SW WA, Columbia Report (4-3-23); Hood Opening For Springers

THE FOLLOWING FISHING REPORT WAS FORWARDED BY BRYANT SPELLMAN AND THE PRESS RELEASE BELOW THAT COMES COURTESY OF ODFW

Preliminary Washington Columbia River mainstem and tributary sport sampling summary March 27-April 2, 2023

Mainstem Columbia River 

Salmon/Steelhead

Sec 1 (Bonneville) – 134 bank anglers kept 8 Chinook and released two Chinook and one steelhead.

Sec 2 (Camas/Washougal) – Three bank anglers. 6 boats/11 rods had no catch.

THE FEW LOWER COLUMBIA SPRING CHINOOK TURNING UP IN CATCHES ARE COMING FROM PLUNKERS BELOW BONNEVILLE AND BOAT ANGLERS AROUND LONGVIEW. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

Sec 3 (I-5 area) – 28 boats/48 rods had no catch. 

Sec 4 (Vancouver) – Eight bank anglers had no catch. 73 boats/143 rods kept one Chinook.

Sec 5 (Woodland) – 22 bank anglers had no catch. 41 boats/94 rods had no catch.

Sec 6 (Kalama) – 18 bank anglers had no catch. 65 boats/189 rods kept had no catch.

Sec 7 (Cowlitz) – 17 boats/48 rods had no catch. 

Sec 8 (Longview) – 47 bank anglers kept one steelhead and released one steelhead. 146 boats/319 rods  kept 16 Chinook and 1 jack. 

Sec 9 (Cathlamet) – 22 bank anglers had no catch. 43 boats/101 rods kept 5 Chinook and released one  Chinook. 

Sec 10 (Cathlamet) – One bank angler no catch. 53 boats/129 rods kept 21 Chinook and released two  Chinook. 

Columbia River Tributaries 

Salmon/Steelhead

Cowlitz River I-5 Br downstream – 24 bank rods kept two steelhead.  

Cowlitz River Above the I-5 Br – Six bank rods had no catch. 5 boats/19 rods kept 15 steelhead. Kalama River – No report. 

Lewis River – No report. 

Wind River – No report. 

Drano Lake – 2 boats/2 rods had no catch.

Spring Chinook fishing open April 15-June 30 in Hood River, no season on Deschutes River 

THE DALLES, Ore.—ODFW has set the following regulations for a spring Chinook fishery on the Hood River: 

·         Open for adult hatchery Chinook from April 15 through June 30 from the tips of jetties at the mouth to mainstem confluence with the East Fork, and the West Fork from the confluence with the mainstem upstream to the angling deadline 200 feet downstream of Punchbowl Falls. 

·         The catch limit is one adult hatchery salmon per day, and five hatchery jack salmon per day. 

·         All wild Chinook salmon must be released unharmed. 

Fishery managers are predicting a good return of about 1,240 adult hatchery fish for the Hood River, which is similar to last year’s actual return. 

There will be no season for spring Chinook on the Deschutes River for 2023 due to another year of predicted poor returns of wild fish. 

According to Jason Seals, ODFW fish biologist, the Hood River fishery is one of the few places a bank angler has a good chance of catching a Columbia River spring Chinook. Seals said the run usually peaks in late May due to colder water temperatures in the Hood River. 

For the latest regulations for the Central Fishing Zone visit https://myodfw.com/recreation-report/fishing-report/central-zone and click the Regulation Updates tab.