Boats are bringing in limits of halibut on the coast

Last week, spring chinook fishing in Columbia River tributaries was a real challenge and not very productive. And it’s not looking any better this week.

Joe Hymer, fish biologist with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife’s Vancouver office, said for the most part adult spring chinook catch rates for boat anglers in the Cowlitz, Kalama, Lewis, Wind and Drano during the first week in May have been the lowest since at least 2001.

Catch rates during this time of the year can average up to 0.5 fish per rod. Sampling checks conducted last weekend by Washington and Oregon Fish and Wildlife personnel showed best spring chinook catch rates for both boat and bank anglers have been in The Dalles Pool downstream of John Day Dam.

Sturgeon fishing has been fair in the lower Columbia, and the first shad of the year was counted at Bonneville Dam on Monday. Boat anglers in Bonneville Pool have been catching some bass. Effort for walleye has been light.

Halibut fishing has been good at Westport, with most boats limiting with fish averaging 20 pounds. Bottom fishing also has been very productive with limits being had. Lowland lake fishing is on a roll with limits of trout being had in most waters.

RIVERS

COWLITZ: Some summer-run steelhead are being caught at Barrier Dam, Blue Creek and throughout the river, but spring chinook catches have been very light, said Karen Glazer of Barrier Dam Campground.

Sampling checks last week showed boat anglers averaged one adult spring chinook every 23.5 rods while bank anglers averaged one every 37 rods.

Last week, 248 winter-run steelhead, 11 summer-run steelhead, 12 spring chinook adults, three spring chinook jacks and three cutthroat returned to the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery. Only 33 adult spring chinook returned to the hatchery through April. Under normal run timing with the forecast run size, there should be in excess of 500 adults arrived within the first few days of May.

Flows were 5,030 cubic feet per second Monday with a visibility of about 16 feet.

KALAMA: Boat anglers averaged a chinook every 20.5 rods last week. Fishing from the bank was slow. Last year at this time, boat anglers were averaging 0.5 chinook per rod. Effort has been scattered throughout the river. No spring chinook had returned to the Kalama Falls Hatchery through April.

LEWIS: The North Fork has been a little more productive than the mainstem. North Fork boat anglers averaged an adult chinook every seven rods. Last year at this time, they were averaging 0.5 fish per rod. Overall, effort has been lighter than normal.

Through April, a total of 118 hatchery chinook had returned to Merwin Dam trap (100 fish shipped to Speelyia Hatchery for brood stock). Flows were 5,670 cubic feet per second Monday which was similar to the long term mean for this date. Sea lions have been active at the mouth of the river.

OLYMPIC PENINSULA: Bob Gooding of Olympic Sporting Goods in Forks said a few spring chinook are being caught here and there, but overall fishing has not been very productive in any rivers open to fishing. Angler effort also has been very light. The Hoh opens to fishing May 16 which will attract fair numbers of anglers.

WIND: Boat anglers averaged a chinook every 10 rods last week. Fishing was slow from the bank. Last year at this time boat anglers were averaging an adult chinook every 5.5 rods. River temperature has been in the low to mid 40s at Shipherd Falls. Six spring chinook had passed above the falls through Friday.

WHITE SALMON: No spring chinook are released here, but one was found last week in sampling checks. There have been some reports of success in the evenings.

KLICKITAT: Angler effort has been very light. There have been reports of spring chinook being hooked, but none was found in samplings.

DRANO LAKE: Boat anglers have been averaging an adult chinook kept/released every 8.6 rods. Bank anglers have been catching some chinook just inside the lake, but slow outside on the Columbia side. Boat anglers were averaging a chinook every three rods last year at this time. Saturday, three sea lions were observed working at the mouth of the lake.

BONNEVILLE POOL: Light effort and no catch have been observed.

THE DALLES POOL: Last week, Washington and Oregon sampled 272 anglers (including 28 boats) with 92 adult and two jack spring chinook and one steelhead. Including fish released, bank anglers averaged a chinook every 2.8 rods while boat anglers averaged one every 3.4 rods.

BONNEVILLE DAM to McNARY DAM is scheduled to remain open for hatchery chinook and hatchery steelhead through Saturday.

RINGOLD: The Ringold spring chinook fishery opened May 1. For the week, 13 adult spring chinook were harvested. Eighty-one anglers sampled kept six chinook and released two. The average was one chinook every 46 hours of effort.

STURGEON

LOWER COLUMBIA below BONNEVILLE DAM: Boat anglers have been catching some legals in the Vancouver area. Less than 100 boats were counted Saturday. About a third of the boats were found in the Vancouver area.

Starting Saturday, sturgeon fishing will be open in the estuary below Wauna power lines. After Saturday, only sturgeon measuring 45 to 60 inches can be retained in that stretch of the Columbia. The season for this area is scheduled to remain open through June 24 though the actual ending dated depends on the 13,143 fish quota being met.

To protect spawning fish, the area from Navigation Marker 85 upstream to Bonneville Dam is closed to fishing for sturgeon now through July.

THE DALLES and JOHN DAY pools are closed to sturgeon retention through the end of the year. In addition, sturgeon fishing is closed from John Day Dam downstream 2.4 miles to the west end of the grain silo at Rufus Oregon and from McNary Dam downstream 1.5 miles to the Interstate 82 Bridge through July.

LAKES

OFFUT: Boat and bank angling has been very good. Both anglers are catching limits of trout from 10 inches to three pounds. The bait of choice for boat anglers has been a Wedding Ring/worm combination while bank anglers are using rainbow Power Bait. A few anglers also have been using Spin-N-Glo. The bite has been good throughout the day.

SPANAWAY: Some fabulous limits are being had with trout in the two- to three-pound range being caught with regularity. Boat anglers have been trolling worms the top five feet. Still-fishing using green Power Bait at the south end of the lake also has been producing limits of trout with numerous trout weighing one to three pounds trout in the catch. Bank anglers also have been catching limits.

McINTOSH: Fishing continues to be good for boat anglers. Somewhat slower for bank anglers. Worms, marshmallows and Power Baits are being used.

MINERAL: Bill Evans of Mineral Lake Resort said the lake has been producing more large fish and nice limits. The bait of choice has been a variety of colored Power Bait eggs. Trolling black wooly buggers also has produced good results. For those anglers still-fishing, it is recommended they use a four to five foot leader with a slip sinker.

Rowen Toralba of Sumner after a hard day of fishing on the Mineral Lake Resort dock was taking a nap when a friend noticed Toralba had a strike on his pole and woke him up. After about ten minutes, Toralba landed a 11.5-pound trout Toralba was using yellow Power Bait eggs.

Saturday, Michael Muyskens of Castle Rock landed a 5.25 pound, 24-inch trout trolling a black wooly wugger.

AMERICAN: Boat anglers pulling large pop gear with Wedding Ring/maggot combinations have been catching some limits of kokanee. Bank angling has been good with some limits of trout being had. Orange Power Bait has been the bait of choice.

RIFFE LAKE: Water levels are really low, but bank anglers fishing the state Highway 12 side of Mossyrock Dam have been catching nice limits of kokanee using Kastmasters.

SPENCER: Walt Harvey of Verle’s Sports in Shelton said both boat and bank anglers have been catching nice limits of trout. Boat anglers are trolling a variety of hardware while bank anglers are using mostly rainbow colored Power Bait.

SAINT CLAIR: Boat anglers have been catching fair numbers of trout trolling the top ten feet using wedding ring/worm combinations. Bank fishing has been spotty. Power Bait has been the bait of choice.

FLY FISHING

The only spot reported to have both spring chinook and steelhead this past week has been the Cowlitz River. Tom Bolender said after talking with a couple of anglers who frequent the Blue Creek area, the word is the occasional spring chinook is being caught and steelhead catches have been fair. Use a Glo Bug at the end of a sink tip and swing the fly for the best presentation.

The Deschutes has been producing well in the upper reaches. A number of trout have been caught using big stonefly nymphs. The average size of these fish has been 12 to 14 inches. The dry fly action is pretty slow, but as temperatures rise, it should pick up soon.

Once again, McIntosh has been the lake of the week. Several triploids have been caught using both dragonfly nymphs and trolling wooly buggers.

Another good bet has been American Lake. Bolender said he is not familiar with this lake, but several people recently told him they are not only catching trout on their buggers, but some bass have been interested as well.

Good catches are being had all over the South Sound. Late as it may be there have been reports of chum fry being seen. Tie up a few chum babies and you could be in for a treat. Both cutthroat and resident coho have been caught in Hammersley Inlet using small clouser minnows.