Southwest Washington Fishing Reports
2002 Report Archive
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WDFW Sport Sampling Results for May 6-12, 2002
Sport Sampling Summaries - PDF Format

Salmon/Steelhead

• Cowlitz River - Producing a mixture of spring chinook, winter-run and summer-run steelhead. Most of the spring chinook are being caught in the upper part of the river. Flows below Mayfield Dam were 9,040 cfs this afternoon. Through May 1, a total of 69 adult spring chinook had returned to Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery. The escapement goal is 1,150 fish.
• Lewis River - Limited sampling last week showed some spring chinook are being caught. Summer-run steelhead are also being reported caught. Flows below Merwin Dam were 5,290 cfs this afternoon. Through May 7, a total of 59 spring chinook had been captured at the facilities. The escapement goal is 750 fish.
• Wind River - Last week, boat anglers averaged a chinook per every 2.5 rods while bank anglers at the mouth averaged one per every 7. Effort appears to have peaked at the mouth and is increasing in the gorge area below Shipherd Falls. About a hundred boats were counted at Wind River last Saturday morning.
• Around 2,000 spring chinook were caught in the sport fishery through April 28. No spring chinook have been counted at Carson National Fish Hatchery to date. The escapement goal is 1,200 fish.
• Drano Lake - Nearly the same catch rates as Wind River with boat anglers averaging a chinook per every 2.7 rods while bank anglers had one per every 6.5 rods last week. Effort may have also peaked here too with slightly less than a hundred boats counted here last Saturday morning. An estimated 1,900 spring chinook had been caught in the sport fishery through April 28. Through last week, 162 spring chinook had returned to Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery. The escapement goal is around 3,000 fish.
• White Salmon River - Bank anglers at the mouth are catching some spring chinook. Flows at Underwood were 1,410 cfs this afternoon, slightly lower than average for this time of year.
• Klickitat River - Effort and catches have increased. Last week, bank anglers averaged ½ chinook per rod. Several jacks were also released. Flows at Pitt were 1,940 cfs this afternoon, slightly lower than average for this time of year.
• Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Spring chinook continue to be caught throughout the lower river. Including fish released, boat anglers averaged a chinook per every 4.4 rods last week while bank anglers averaged one per every 7.1 rods. Steelhead catches are increasing in the Longview area.
• Over 300 boats and 300 Washington and 440 Oregon bank anglers were counted from Bonneville Dam downstream during last Saturday's (May 11) flight.
• The lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam, the upper portion of Bonneville Pool, and the entire The Dalles and John Day pools will close to fishing for adult chinook beginning May 16. From the I-5 Bridge downstream to the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line, fishing for trout (including hatchery steelhead) and chinook jacks will remain open. From the I-5 Bridge upstream to the Hwy. 395 Bridge at Pasco, fishing for trout (including hatchery steelhead) and chinook jacks will open beginning June 16. Fishing for shad will remain open downstream from Bonneville Dam.
• The upriver spring chinook run size was updated today to 303,000 fish entering the Columbia River. Jack counts at Bonneville Dam through May 12 are nearly 4,000 fish, slightly above the recent ten-year average.
• Upper Bonneville Pool - Boat anglers are catching some spring chinook.
• The Dalles Pool - Counting fish released, bank anglers averaged a chinook per every 2.7 rods last week.
• John Day Pool - Bank and boat anglers averaged a fish per every 3 rods counting fish released last week.
• Ringold - Harvest of spring chinook was steady but not in large numbers last week.
  

Sturgeon

• Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Bank and boat anglers are catching some legals from Bonneville Dam downstream to Longview. About 250 sturgeon boats were counted during last Saturday's flight. Effort was scattered throughout the river. Effort is increasing in the estuary.
• Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day pools - A few legals are being caught. Through April 30, and estimated 516 fish of the 1,520 Bonneville Pool guideline, 306 of the 700 The Dalles Pool guideline, and 21 of the 165 John Day Pool guideline have been taken.
  

Walleye, Bass and other warmwater fish

• Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day pools - Bass are being caught in all three pools. No in-sample catch of walleye was observed in any of the pools.
  

Trout

• Klineline Pond - Last week, 154 bank anglers kept 81 rainbows, 42 browns, and 2 triploids plus released 9 rainbows and 2 browns.
• Recent releases:
• Battleground Lake - 4,100 rainbows up to 3/4 pound each;
• Lake Sacajawea in Longview - 2,900 catchable size rainbows;
• Maryhill Pond in Klickitat County - 500 catchable size rainbows;
• Forst Borst Park Pond near Centralia - 3,000 catchable size rainbows.
• Kress Lake near Kalama - 55 adult winter steelhead.