Salmon/Steelhead
Cowlitz River - This year's adult coho return to the salmon hatchery may become a new record. Through October 22, over 27,000 fish had already returned. Large fish up to 20 lbs. Large fishery effort: up to 300 bank anglers at the barrier dam. Even catching fish on night crawlers. Emergency reg will extend non-buoyant lure/night closure from Mill Creek upstream to the barrier dam for a month - at request of WDFW enforcement.
Kalama River - About 1 in 3 bank anglers had caught an adult coho. About half the fish were kept.
Lewis River - Bank anglers averaged almost ½ coho per rod when including fish released. A little over half the fish were kept. About a quarter of the fish kept were jacks.
Wind River - No report on angling success. Friday October 31 is the last day to fish for salmon.
Drano Lake - Light effort but some chinook and coho are being caught. Re-opens to fishing 7 days/week in November.
Klickitat River - No report on angling success. Per permanent rules, all chinook must be released from the Fisher Hill Bridge (about 3 miles above the mouth) upstream beginning November 1.
Yakima River - The Yakima fall salmon sport fishery came to a close on October 22. An estimated 502 adult fall chinook, 64 chinook jacks, 35 adult coho, and 47 coho jacks were harvested during this fishery. Total effort for the fishery was almost 10,000 angler hours. No steelhead were reported in the catch.
Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - About a coho per boat in the Camas/Washougal area when including fish released. 38 of the 84 boats were found in that area during the Saturday October 25 flight. Bank angling effort was very light with just 9 WA and 10 OR bank anglers counted during the flight.
Beacon Rock upstream to Bonneville Dam closes to fishing for salmon November 1.
Bonneville Pool - Boat anglers averaged about ½ adult coho per rod. Most of the effort is off the mouth of the Klickitat where 65 boats were observed early Sunday morning (October 26). Trolling Wiggle Warts early then prawn/spinner combos later produced the bulk of the catch. About 90% of the fish were bright, late stock coho.
Ringold - The steelhead sport fishery from the Highway 395 Bridge at Pasco/Kennewick upstream to the wooden power line towers at the former Hanford town site opened Oct 1 (Ringold area fishery). This fishery is open for retention of Ringold Hatchery origin steelhead only as identified by an adipose and right ventral fin (ADRV) clip. All adipose clipped only and wild steelhead must be released.
A total of 314 steelhead were caught between Oct 20 and 26. They consisted of 112 Ringold origin steelhead (ADRV), 187 adipose only clipped steelhead, and 15 unclipped steelhead. WDFW staff sampled 28% of the angler effort this past week. Similar to weeks prior, a large percentage of the catch was adipose only clipped steelhead. Retention of adipose only steelhead will be permitted on November 1.
Bank anglers averaged one steelhead for each 7 hours of fishing. Boat harvest was slightly slower at 10 hours per steelhead.
Hanford Reach - The Hanford Reach fall chinook fishery came to a close on October 22. An estimated 6,861 boat trips were made to the Reach in 2008. A total of 6,986 chinook (5,630 adult 1,356 jacks) and 16 coho were harvested this season. Adult chinook harvest was roughly 11% higher overall in 2008 compared to 2007.
A new regulation was adopted in 2008 closing the Columbia River upstream of the Highway 395 Bridge at Pasco/Kennewick to Priest Rapids Dam on October 22.
