Cowlitz River
- Limited sampling. Last week, Tacoma Power recovered 112 spring
chinook adults, eight jacks, 41 spring chinook mini-jacks, 54 fall chinook
adults, 25 jacks, 32 summer-run steelhead, one coho salmon and three
cutthroat trout at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator during three
days of operations.
Tacoma Power employees
released 31 spring chinook mini-jacks into Riffe Lake, 36 fall chinook
adults and 19 jacks into Mayfield Lake, 16 spring chinook adults and
two jacks into the Cispus River above the mouth of Yellow Jacket Creek,
69 spring chinook adults and five jacks into the upper Cowlitz River
at the Skate Creek Bridge in Packwood and three cutthroat trout were
transported upstream and released into the Tilton River during the week.
River flows at Mayfield
Dam are approximately at 2,540 cubic feet per second on Tuesday, September
4. Water visibility is over 10 feet.
Lewis River -
Bank anglers near the salmon hatchery are catching coho and some steelhead.
Washougal River
- Fall chinook are present in the river though none of the few anglers
sampled had any catch.
Wind River -
Boat anglers are catching fall chinook and coho. Early morning has been
reported best for chinook. Large numbers of unmarked coho (which have
to be released) have been reported. About half dozen boats here last
Saturday (Sept. 1) morning.
Drano Lake -
Boat anglers are catching fall chinook and steelhead. A few larger
"B" run steelhead are appearing in the catch.
White Salmon
River - Anglers are catching fall chinook, coho, and steelhead.
Early morning has been reported best for fall chinook.
Klickitat River
- No fish observed from the few anglers sampled.
Lower Columbia
below Bonneville Dam - Last week we sampled 4,548 anglers with 684
adult and 25 jack fall chinook, 34 adult and 1 jack coho, 33 steelhead,
and 2 cutthroats. Overall boat anglers averaged an adult chinook kept
per every 6.1 rods while bank anglers averaged one per every 13.5 rods
based on mainly completed and incomplete trips, respectively.
Catch rates for
boat anglers are lower than the same time last year. During the first
three days of September 2006, boat anglers averaged an adult chinook
kept per every 4.7 rods.
Effort continues
to be higher than last year. A total of 1,378 boats and 304 WA and 83
OR bank anglers were counted during last Saturday's (Sept. 1) flight.
In comparison, 1,138 boats and 170 WA and 66 OR bank anglers were counted
during a similar Saturday flight in 2006.
Based on the preliminary
estimates, the 42,600 angler trips was a new record and the adult fall
chinook catch of 4,550 fish was the third highest for the month of August.
Previous record effort was 41,577 angler trips in 2000; highest catch
was 5,133 adult fall chinook in August 2002 followed by nearly 5,000
fish last year.
Anglers are reminded
Chinook retention will be prohibited in the mainstem Columbia from the
Lewis River downstream Sept. 5-30. A map of the area can be found at
http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regions/reg5/reg5-regulationsmap07.htm.
The Oregon and Washington
departments of fish and wildlife have scheduled a checkpoint for the
lower Columbia mainstem fall chinook sport fishery on Thursday September
6.
Bonneville Pool
- Boat anglers are catching some fall chinook and steelhead. About
a dozen boats each day off mouths of Drano Lake and the White Salmon
rivers.
Hanford Reach
- Last week's activity was still on the slow side. Fish passage
over McNary Dam totals 5,105 adult and 984 jack fall chinook thru Aug
31. Incidental steelhead catches at Ringold are still on the high side
with report of bright fall chinook being seen the last few days. River
flows have been high during the week with a drop on weekends making
it tough on Ringold bank anglers. Traditionally salmon fishing should
start to pick up by the second week in September.
