Here’s the most interesting fish report of the week: A single, large mature male smelt was caught during juvenile sturgeon studies in the Kalama area of the Columbia River.
A year ago, there was a big smelt run in the lower Columbia and Cowlitz. However, all sport and commercial smelt fisheries remain closed.
Salmon fishing has slowed in the Columbia at the mouth of the Klickitat River, but was good for coho in the stream itself.
The Lewis and Cowlitz still continue to produce some coho.
The Kalama and Cowlitz were high and muddy on Wednesday, although dropping. The Cowlitz at Castle Rock on Wednesday was 18,700 cubic feet per second compared to a normal of 9,600 for the date. The Washougal peaked at almost 5,000 cubic feet per second on Tuesday night and had dropped to 2,000 by late afternoon on Wednesday.
Kalama Falls Hatchery had a return of 13 wild winter steelhead and one hatchery fish through last week.
Angler checks from the Washington (WDFW) and Oregon (ODFW) departments of Fish and Wildlife:
Mid-Columbia — Bonneville pool, 22 boaters with three adult coho kept. (WDFW)
John Day River arm, 23 boats with two steelhead kept and 10 released. (ODFW)
Cowlitz — Seventeen boaters with eight adult coho kept plus three adult and four jack coho released; 90 bank rods with 11 adult coho, three jack coho and six cutthroat trout kept plus seven cutthroat, one adult coho and two jack coho released. (WDFW)
Kalama — Forty-eight bank rods with two steelhead kept plus one adult coho and one adult chinook released; eight boat rods with three adult coho kept. (WDFW)
North Fork Lewis — Eighty-six bank rods with three adult coho, two jack coho and one jack chinook kept plus one jack chinook, five adult coho and two jack coho released; 44 boaters with 13 adult chinook, 33 adult coho, one jack coho and one trout kept plus five adult chinook, seven adult coho and one cutthroat trout released. (WDFW)
Klickitat — Five bank rods with one chinook and two adult coho kept; 18 boaters with 17 adult coho and one adult chinook released; five bank rods with two coho kept and one chinook kept. (WDFW)
