Columbia River Fishing: August 2008

Saturday, August 16, 2008

Salmon Fishing In Ilwaco will close

Salmon fishing in Ilwaco
will close at 2 p.m. Aug. 17

OLYMPIA - Recreational salmon anglers will get a partial day of fishing off the south coast of Washington before the fishery closes for the season on the afternoon of Aug. 17.

The salmon fishery in Marine Area 1 (Ilwaco), which now runs Sundays through Thursdays, will be open Sunday, Aug. 17 from 12:01 a.m. through 2 p.m. After that, the fishery will be closed to retention of all salmon species, said Doug Milward, ocean salmon manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

The season is ending Sunday because the catch quota for coho salmon has been reached, Milward said.

Meanwhile, the Buoy 10 fishery at the mouth of the Columbia River will remain open seven days a week through Labor Day.

Other areas that remain open to salmon fishing include Marine Area 2 (Westport-Ocean Shores), which is open Sundays through Thursdays only, and marine areas 3 and 4 (La Push and Neah Bay), which are open Tuesdays through Saturdays only. Salmon fishing is scheduled to continue in these three marine areas through Sept. 13, or until quotas are reached.

Wednesday, August 6, 2008

This could affect all fishing in the Lower Columbia River

Public meetings will outline
lower Columbia River hatchery changes

OLYMPIA - Modifications to salmon and steelhead hatchery operations on the lower Columbia River will be discussed at four public meetings this month in southwest Washington.

The public meetings will begin at 6 p.m. and are scheduled for:

Aug. 12 - Cathlamet: River Street Meeting Room, 25 River St., Cathlamet.
Aug. 13 - Longview: Cowlitz PUD, 961 12th Ave., Longview.
Aug. 20 - Westport: Westport Convention Center, 1600 N. Montesano Ave., Westport.
Aug. 21 - Camas/Washougal: Washougal Community Center, 1701 C. St., Washougal.

During the meetings, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) staff will outline hatchery production changes designed to help recover endangered and threatened wild salmon and steelhead populations in the Columbia River, said Pat Frazier, regional fish manager for the department.

Many of those salmon and steelhead populations are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act.

"These modifications are part of a broad conservation effort to re-tool hatchery programs in the Columbia River basin," Frazier said. "The goal is to change hatchery operations to support naturally spawning salmon and steelhead populations while continuing to provide sustainable fisheries that benefit communities along the lower river."

Despite the changes, the department will maintain 95 percent of the current lower Columbia River fall chinook production, as well as 95 percent of hatchery steelhead releases in the lower Columbia River, Frazier said.

The changes include closing the Elochoman Hatchery this fall to create a refuge for wild fall chinook on the Elochoman River, and shifting all steelhead and about half of the fall chinook production to the Beaver Creek facility. The wild fish refuge would be one of several refuges established for five populations of wild fall chinook - also known as "tules" - that spawn in the tributaries of the lower Columbia River.

The refuges are intended to benefit wild salmon and steelhead by minimizing the number of competing hatchery-produced fish on the spawning grounds, while still maintaining sustainable fishing opportunities, Frazier said.

Specifically, the changes would:

Shift steelhead production from the Elochoman Hatchery to a hatchery at Beaver Creek - a tributary of the Elochoman - to maintain current steelhead release numbers in the Elochoman River basin. The facility would be used to raise one million fall chinook for subsequent transfer to net pens in Deep River.
Reduce coho releases from hatcheries on the lower Columbia River by 15 percent, and establish four Columbia River wild coho refuges and four coho conservation programs.
Establish three wild steelhead refuges in the lower Columbia River.

Representatives from WDFW, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, Columbia River tribes, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and NOAA Fisheries have been meeting the past several months to develop a conservation-based, system-wide approach to Columbia River hatchery production.

"This strategic re-alignment of our hatchery operations and production is part of that broad-based effort to restore naturally spawning salmon and steelhead populations in the Columbia River to productive levels," Frazier said. "But other actions, such as restoring habitat, modifying harvest and improving fish passage at dams, also need to take place if we are going to succeed."

The modifications are consistent with the Lower Columbia River Salmon Recovery Plan and recommendations from the Hatchery Scientific Review Group (HSRG), Frazier said. The HSRG is an independent panel of scientists established by Congress to evaluate salmon and steelhead hatchery operations in Puget Sound and coastal Washington.

--
Thank you,
Jerry Brown
Columbia River Fishing
Consider us for your next Fishing Adventure!
http://www.columbia-river-fishing-guide.com

White River Travel
http://www.white-river-travel.com
206-920-2428

Buoy Ten Salmon Report

Fishing: The Buoy 10 salmon fishery near the mouth of the Columbia River got off to a characteristically slow start Aug. 1, but is expected to pick up in the days ahead. Meanwhile, anglers continue to reel in hatchery steelhead from waters both above and below Bonneville Dam.

Salmon were scarce during the first few days of fishing at Buoy 10, but that's not uncommon for that fishery, said Joe Hymer, WDFW fish biologist. "Buoy 10 often starts slow, then ramps up quickly and peaks around late August," he said. "I expect we'll see a similar pattern this year."

To track the fishery's progress, anglers can check daily catch-sampling summaries posted on WDFW's website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fish/regions/reg5/buoy10.htm . The site also includes links to area web cameras, along with marine forecasts and information on water temperatures and salinity.

Under this year's rules, anglers will have the entire month of August - plus Labor Day (Sept. 1) - to catch and retain chinook salmon 16 miles downriver from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line to the mouth of the Columbia. There's a limit of two salmon per day, of which only one may be a chinook. Wild coho, chum and sockeye must be released.

With 32 days to catch and keep chinook at Buoy 10, anglers should do considerably better there this year than last, when the retention season was limited to just 12 days, Hymer said. On the other hand, anglers will be required to release all chinook salmon intercepted from Rocky Point/Tongue Point to Bonneville Dam, except during a retention fishery set for September 1-16.

Fishing seasons for both areas were designed to conserve ESA-listed chinook salmon bound for the Lewis and Snake rivers, while focusing fishing effort on abundant upriver brights returning to hatcheries above Bonneville and wild fish headed for the Hanford Reach, said Cindy LeFleur, WDFW Columbia River policy coordinator.

"The goal is to target those healthy upriver hatchery stocks, which tend to bite well when they first enter the river," LeFleur said. "We're also expecting a strong return of chinook reared in net pens in select areas throughout the lower river."

In all, 376,800 adult fall chinook are expected to return to the Columbia River this year, compared to 219,600 last year.

Monday, August 4, 2008

Team J and L Fishing Goes to Kenai AK

Hello,

I just wanted to shoot everyone an email letting them know that Team J and L will be fishing the Kenai River in Alaska the week of July 25th - August 1st, 2009. We will be fishing out of Beaver Creek and staying at Captain Bligh's Beaver Creek Lodge, http://www.captainblighs.com/.

Now for the exciting news, we have several spots open for fisherman to join Team J and L for the 2009 season on the Kenai. We are compiling an interest list. The price is $2500.00 for the week not including airfare. This will include lodging at the resort, 3 days guided fishing on the Kenai, 1 day fishing on the Kasilof river out of the driftboat, one day on the Kenai fishing for sockeye, and of course one day halibut fishing in cook inlet.

Please contact me via email asap if interested and for more details @ 206-920-2428.

Attatched are some 2008 Team J and L Kenai pics.

Columbia River Fishing