Healthy returns projected for Columbia Gorge rivers

By ALLEN THOMAS | The Vancouver Columbian • Published March 06, 2009

Comments (0)

State fisheries biologists are forecasting a healthy return of 18,500 spring chinook salmon to the Wind, Little White Salmon and Klickitat rivers of the Columbia Gorge in 2009.

Joe Hymer of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said the prediction includes 6,900 spring chinook for the Wind River, 9,600 for Drano Lake and 2,000 for the Klickitat River.

Drano Lake is a large backwater of the Columbia at the mouth of the Little White Salmon River.

Those forecasts are plenty large enough to provide decent angling if the fish cooperate.

Wind River and Drano Lake both open for fishing on March 16. The daily limit will be two hatchery chinook or hatchery steelhead, or one of each.

The upper Wind River will not open until May 1.

Wind River and Drano Lake have confounded state and tribal fishery officials the past few years by having large numbers of three-year-old jacks, which predict large future runs, then having the return of four-year-olds the next year come in far under forecast.

In 2008, the forecast for Drano Lake was 36,800, yet the actual return was 7,700. At the Wind in 2008, the forecast was 10,000, yet only 3,200 spring salmon returned.

Hymer said PIT (passive integrated transponder) tags inserted in the chinook at Carson National Fish Hatchery are noted when the salmon pass the fish ladder at Bonneville Dam, but the fish fail to show up in catches or escapement at the hatchery.

A year ago, the sport catch was estimated at 1,700 adults in the Wind, 1,900 adult in Drano Lake and 35 adult chinook in the Klickitat.

Catches traditionally peak in the final week of April and first week of May.

It is anticipated the lower Columbia River will be closed for spring chinook in late April and early May, a situation which likely will focus considerable fishing pressure at the mouth of Wind River and Drano Lake.

Anglers troll plugs such as Magnum Wiggle Warts, plus spinners and herring at both locations.