02-21-2008, 09:10 PM
UPDATED FEB. 20, 2008-Boat and bank anglers are starting to catch more walleye in The Dalles Pool while sturgeon angling is expected to pick up with warmer waters. Those warmer waters may also make this Saturday a decent bet for smelt dipping on the Cowlitz. If not, try trout instead in the many Southwest Washington stocker lakes.
Here are highlights from WDFW and ODFW's weekly fishing reports:
SALMON/STEELHEAD
# Cowlitz River: No report on angling success. Last week Tacoma Power recovered 429 coho salmon adults and 25 winter-run steelhead at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator during five days of operations. During the week Tacoma Power employees released 103 coho adults and 18 winter-run steelhead into Lake Scanewa at the Day Use Site and 34 coho adults and four winter-run steelhead into the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton, Washington.
River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately at 9,830 cubic feet per second on Tuesday, February 19.
# Lower Columbia from the I-5 Bridge downstream: 1 bank angler and 2 boats/2 anglers had no catch. There was a spring Chinook reported caught near Vancouver over the weekend. Effort increased this past weekend with 49 boats and 122 Oregon and 30 Washington bank anglers counted during the Saturday Feb. 16 flight.
# Portland to Longview Bank: Weekly checking showed three adipose fin-clipped steelhead kept, plus one unclipped steelhead released for 40 bank anglers.
# Portland to Longview Boats: Weekend checking showed no catch reported for 14 boats (incomplete trips).
# Bonneville Pool: Weekly checking showed no catch reported for one boat and one bank rod.
# The Dalles Pool: Weekly checking showed one adipose fin-clipped steelhead caught for five boats; and no catch reported for two bank anglers.
# The gated entrance to Lions Park also known as Martin's Bar on the Columbia River at Woodland has been closed temporarily. The Army Corps of Engineers is depositing dredge spoils on an adjacent site and the regular entrance site has been closed as a public safety measure. The Port of Woodland has provided an alternative access site. The directions are posted on the gate leading into Lions Park. The site could remain closed until late July or early August of 2008.
STURGEON: Sturgeon catch rates on the lower Columbia River should improve as water temperatures gradually increase.
# Gorge Bank: Weekend checking showed no catch reported for six bank rods.
# Gorge Boats: Weekend checking showed one sublegal sturgeon released for five boats (complete trips).
# Troutdale Boats: No report.
# Portland to Longview Bank: No report.
# Portland to Kalama Boats: Weekend checking showed two legal white sturgeon kept, plus 53 sublegal sturgeon released for 47 boats (incomplete trips).
# Bonneville Pool: Weekly checking showed one legal white sturgeon kept, plus 11 sublegal sturgeon released for five boats; and thirteen sublegal sturgeon released for 49 bank anglers.
# The Dalles Pool: Weekly checking showed four legal white sturgeon caught, plus 13 sublegal sturgeon released for five boats; and one oversize sturgeon released for 21 bank anglers.
WALLEYE
# Bonneville Pool: Weekly checking showed two walleye kept for nine boats.
# The Dalles Pool: Weekly checking showed nine walleye kept, plus one walleye released for four boats; and three walleye kept for nine bank anglers.
# Troutdale: No report.
TROUT
# Silver Lake (near Castle Rock): Planted with 2,790 catchable size rainbows Feb. 12.
# Kress Lake near Kalama: Planted with 1,514 catchable size rainbows Feb. 13.
# Klineline Pond: 15 bank anglers had no catch.
# Little Ash Lake near Stevenson: Planted with 801 catchable size rainbows Feb. 11.
SMELT
# Cowlitz River: Ten-pound limits were possible last Saturday with some effort and being in the right location. Fish were caught at least upstream to Kelso. Mixture of sex and sizes. Commercials landed over a ton of smelt from the Cowlitz on Sunday (Feb. 17) night.
Flows at Castle Rock were 11,800 cfs this morning (Tuesday Feb. 19) which is just under the long-term mean of 12,600 cfs for this date. Flows are expected to remain relatively stable for the next week.
Mainstem Columbia water temp was 41 degrees near Skamokawa today. Smelt prefer water temperatures of 40 degrees or above. Twenty-one sea lions were observed at the mouth of the Cowlitz during last Saturday's flight and numerous birds and seals were observed downstream to Skamokawa.
Here are highlights from WDFW and ODFW's weekly fishing reports:
SALMON/STEELHEAD
# Cowlitz River: No report on angling success. Last week Tacoma Power recovered 429 coho salmon adults and 25 winter-run steelhead at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator during five days of operations. During the week Tacoma Power employees released 103 coho adults and 18 winter-run steelhead into Lake Scanewa at the Day Use Site and 34 coho adults and four winter-run steelhead into the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton, Washington.
River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately at 9,830 cubic feet per second on Tuesday, February 19.
# Lower Columbia from the I-5 Bridge downstream: 1 bank angler and 2 boats/2 anglers had no catch. There was a spring Chinook reported caught near Vancouver over the weekend. Effort increased this past weekend with 49 boats and 122 Oregon and 30 Washington bank anglers counted during the Saturday Feb. 16 flight.
# Portland to Longview Bank: Weekly checking showed three adipose fin-clipped steelhead kept, plus one unclipped steelhead released for 40 bank anglers.
# Portland to Longview Boats: Weekend checking showed no catch reported for 14 boats (incomplete trips).
# Bonneville Pool: Weekly checking showed no catch reported for one boat and one bank rod.
# The Dalles Pool: Weekly checking showed one adipose fin-clipped steelhead caught for five boats; and no catch reported for two bank anglers.
# The gated entrance to Lions Park also known as Martin's Bar on the Columbia River at Woodland has been closed temporarily. The Army Corps of Engineers is depositing dredge spoils on an adjacent site and the regular entrance site has been closed as a public safety measure. The Port of Woodland has provided an alternative access site. The directions are posted on the gate leading into Lions Park. The site could remain closed until late July or early August of 2008.
STURGEON: Sturgeon catch rates on the lower Columbia River should improve as water temperatures gradually increase.
# Gorge Bank: Weekend checking showed no catch reported for six bank rods.
# Gorge Boats: Weekend checking showed one sublegal sturgeon released for five boats (complete trips).
# Troutdale Boats: No report.
# Portland to Longview Bank: No report.
# Portland to Kalama Boats: Weekend checking showed two legal white sturgeon kept, plus 53 sublegal sturgeon released for 47 boats (incomplete trips).
# Bonneville Pool: Weekly checking showed one legal white sturgeon kept, plus 11 sublegal sturgeon released for five boats; and thirteen sublegal sturgeon released for 49 bank anglers.
# The Dalles Pool: Weekly checking showed four legal white sturgeon caught, plus 13 sublegal sturgeon released for five boats; and one oversize sturgeon released for 21 bank anglers.
WALLEYE
# Bonneville Pool: Weekly checking showed two walleye kept for nine boats.
# The Dalles Pool: Weekly checking showed nine walleye kept, plus one walleye released for four boats; and three walleye kept for nine bank anglers.
# Troutdale: No report.
TROUT
# Silver Lake (near Castle Rock): Planted with 2,790 catchable size rainbows Feb. 12.
# Kress Lake near Kalama: Planted with 1,514 catchable size rainbows Feb. 13.
# Klineline Pond: 15 bank anglers had no catch.
# Little Ash Lake near Stevenson: Planted with 801 catchable size rainbows Feb. 11.
SMELT
# Cowlitz River: Ten-pound limits were possible last Saturday with some effort and being in the right location. Fish were caught at least upstream to Kelso. Mixture of sex and sizes. Commercials landed over a ton of smelt from the Cowlitz on Sunday (Feb. 17) night.
Flows at Castle Rock were 11,800 cfs this morning (Tuesday Feb. 19) which is just under the long-term mean of 12,600 cfs for this date. Flows are expected to remain relatively stable for the next week.
Mainstem Columbia water temp was 41 degrees near Skamokawa today. Smelt prefer water temperatures of 40 degrees or above. Twenty-one sea lions were observed at the mouth of the Cowlitz during last Saturday's flight and numerous birds and seals were observed downstream to Skamokawa.