WDFW Sport Sampling Results:
May 21, 2006

Latest Southwest Washington Sport Sampling Summaries [PDF Format]

Salmon/Steelhead -

Elochoman River from mouth to West Fork - Opens to fishing for hatchery steelhead beginning June 1. The majority of the adult returns will be from the 31,000 hatchery summer run smolts released in 2004.

Toutle River (mainstem to forks, North Fork to posted deadline downstream of the fish collection facility, South Fork, and the Green River from mouth to 2800 Road Bridge - Opens to fishing for hatchery steelhead beginning June 1. The South Fork and Green rivers both received plants of 25,000 hatchery summer run smolts in 2004.

Spring chinook are no longer released into the Toutle system, hence the salmon opening date was been changed to August 1 by permanent rule.

Cowlitz River - No report on angling success. A surge of spring chinook returned to the hatchery. During the past week Tacoma Power’s Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator recovered 601 adult spring chinook salmon, 43 jacks, 54 winter-run steelhead adults and 46 summer-run steelhead adults during four days of separator operations.

Tacoma Power employees released 138 spring chinook adults, 13 jacks and 46 adult steelhead into the Cowlitz River at the Day Use Park on Lake Scanewa. A total of 243 spring chinook adults, 12 jacks and seven adult steelhead were released into the upper Cowlitz River in Packwood, Washington, and 26 spring chinook adults and two jacks were released into the Cispus River above the mouth of Yellow Jacket Creek during the week.

Tacoma Power employees recycled 20 steelhead adults downstream to the Massey Bar boat launch on the lower Cowlitz River during the week, and they recycled 27 summer-run steelhead adults downstream to the I-5 Bridge boat launch.

River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately 5,130 cubic feet per second on Monday, May 22. Water visibility is over ten feet.

Lake Scanewa - (Cowlitz Falls Reservoir) - Opens to fishing for hatchery rainbows and hatchery spring chinook beginning June 1. Several hundred hatchery adult spring chinook had been released into the lake through the middle of May.

Kalama River - Spring chinook are being caught from the mouth to the deadline below the upper salmon hatchery. A total of 270 hatchery adult spring chinook had returned to Kalama Falls Hatchery through May 17. In 2005, some 950 fish had returned through the same period.

Lewis River - Spring chinook are being caught from the mouth upstream. A surge of fish returned to the trap at Merwin Dam and overall returns are ahead of last year. A total of 1,158 hatchery adult spring chinook had been trapped at the dam. In comparison, 737 fish had been counted by this time last year.

East Fork Lewis River - Bait may be used and the river will be open to fishing for hatchery steelhead upstream to the boundary below Horseshoe Falls (with the exception of the closures below the various falls) beginning June 1 . A total of 75,500 hatchery summer run steelhead smolts were planted in 2004.

Washougal River - No report on angling success. Through May 17, a total of 70 hatchery summer run steelhead had returned to Skamania Hatchery. This year's return to date is almost identical to the same time in 2005. Last year's total return to the hatchery was just over 1,000 fish. In 2004, a total of 66,000 hatchery summer run steelhead smolts were planted in the mainstem and North Fork Washougal rivers.

Beginning June 1, bait may be used and the river will be open to fishing for hatchery steelhead upstream to the Salmon Falls Bridge. Anglers are reminded the night closure from the mouth to the Mt. Norway Bridge at Vernon Road is in effect at all times.

Wind River - Effort is beginning to wane at the mouth as the fish begin to move upstream. The boat parking lot was only half full yesterday. Fish are being caught in the canyon and at the coffer dam although public access is difficult. Some fish are showing some color. One hundred spring chinook had returned to the hatchery through May 19.

Drano Lake - Boat anglers using bobbers and prawns/shrimp are doing very well at times. Some fish are showing some color although flesh quality is good. Closed to fishing this Wednesday then open 7 days per week for the remainder of the season. Through May 19, nearly 3,300 fish had returned to the hatchery.

White Salmon River - Light effort and no catch observed. Nearly 23,000 hatchery summer run steelhead smolts were planted here in 2004.

Klickitat River - Some fish were caught earlier in the week. Flows were high and turbid mid week through the weekend. Effort dropped to zero. No fish had returned to the hatchery but 119 fish had been counted at the Lyle Falls fishway through May 18.

Beginning June 1, fishing will be allowed 7 days per week from the Fisher Hill Bridge downstream. In addition, the salmon daily limit will increase to 6 hatchery fish, no more than 2 adults. Also, the river from 400 feet upstream from the #5 fishway (just upstream from the Fisher Hill Bridge) to the boundary markers below the salmon hatchery will be open to fishing for hatchery steelhead and hatchery chinook jacks. Adult chinook must be released in this section of river.

Over 107,000 hatchery summer run steelhead smolts were released into the Klickitat River in 2004.

Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Salmon angler effort was moderate on the first weekend since the season reopened with 390 boats, 186 Oregon bank rods and 193 Washington banks rods counted on Saturday’s (5/20) flight.

We sampled 357 salmonid anglers (including 87 boats) with 44 adult chinook 7 steelhead. Slightly over half the chinook caught were kept. Catch rates for bank and boat anglers were similar with a chinook kept/released per every 9.4 and 7.2 rods, respectively. Chinook were caught throughout the lower river but the best catches were just below Bonneville Dam with a chinook per every 5.4 bank rods and one per every 2.9 boat rods when including fish released. However, fishing slowed there over the weekend when the river rose several feet and became more turbid. 82.6% of the fish sampled were upriver stock based on Visual Stock Identification.

The upriver spring Chinook count through May 21 at Bonneville Dam totaled 93,973 spring chinook. On May 22, the Technical Advisory Committee updated the adult upriver spring chinook forecast to 125,000 fish to the river mouth, which exceeds the preseason expectation of 88,400 fish.

Bonneville Pool - Bank anglers averaged a chinook kept/released per about every 10 rods. No catch observed from the one boat sampled.

The Dalles Pool - Including fish released, bank anglers averaged a chinook per every 3.5 rods while boat anglers averaged one per every 10 rods. 90% of the chinook caught were kept.

John Day Pool - Bank and boat anglers averaged a chinook kept/released per every 3 rods. 93.6% of the chinook caught were hatchery fish (including one released).

Sturgeon -

Lower Columbia from mouth to Wauna Powerlines - Catches improved in the Deep River area with nearly a legal kept per boat.

Lower Columbia from the Wauna Powerlines to Marker #85 (six miles downstream from Bonneville Dam) - Boat anglers are catching some legals from Kalama upstream.

Bonneville Pool - Bank and boat anglers are catching some legals.

John Day Pool - Slow for legal size fish.

Walleye and Bass -

Bonneville pool - Boat anglers averaged 2 bass released per rod. Light effort and no catch observed for walleye.

The Dalles Pool - Boat anglers are catching some walleye and bass.

John Day Pool - Including fish released, boat anglers averaged 1.5 walleye and over 8 bass per rod. Bank anglers were also catching some bass.

Trout -

Recent plants of catchable size rainbows up to ½ pound each -

• Mayfield lake - 5,970 fish from the net pens May 12;
• South Lewis County Park Pond just southeast of Toledo - 3,000 fish May 16;
• Sacajawea Lake in Longview - 3,000 fish May 16;
• Horsethief Lake near Lyle - 3,400 fish May 16;
• Little Klickitat River (juvenile only waters in Goldendale city limits) - 675 fish May 16

Dozens of rivers throughout the region open to fishing June 1. Waters that are scheduled to be stocked with catchable size rainbows include Canyon Creek in Clark County; Bird, Blockhouse and Bloodgood creeks in Klickitat County; Skate Creek and the Tilton River in Lewis County; and the Little White Salmon River in Skamania County. The limit is five fish per day.

Actual plants depend on weather, stream conditions, and availability of hatchery staff/vehicles. For actual releases, please check the department's weekly plant report.

Shad -

Bank anglers at Steamboat Landing in Washougal and off the bank just below Bonneville Dam are averaging about a shad per rod. Fishing off the bank at Bonneville was better earlier in the week before the higher flows. In addition, the high water is making it difficult to fish from a boat in that area.

Boat anglers in the Camas area averaged nearly 3 fish per rod.

Over 38,000 shad were counted at Bonneville Dam yesterday.

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