SW WA, Lower Columbia, Yakima River Fishing Report (10-14-20)

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

Preliminary Washington lower Columbia River mainstem and tributary sport sampling summary October 5-11, 2020

Mainstem Lower Columbia River 

Sec 1 (Bonneville) – 47 bank anglers kept three Chinook, two Chinook jacks and released one Chinook  jack. 16 boats/33 rods kept 15 Chinook, three Chinook jacks, three coho and two coho jacks. 

Sec 2 (Camas/Washougal) – 52 boats/92 rods kept 17 Chinook, four Chinook jacks, eight coho, three coho jacks and released two Chinook jacks. 

Sec 3 (I-5 area) – 1 boat/1 rod had no catch. 

Sec 4 (Vancouver) – 15 bank anglers had no catch. 17 boats/33 rods kept two Chinook, one Chinook  jack, one coho and released one Chinook jack and one coho. 

Sec 5 (Woodland) – Nine bank anglers had no catch. 6 boats/12 rods kept four Chinook, one coho and  released one Chinook jack. 

Sec 6 (Kalama) – 5 boats/11 rods kept one Chinook, one coho and released one Chinook jack. Sec 7 (Cowlitz) – 6 boats/13 rods kept four Chinook. 

Sec 8 (Longview) – One bank angler had no catch. 6 boats/11 rods had no catch. 

Walleye: 

Sec 2 (Camas/Washougal) – 2 boats/2 rod kept one walleye. 

Salmon/Steelhead: 

Columbia River Tributaries 

Cowlitz River – I-5 Br downstream – 30 bank rods kept two coho and two coho jacks. 16 boats/47 rods  kept seven coho, six coho jacks and released 35 Chinook, eight Chinook jacks, three coho and one  steelhead. 

Above the I-5 Br – 59 bank rods kept one coho and one coho jack and released eight Chinook and three coho jacks. 6 boats/16 rods kept three coho jacks and released one Chinook jack. 

Tacoma Power employees recovered 3,341 coho adults, 3,093 coho jacks, 703 fall Chinook adults, 12 fall  Chinook jacks, 340 cutthroat trout, and 16 summer-run steelhead during seven days of operations at the  Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator. 

Tacoma Power released 303 coho adults and 413 coho jacks at Franklin Bridge in Packwood and they  released 280 coho adults and 460 coho jacks into the Cispus River by Yellow Jacket Creek near Randle.

During the past week, Tacoma Power released 1,421 coho adults, 903 coho jacks, and nine cutthroat  trout into Lake Scanewa and they released 1,093 coho adults, 1,275 coho jacks, 324 fall Chinook adults,  eight fall Chinook jacks, and six cutthroat trout into the Tilton River. 

River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately 3,610 cubic feet per second on Monday, October 12,  2020. Water visibility is 10 feet and the water temperature is 53.6 F.  

Kalama River – 31 bank anglers kept eight coho and released one Chinook. Lewis River – 99 bank anglers kept 18 coho, nine coho jacks and released four Chinook, nine coho and  one steelhead. 14 boats/38 rods kept 13 Chinook, four Chinook jacks, eight coho, nine coho jacks and  released one coho and three coho jacks.

Yakima River Fall Salmon Fishery

The Yakima River opened to fishing for fall salmon (chinook & coho) on October 1. The fishery is open from the Hwy. 240 bridge in Richland (river mile 2.1) to the Grant Avenue Bridge in Prosser (river mile 47.0).

Rules: Minimum size 12”. Daily limit of two adults. No limit on jacks. Release all salmon other than Chinook and coho. Hatchery and wild salmon can be harvested. Anglers must cease fishing for salmon once they have retained their adult daily limit. Night closure in effect. Barbless hooks required. 

WDFW staff have interviewed 237 anglers with 22 adult chinook and 11 jack chinook through October 11. Based on the interviews an estimated 119 adult chinook and 55 chinook jacks have been harvested from 1,419 angler trips in the fishery. No coho harvest has been observed to date.

Fishing remains closed from 200′ downstream of the USBR Chandler Powerhouse/Spillway to 200′ upstream of the USBR Chandler Powerhouse.

The fishery is expected to remain open through October 18. Fishery managers will continue to monitor the return and announce any additional changes to the fishery if necessary. Before heading out, anglers are encouraged to visit https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/ to check for any in-season rule changes.