Southwest Washington Fishing Reports
2002 Report Archive
[ Current Report ]   [ 2003 Creel Survey Archive ]    [ 2002 Archive ]

WDFW Sport Sampling Results:
October 13, 2003

Latest Southwest Washington Sport Sampling Summaries [PDF Format]

Salmon/Steelhead -

Cowlitz River - Anglers are catching some hatchery coho. During the past week, Tacoma Power employees recovered 1,425 fall chinook adults, 37 fall chinook jacks, 2,472 coho adults, 537 coho jacks, 70 summer-run steelhead, two cutthroat trout and one chum salmon during five days of separator operations at Tacoma Power's Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery.

Tacoma Power personnel released a total of 121 coho adults and 39 coho jacks into the Cowlitz River near the Franklin Bridge in Packwood, Washington. A total of 1,234 coho adults and 332 coho jacks were released into Lake Scanewa above Cowlitz Falls Dam.
Tacoma Power personnel released a total of 436 coho adults, 95 coho jacks, two cutthroat trout, 553 fall chinook adults and eight chinook jacks into the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton, Washington during the week.

During the week Tacoma Power employees recycled 153 fall chinook adults, three jacks, and nine steelhead downstream to the Massey Bar boat launch; they recycled 143 fall chinook adults, 11 jacks, and 16 steelhead downstream to the Olequa boat launch; and they recycled 167 fall chinook adults, four jacks, and seven steelhead to the I-5 boat launch.

River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately 3,540 cubic feet per second on Monday, October 13. Water visibility is 12 feet.

Kalama River - Anglers are catching some hatchery coho.

Lewis River - Anglers are catching hatchery coho and some fall chinook. Through October 8, nearly 30,000 early stock adult coho had returned to the facilities. This year's return is nearly double compared to 2002.

Drano Lake - Some fall chinook and coho are being caught.

White Salmon River - Bank anglers did well on coho last week.

Klickitat River - Bank anglers were mainly catching summer run steelhead while boat anglers were catching coho and some fall chinook.

Yakima River - Chinook angling improved with a fish per every 5.7 bank rods last week.
Buoy 10 - No report on angling success. Catch and effort is projected to total 16,800 chinook and 65,000 coho from 85,000-90,000 angler trips for the season. The 65,000 coho landed is the second largest total since 1991 and the 16,800 chinook catch is the second largest total since 1988.

Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Effort and catches continue to wane. The estimated adult chinook catch through September 30 is 22,000 fish from 68,000 angler trips. The chinook catch is projected to total 28,000 fish for the season which is the largest catch on record, exceeding the 2002 record catch of 21,000.

Hanford Reach - Chinook angling improved last week with boat anglers retaining a fish per every 2.8 rods. Bank anglers at Ringold averaged a steelhead per every 3.8 rods when including fish released.
October 22 is the last day to fish for salmon from the Old Hanford townsite wooden powerline towers upstream to Priest Rapids Dam.

On October 7, the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) updated the total number of adult fall chinook entering the Columbia River in 2003 to 914,800 fish. This year's adult return is the largest since at least 1942. The 2003 preseason forecast was 595,200 fish.

Fall chinook passage over mainstem Columbia and Snake River dams have been at record levels with 594,400 passing Bonneville, 167,500 passing McNary (escapement goal 43,500) and 19,500 passing Ice Harbor. The Lower Granite fall chinook count of 10,000 fish is the second largest on record, exceeded only by the record return of 12,400 in 2002.

Through October 5, counts of fall chinook jacks at Bonneville Dam totaled 38,400 brights and 5,600 tules (including adult-size jacks). The bright jack count is a 20% increase over the recent year average of 32,000 and the tule jack count is double the recent 10-year average of 2,800.

Based on fishery catches and escapement estimates through October 6, TAC updated the early stock coho run size to 450,000 adults entering the Columbia River. The preseason forecast included 271,500 fish to the river mouth.

Based on early stock returns, commercial landings to date, and the Bonneville Dam count to date, the TAC expects the late coho run size to exceed the preseason forecast of 157,500 fish.

Sturgeon -

Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - Few sturgeon anglers sampled last week. Those sampled had no legals.

Trout -

Klineline Pond - Light effort and catches.

Goose Lake - Continues to produce good sized cutthroats, rainbows, and browns.

Releases of rainbows last week:

• Swofford Pond near Mossyrock- 2,000 catchables
• South Lewis County Pond near Toledo - 2,000 catchables
• Kidney Lake near North Bonneville - 600 fish averaging about 1.5 pounds each.

[ Current Report ]     [ 2003 Creel Survey Archive ]     [ 2002 Archive ]