted at Bonneville Dam. The recent 10-year average is 2,047 fish. Water temperature was 46 degrees at the dam yesterday.
Bonneville Pool - No effort observed for salmonids.
The Dalles Pool - Light effort and no catch observed.
John Day Pool - Bank anglers are catching some steelhead.
Sturgeon -
Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Continues to be slow for legal sized fish.
Bonneville Pool - No legals observed in the sample.
The Dalles Pool - Boat anglers averaged nearly ½ legal per rod based on the few boats sampled. Bank anglers were catching some legals.
John Day Pool - Boat anglers averaged a legal per every 8 rods. Bank anglers were also catching some legals.
Walleye and Bass -
Bonneville Pool - The few boat anglers sampled did well on bass. No effort observed for walleye.
The Dalles Pool - Boat anglers averaged 1.4 walleye per rod. Bass are also being caught by boat anglers.
John Day Pool - Boat anglers averaged over a walleye and nearly 10 bass per rod. No bank angling effort observed for either specie.
Trout -
Klineline Pond - Bank anglers averaged 1.5 trout per rod. Planted with 1,000 catchable size rainbows last Monday (March 21).
Smelt -
Cowlitz River - No fish reported caught in the commercial and sport fisheries.