Overall - For
the most part, adult spring chinook catch rates for boat anglers in
the Cowlitz, Kalama, Lewis, Wind, and Drano during the first week of
May have been the lowest since at least 2001. Catch rates during this
time of year can average up to ½ fish per rod.
Cowlitz River
- Boat anglers averaged an adult spring chinook per every 23.5 rods
while bank anglers averaged one per every 37 rods. Spring chinook and
steelhead (winter and summer runs) catches are scattered throughout
the river.
Last week, Tacoma
Power recovered 248 winter-run steelhead, 11 summer-run steelhead, 12
spring chinook adults, three spring chinook jacks and three cutthroat
trout at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator during five days of operations.
Only 33 adult spring
chinook had arrived at Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery through April. Under
normal run timing with the forecasted run size there should be in excess
of 500 adults to have returned within the first few days of May.
River flows at Mayfield
Dam are approximately at 5,030 cubic feet per second on Monday, May
5. Water visibility is 16 feet.
Kalama River
- Boat anglers averaged an adult chinook per every 20.5 rods; fishing
from the bank is slow. Last year at this time boat anglers were averaging
½ fish per rod. Effort is scattered throughout the river.
No spring chinook
had returned to Kalama Falls Hatchery through April.
Lewis River -
The North Fork has been a little more productive than the mainstem.
North Fork boat anglers averaged an adult chinook per every 7 rods.
Boat anglers were averaging about ½ fish per rod this time last
year. Overall effort has been lighter than normal.
Through April, a
total of 118 hatchery chinook have returned to Merwin Dam trap (100
fish shipped to Speelyai Hatchery for broodstock). Flows below Merwin
were 5,670 cfs today which is similar to the long-term mean for this
date.
Sea lions have been
busy at the mouth.
Wind River -
Boat anglers averaged a chinook per about every 10 rods. Slow from the
bank. Last year at this time boat anglers were averaging an adult spring
chinook per every 5.5 rods. Effort was heavy last Saturday (May 3).
River temperature
has been in the low 42-44 degrees Fahrenheit at Shipherd Falls. 6 spring
Chinook have been passed above the falls through Friday May 2.
A total of 54 Carson
NFH PIT tags spring chinook had crossed Bonneville Dam through May 4.
Over half the fish were detected last week.
Drano Lake -
Boat anglers averaged an adult chinook kept/released per every 8.6 rods.
Bank anglers were catching some fish just inside the lake though it
was slow outside on the Columbia side. Boat anglers were averaging an
adult chinook per every 3 rods last year at this time.
River temperature
at the Little White Salmon NFH was 45 degrees Fahrenheit last week.
The Yakama Indian Nation is expecting to fish Drano tomorrow night (Tuesday
May 6), the first time this year.
3 sea lions were
observed working the mouth of Drano on Saturday May 3.
White Salmon
River - No spring chinook are released here but one was found in
the sample. Reports of some success in the evenings.
Klickitat River
- Light effort. Some reports of spring chinook being hooked but
none were found in the sampled.
Flows at Pitt are
2,400 cfs today which is similar to the long-term mean for this date.
Bonneville Pool
- Light effort and no catch was observed.
The Dalles Pool
- Last week WA and OR sampled 272 anglers (including 28 boats) with
92 adult and 2 jack spring chinook and 1 steelhead. Including fish released,
bank anglers averaged an adult chinook per every 2.8 rods while boat
anglers averaged one per every 3.4 rods. Overall, 79 (85.9%) of the
adult chinook caught were kept.
About 55 boats were
counted from RM 212-215 yesterday (Sunday May 4) morning.
John Day Pool
- Not sampled.
Bonneville Dam
to McNary Dam - Scheduled to remain open for hatchery chinook and
hatchery steelhead through Saturday May 10.
Ringold -
The Ringold spring chinook bank fishery opened May 1. For the week,
13 adult spring chinook were harvested in the fishery. 81 anglers sampled
kept 6 adult chinook and released 2. The average was one chinook per
every 46 hours of effort. Flows were moderate with plenty of available
beach to fish.
Lower Columbia
below Bonneville Dam -
Boat anglers are catching some legals around the Vancouver area. Less
than 100 boats were counted during the Saturday May 3 flight. About
a third of the boats were found in the Vancouver area.
Starting May 10,
sturgeon retention will reopen in the estuary below the Wauna powerlines.
After May 10, only sturgeon measuring 45 to 60 inches may be retained
daily in that stretch of the Columbia River. The season for this area
is scheduled to remain open through June 24 though the actual ending
date depends on the 13,143 fish quota being met.
To protect spawning
fish, the area from Navigation Marker 85 upstream to Bonneville Dam
is closed to fishing for sturgeon from May through July.
Bonneville Pool
- Boat and bank anglers are catching some keepers.
The Dalles and
John Day pools - Closed for sturgeon retention through the end of
the year. In addition, sturgeon fishing is closed from John Day Dam
downstream 2.4 miles to the west end of the grain silo at Rufus Oregon
and from McNary Dam downstream 1.5 miles to the Highway 82 Bridge from
May through July.
