SW WA, Lower, Mid-Columbia Fishing Report (8-10-22)
THE FOLLOWING FISHING REPORTS WERE FORWARDED BY WDFW’S BRYANT SPELLMAN, ERIC WINTHER AND PAUL HOFFARTH
Preliminary Washington Columbia River mainstem and tributary sport sampling summary August 1-7, 2022
Mainstem Columbia River
Salmon/Steelhead:
Sec 1 (Bonneville) – Eight bank anglers had no catch.
Sec 2 (Camas/Washougal) – 4 boats/7 rods released one Chinook.
Sec 3 (I-5 area) – Two bank anglers had no catch.
Sec 4 (Vancouver) – 38 bank anglers kept three Chinook and released one steelhead. 16 boats/33 rods kept six Chinook.
Sec 5 (Woodland) – 21 bank anglers kept one Chinook and released two steelhead. 24 boats/61 rods kept 14 Chinook and released one steelhead.
Sec 6 (Kalama) – 34 bank anglers kept one Chinook. 1 boat/2 rods had no catch. Sec 7 (Cowlitz) – 1 boat/3 rods had no catch.
Sec 8 (Longview) – 33 bank anglers had no catch. 12 boats/23 rods released four steelhead.
Sec 9 (Cathlamet) – Seven bank anglers had no catch. 2 boats/3 rods had no catch.
Sec 10 (Cathlamet) – Two bank anglers had no catch. 1 boat/2 rods had no catch.
Sturgeon:
Sec 3 (I-5 area) – 1 boat/2 rods released one legal and one oversize sturgeon.
Sec 4 (Vancouver) – 1 boat/3 rods released four legal, three sublegal and one oversize sturgeon.
Sec 6 (Kalama) – 1 boat/4 rods released two legal and seven sublegal sturgeon.
Sec 8 (Longview) – One bank angler had no catch.
Columbia River Tributaries
Salmon/Steelhead:
Cowlitz River I-5 Br downstream – 16 bank rods had no catch. 1 boat/2 rods had no catch.
Cowlitz River Above the I-5 Br – 19 bank rods kept two steelhead. 17 boats/54 rods kept 65 steelhead and released one Chinook.
Kalama River – 17 bank rods kept one steelhead and released one steelhead. Lewis River – 12 bank rods kept three steelhead.
Wind River – No report.
Drano Lake – 16 bank anglers had no catch. 9 boats/20 rods kept nine Chinook and released two Chinook and 13 steelhead.
Klickitat River below Fisher Hill Bridge – No report. Klickitat River above #5 Fishway – No report.
Buoy 10 fishing reports
| Date | Number of Boats | Number of Anglers | Chinook Kept | Coho Kept | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1-Aug | 39 | 83 | 4 | 2 | |
| 2-Aug | 14 | 25 | 0 | 4 | |
| 3-Aug | 10 | 25 | 3 | 4 | |
| 4-Aug | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | no sample |
| 5-Aug | 31 | 98 | 9 | 3 | |
| 6-Aug | 42 | 119 | 21 | 7 | |
| 7-Aug | 31 | 84 | 22 | 1 |
Pikeminnow Weekly Catch Reports
Hanford Reach Summer Chinook & Sockeye Sport Fishery Update
Very few anglers were fishing for salmon in the Tri-cities area this past week. There were no chinook or sockeye reported harvested during the week. There have been an estimated 13,201 angler trips for salmon in the Hanford Reach summer salmon fishery with 7,702 sockeye, 215 hatchery adult chinook, and 15 jack chinook harvested. 58 wild adult chinook were caught and released. The upper Columbia River summer/fall sport fishery is currently managed under emergency regulation.
Sockeye counts at Bonneville have declined to less than 100 per day signaling the end of this year’s sockeye return. Effective August 1 chinook passing Bonneville Dam are classified as fall chinook. Chinook counts at Bonneville are averaging around 500 per day but will pick up by mid August. The Columbia River upstream to the Highway 395 bridge at Pasco/Kennewick is open to fishing for fall chinook and coho (see 2022-23 Washington Sport Fishing Rules).
On August 16 the Columbia River upstream of the Hwy 395 bridge will open to fishing for fall chinook and coho. Daily limit is 6 salmon, up to 2 adults may be retained. Chinook and coho only (release sockeye). Both hatchery and wild salmon can be harvested in this area of the Columbia River. This area is closed to fishing for steelhead. Night closure in effect for salmon. Anglers can used barbed hooks and anglers may fish with two poles with Two-pole Endorsement.
Fall chinook returns to the Hanford Reach area pick up in late August and peak in September. An estimated 89,000 adult fall chinook are expected to return to the Hanford Reach this fall, slightly below last years numbers. There is expected to be a strong proportion of larger chinook in this year’s return (Age 4+Age 5). This will be the second year of adult coho returns to Ringold Springs Hatchery. In 2021 ~3,000 coho returned to the hatchery.
In 2021, 11,277 adult fall chinook, 940 jack chinook, and 258 coho were harvested in the Hanford Reach sport fishery. The lower section of the Hanford Reach (I-182 bridge upstream to old Hanford townsite powerline) is schedule to remain open through December 31 this year to provide anglers the opportunity to target the late returning coho to Ringold Springs Hatchery.
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