Columbia, SW WA Fishing Report (7–12–16)

THE FOLLOWING MATERIAL ORIGINATED FROM TANNA TAKATA AND WDFW SOURCES AND WAS TRANSMITTED BY JOE HYMER, PSMFC

Last week on the lower Columbia, anglers made 9,700 trips and caught 1,075 adult Chinook (400 kept and 675 released (37% mark rate)), 119 sockeye (110 kept and 9 released) and 1,074 summer steelhead (792 kept and 282 released).

From June 16-July 10, an estimated 37,798 angler trips has produced 2,404 summer Chinook kept and 2,875 released, 602 sockeye kept and 63 released plus 2,151 steelhead kept and 712 released.

SALMON, STEELHEAD AND SHAD

On Saturday’s (7/9) flight, 269 salmonid boats and 94 Oregon bank anglers were counted from the Astoria-Megler Bridge to Bonneville Dam. Boat anglers fishing in the gorge averaged 1.0 summer Chinook and 0.125 summer steelhead caught per boat, while anglers fishing in Troutdale averaged 0.20 summer Chinook and 0.04 steelhead caught per boat. In the Portland to Westport area, boat anglers averaged 0.24 summer Chinook and 0.25 steelhead caught per boat, while boat anglers fishing in the estuary averaged 0.57 steelhead caught per boat. Bank anglers in the gorge averaged 0.25 summer Chinook and 0.10 steelhead per angler, while bank anglers fishing the Portland to Westport area this past weekend averaged 0.06 steelhead caught per angler. Bank anglers in the estuary had 0.25 summer steelhead caught per angler.

Gorge Bank: Weekly checking showed two adipose fin-clipped Chinook adults and two adipose fin-clipped steelhead kept, plus three unclipped Chinook adults released for 20 bank anglers; and 10 shad kept for four anglers.

Gorge Boats: Weekly checking showed 14 adipose fin-clipped Chinook adults, one sockeye and two hatchery summer steelhead kept, plus 18 unclipped Chinook adults and two steelhead released for 32 boats (100 anglers).

Troutdale Boats: Weekly checking showed six adipose fin-clipped Chinook adults and two hatchery steelhead kept, plus 16 unclipped Chinook adult and two unclipped steelhead released for 108 boats (186 anglers).

Portland to Westport Bank: Weekly checking showed four adipose fin-clipped steelhead and one sockeye kept, plus one unclipped summer steelhead released for 88 bank anglers.

Portland to Westport Boats: Weekly checking showed 17 adipose fin-clipped Chinook adults, five sockeye and 33 adipose fin-clipped steelhead kept, plus 27 unclipped Chinook adults and 14 steelhead released for 185 boats (414 anglers).

Estuary Bank (Tongue Point to Wauna Powerlines): Weekly checking showed one adipose fin-clipped summer steelhead kept for four anglers.

Estuary Boats (Tongue Point to Wauna Powerlines): Weekly checking showed three hatchery summer steelhead kept and one unclipped steelhead released for seven boats (17 anglers).

Bonneville Pool (Bonneville Dam upstream to The Dalles Dam): Weekly checking showed one adipose adult Chinook kept and one unclipped adult Chinook released for 15 bank anglers.

The Dalles Pool (The Dalles Dam upstream to John Day Dam): No report.

John Day Pool (John Day Dam upstream to McNary Dam and John Day Arm): No report.

STURGEON

Lower Columbia River (below Bonneville Dam): Closed for retention. Weekly checking showed 80 sublegal, 214 legal and 51 oversize sturgeon released for 20 boats (63 anglers). The best catch rates were near Tongue Point.

Bonneville Pool (Bonneville Dam to The Dalles Dam): Closed for retention. No report.

The Dalles Pool (The Dalles Dam to John Day Dam): No report.

WALLEYE

Troutdale: Weekly checking showed 19 walleye kept for 7 boats (18 anglers).

Bonneville Pool (Bonneville Dam upstream to The Dalles Dam): No report.

The Dalles Pool (The Dalles Dam upstream to John Day Dam): No report.

John Day Pool (John Day Dam upstream to McNary Dam): No report.

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BONUS FACTOIDS — A couple chum were observed in last night’s non-Treaty commercial fishery below Bonneville Dam. There are a few summer chum that return to the Cowlitz River. There were also a few “fallish” Chinook observed too. There have been 8 fall Chinook Passive Integrated Transponder tags detected at Bonneville Dam to date (see http://www.cbr.washington.edu/dart/wrapper?type=php&fname=pitadult_obs_de_1468356795_38.php).

Salmon/Steelhead

Cowlitz River — No report on angling success is available. Last week Tacoma Power employees recovered 661 spring Chinook adults, 95 jacks, 171 jacks, 70 mini-jacks, and 651 summer-run steelhead adults during four days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.

During the past week, Tacoma Power employees released 220 spring Chinook adults and 42 spring Chinook jacks into the Cispus River upstream of the mouth of Yellow Jacket Creek near Randle and 324 spring Chinook adults and 97 spring Chinook jacks at Franklin Bridge in Packwood.

Since June 15, Tacoma Power employees have Floy-tagged and recycled 750 summer-run steelhead to the I-5 Bridge boat launch. A total of 142 recycled steelhead have either been reported as harvested or returned back to the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.

River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately 2,410 cubic feet per second on Monday, July 11. Visibility is 10.5 feet.

Lower Columbia mainstem below Bonneville Dam — Last week we sampled 2,095 salmonid anglers (including 339 boats) with 145 adult and 7 jack summer Chinook, 210 steelhead, and 20 sockeye. Just 51 (35%) of the adult Chinook were kept. 151 (72%) of the steelhead and all but 2 of the sockeye were kept.

Effort is declining with only 85 boats and 125 bank anglers counted during today’s flight. Effort was heaviest from the Cowlitz downstream.

Sturgeon

Lower Columbia mainstem from the Marker 82 line downstream — We sampled 7 sturgeon anglers (2 boats) in the Kalama area with 16 legals released.

Walleye

Lower Columbia River mainstem below Bonneville Dam — 4 walleye anglers (3 boats) with 3 fish kept and 4 released. Fish were sampled in the Camas/Washougal and Woodland areas.

Shad

Lower Columbia mainstem below Bonneville Dam — Pretty much wrapping up. We did not sample any shad anglers last week and there were only a handful of anglers on the Oregon bank just below the dam during today’s effort flight count.

Trout

Tacoma Power released 4,000 rainbow trout into Mayfield Lake. Next week they will release 4,000 more rainbow trout into the lake.