Latest Southwest Washington Sport Sampling Summaries [PDF Format]

Lake Scanewa (Cowlitz Falls Reservoir) opened for spring chinook fishing on Sat. 5/14. We used a self registration form after the first day. We hade 39 responses from boat anglers who had caught 13 chinook (8 adults and 2 jacks kept and one adult released).

The response rate to our questionnaire was not high. There were probably more anglers who caught no fish, leading to a catch rate that is actually lower that the 0.33 fish per angler observed.

Lower Columbia effort count -In the estuary, 127 private boats and 18 charters fishing for sturgeon were counted during the Sunday May 22 flight. Nearly 100 salmonid bank anglers were counted on both the Oregon and Washington shores from the I-5 Bridge downstream to the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line. There were 40 shad boats in the Camas/Washougal area and a dozen near Ives Island in the gorge. Also, there were 68 bank anglers fishing for shad on the Washington side just below Bonneville Dam.

Salmon/Steelhead -

Grays River - Bank anglers in the mainstem Grays upstream to the mouth of the West Fork and in the West Fork did well on hatchery spring chinook last Saturday. Best bite was reported early in the morning.

Elochoman River - Effort was light for hatchery spring chinook last Saturday.

Cowlitz River - Effort and catches are generally low. Some spring chinook and steelhead are being caught.

Kalama River - Anglers are catching some spring chinook and steelhead though the river was turbid at times last week.

Lewis River - Spring chinook catches declined from the previous week though summer steelhead catches are increasing. Overall, boat anglers averaged slightly better than a spring chinook per every 5 rods while bank anglers averaged one per every 14 rods when including fish released. Springers are being caught from the hatchery to the mouth.

Wind River - Boat angling effort and catch is fading at the mouth. Boat anglers averaged a fish per every 7 rods. Generally less than a couple dozen boats a day reported at the mouth. Bank anglers at the mouth, in the gorge, and at the coffer dam caught fish at times. Effort is still low in the upper river due to high flows though flows were reported receding today. Through May 19, a total of 116 spring chinook had returned to Carson National Fish Hatchery.

Drano Lake - Effort continues to decline. A few spring chinook, including jacks, are being caught.

White Salmon River - Effort and catches are light.

Klickitat River - Bank anglers below the Fish Hill Bridge averaged a chinook per every 5.5 rods.

Lower Columbia from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line upstream to the I-5 Bridge - Opened to fishing for hatchery steelhead and hatchery chinook jacks yesterday (May 22). No report on angling success.

 

Sturgeon -

Lower Columbia from the mouth to the Wauna powerlines near Cathlamet - Slower last weekend with a legal kept per every 12 rods.

Lower Columbia from the Wauna powerlines to Beacon Rock - Including legals released, boat anglers in the gorge averaged a fish per every 4 rods. Boat anglers in the Vancouver area also caught some legals. Slow for legal size fish from the bank.

Bonneville Pool - Bank anglers averaged a legal per about every 10 rods. Boat anglers were also catching some legals.

The Dalles Pool - Boat anglers caught some legals; slow from the bank.

John Day Pool - Both bank and boat anglers are catching a few legals.

Bonneville Pool - Including fish released, boat anglers averaged over 7 bass per rod while bank anglers averaged over 2 fish per rod. No effort was observed for walleye.

The Dalles Pool - Anglers are catching some bass and a few walleye.

John Day Pool - Boat anglers averaged nearly 5 bass and a walleye per rod when including fish released.

Trout -

Lakes planted with catchable and half pound size rainbows since May 12:

• Sacajawea Lake in Longview - 2,937 catchables;
• Fort Borst Park Pond in Centralia - 3,024 catchables;
• Mayfield Lake - 5,700 half-pounders from the net pens;
• Kidney Lake near North Bonneville - 2,522 catchables;
• Horsethief Lake near Lyle - 2,912 catchables;
• Little Klickitat River - 675 catchables;
• Maryhill Pond - 500 catchables;
• Spearfish Lake near Dallesport - 1,722 catchables

Lakes planted with half-pound brown trout since May 12:

• Goose Lake in Skamania County - 2,635 fish
• Icehouse Lake near Bridge of the Gods - 1,480 fish;
• Little Ash Lake near Stevenson - 1,611 fish

Shad -

Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Opened to fishing for shad yesterday, Sunday May 22. No report on angling success. The last two days counts at Bonneville Dam has been 12,000 fish each day. Through May 22, a total of 48,000 shad had been counted at the dam. Nearly 3 times as many shad had been counted at The Dalles Dam.

The state record sport caught shad (as reported December 14, 2004) is 3.44 pounds caught June 1999.

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