SW WA, Lower Columbia, Hanford Reach Fishing Report (7-18-23)

THE FOLLOWING FISHING REPORTS WERE FORWARDED BY BRYANT SPELLMAN AND PAUL HOFFARTH, WDFW

Preliminary Washington Columbia River mainstem and tributary sport sampling summary July 10-16, 2023

Fishery Reports: 

Lower Columbia River, Megler-Astoria Bridge upstream to Bonneville Dam – 90 salmonid boats and  192 Washington bank rods were tallied during Saturday’s (7/15) flight count. 

Mainstem Columbia River 

Salmon/Steelhead: 

Sec 1 (Bonneville) – 109 bank anglers kept four steelhead, four sockeye and released 36 steelhead.  1boat/4 rods kept three steelhead and released three steelhead.  

Sec 2 (Camas/Washougal) – Five bank anglers had no catch. 5 boats/8 rods had no catch. 

Sec 3 (I-5 area) – 45 bank anglers kept five steelhead, one sockeye and released four steelhead. 3 boats/4 rods had no catch. 

Sec 4 (Vancouver) – 37 bank anglers kept four steelhead, three sockeye and released four steelhead. 9 boats/24 rods kept four steelhead, two sockeye and released eight steelhead. 

Sec 5 (Woodland) – 40 bank anglers kept one steelhead. 7 boats/17 rods kept one steelhead and  released one steelhead. 

Sec 6 (Kalama) – 103 bank anglers kept one jack, 10 steelhead, two sockeye and released two Chinook and 13 steelhead. 5 boats/13 rods kept three steelhead. 

Sec 7 (Cowlitz) – 1 boat/3 rods had no catch. 

Sec 8 (Longview) – 197 bank anglers kept 23 steelhead, five sockeye and released 14 steelhead. 39 boats/100 rods kept one jack, 16 steelhead, one sockeye and released 12 steelhead. 

Sec 9 (Cathlamet) – 21 bank anglers kept one steelhead and released one steelhead. 7 boats/26 rods  kept six steelhead, two sockeye and released three steelhead.  

Sec 10 (Cathlamet) – Two bank anglers had no catch.  

Sturgeon: 

Sec 6 (Kalama) – 1 boat/4 rods released one sublegal sturgeon. 

Shad: 

Sec 1 (Bonneville) – Five bank anglers kept three shad.  

Columbia River Tributaries 

Salmon/Steelhead: 

Cowlitz River I-5 Br downstream – 35 bank rods kept five steelhead.  

Cowlitz River Above the I-5 Br – 22 bank rods kept two jacks, one steelhead and released two jacks. 10 boats/39 rods kept 20 steelhead. 

Kalama River – 14 bank rods had no catch. 

Lewis River – Seven bank rods had no catch. 16 boats/35 rods kept seven Chinook, one steelhead and  released four Chinook and one steelhead. 

Drano Lake – 1 boat/1 rod had no catch. 

Klickitat River below Fisher Hill Bridge – No report. 

Klickitat River above #5 Fishway – No report.

Hanford Reach Summer Salmon Fishery Update

The U.S. v Oregon Technical Advisory Committee maintained the current summer Chinook (54,100) and sockeye (331,000) run sizes.  Sockeye counts at Bonneville continue to decline. Sockeye counts at McNary have now declined to less than 2,000 a day. Total sockeye passage at Bonneville to date is 320,000, 222,000 through McNary, and 189,500 at Priest Rapids fish ladders. On a side note steelhead counts are tracking ahead (nearly double of what is forecasted to-date) for A/B-index.

This past week, July 10 through July 16, WDFW staff interviewed 81 anglers from 41 boats and  37 bank anglers with 3 sockeye. Anglers averaged one salmon for every ten boats,  130 angler hours per fish. The bank fishery for salmon below the Interstate 182 Bridge at Columbia Point closed July 15 as the peak migration through the Hanford Reach is nearing the end.

Based on the data collected there were 396 angler trips for salmon this past week with 8 sockeye harvested. Since the opener, 1,064 sockeye, 43 hatchery adult chinook, 23 hatchery chinook jacks, and 2 wild jacks have been harvested.