| Columbia River Springer Season  The bulk of the spring chinook run isn't expected for several weeks and team J and L starts fishing on March 25th "This is the shakedown time for the spring chinook fishery". It's a good time to get your boat and gear in order and pick your spots before the crowds arrive. Catching fish is a bonus at this point in the fishery."
There is a high likelihood of both good fishing and large crowds this year, when nearly 300,000 upriver spring chinook are expected to return to the Columbia River. That would make this year's run the largest since 2001, and the third largest since 1977. The first spring chinook of the season to cross Bonneville Dam was counted March 3.
Dates Team J and L have remaining to fill for this awesome upcoming season are: March 25th, 26th, 27th, & 28th (open boat all dates) April 2nd (2 seats) April 10th (2 seats) April 15th (2 seats) April 16th (2 seats) April 17th (2 seats) |
| Cowlitz River Fishing  The fishing on the Cowlitz has picked up a lot compared to earlier this winter. River conditions have improved slightly. Last week Tacoma Power recovered 15 Coho adults and five winter-run steelhead in five days of seperator operations at Barrier dam. Tacoma Power employees released 5 coho salmon adults and 11 winter-run steelhead into the upper Cowlitz River at the Lake Scanewa Day Use Site, and they released four coho salmon adults into the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton during the week. Most of the anglers a concentrating the Blue Creek area as hatchery water has been running thru the outlet pipe by the boatramp now for a few weeks.
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| Columbia River Coho run Forcasted to exceed 1 million  A return of more than one million Columbia River coho salmon - the largest run since 2001 - is expected to brighten fishing prospects this year from the Washington coast to the Upper Columbia River. North of Falcon and PFMC meetings, which will determine the final 2009 salmon seasons. The meetings are set for: March 16 - Columbia River fisheries discussion, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Vancouver Water Resources Education Center, 4600 S.E. Columbia Way, Vancouver, Wash.
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| Record Steelhead?  You are looking at what might be one of the largest steelhead ever caught on a fly. It almost certainly will be an IGFA record for 8kg tippet if verified.
Mr. Peter Harrison caught the slug on the Hoh river in Washington state just last Friday. He was fishing a double handed rod, swinging flies. Apparently after a long drawn out battle he brought the fish to shore only to find out it was bleeding profusely from the gills.
Mr. Harrison stated, "My intention was to let it go, having first measured the fish, but it was bleeding quite heavily from the gills. As it seemed likely not survive the ordeal, and because it was the fish of a lifetime, I decided to take the fish. In 10 years of fishing Washington state rivers this is the first fish I have ever taken, of any kind, from a river."
On the bank a couple of boats pulled up and the measured the fish. One said 31 pounds. One 32 pounds. Hours later they managed to get it to a certified scale and by then it had lost fluids and blood. It read 29.5 pounds, still seemingly breaking a record set 24 years ago on the Skeena in BC.
"I certainly have bittersweet emotions. The elation of hooking a giant fish and beaching it but real trauma and actual stress about killing the fish. I am still upset at that part, believe you me I did not do it lightly. Emotionally I am scarred, I still have knot in my stomach over the whole incident. That has led me to ask myself the question: isn't it time that all wild steelhead be released? After all, if they lived long enough, and evaded seals, net's and hooks, all those smaller wild steelhead that are killed each week, would stand a good chance of growing up to be a large size too."
If true, I say good on ya mate. You did your best. You were throwing flies. You wanted to release the fish and you actually gave some thought to it.
What would you do? Pursue an IGFA record or leave the fish in the river where some say it belongs.
Team J and L vote: Leave the fish in the river where it belongs
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