Spring chinook anglers get one more day of fishing in the lower Columbia River.
Washington and Oregon approved an extension to reopen angling on Saturday from the river mouth to Rooster Rock for boaters and the mouth to Bonneville Dam for bank rods..
Catch rates for boaters last week were quite consistent from the estuary to Beacon Rock for boaters. That’s not particularly unexpected since spring chinook are throughout the lower river by this deep into April.
Sampling by Washington showed (including chinook released) the following catch rates: Estuary, 1 per 4.1 rods; Cathlamet, 1 per 3.2 rods; Longview, 1 per 3.1 rods; Kalama, 1 per 2.8 rods; Woodland, 1 per 3 rods; Warrior Rock to Kelley Point, 1 per 3.6 rods; Davis Bar, 1 per 4.5 rods; Camas-Washougal, 1 per 6.1 rods, and the Columbia Gorge downstream of Beacon Rock, 1 per 4 rods.
Catches have improved in the Willamette River, too.. Last week, from the St. Johns Bridge downstream, Oregon sampled 4,178 boaters with 460 spring chinook kept and 121 released.
The Washougal River from the mouth to the Mount Norway Bridge and the East Fork of the Lewis from the mouth to the upper boat ramp at Lewisville Park opened Wednesday for hatchery steelhead. Through June 6, selective gear rules must be followed and no use of bait.
Battle Ground Lake was stocked earlier this month with 2,000 normal size rainbow trout plus 256 rainbows averaging 1.5 pounds.
Angler checks from the Washington (WDFW) and Oregon (ODFW) departments of Fish and Wildlife:
Lower Columbia — Estuary, 324 boaters with 60 adult spring chinook and two jacks kept plus 18 adult chinook released. (WDFW)
Tongue Point to Wauna power lines, 57 boaters with 12 spring chinook kept and three released. (ODFW)
Cathlamet, 111 boaters with 28 adult spring chinook and one jack kept plus seven chinook released; 53 bank rods with one steelhead kept. (WDFW)
Longview, 442 boaters with 122 adult spring chinook kept plus 21 released; 32 bank rods with two steelhead kept. (WDFW)
Westport, Ore. to Portland, 1,183 boaters with 211 adult spring chinook kept plus 46 chinook released; 374 Oregon bank rods with 17 adult spring chinook and two steelhead kept plus four adult chinook, one jack chinook and one steelhead released. (ODFW)
Cowlitz River mouth, 15 boaters with two spring chinook kept and two released. (WDFW)
Kalama, 447 boaters with 131 adult spring chinook kept and 30 released; 66 bank rods with one spring chinook kept. (WDFW)
Woodland, 391 boaters with 107 adult spring chinook and one jack kept plus 25 released; 71 bank rods with one adult spring chinook and one steelhead kept. (WDFW)
Warrior Rock to Kelley Point, 611 boaters with 151 adult spring chinook kept and 19 released; 220 bank rods with six adult spring chinook kept and three released. (WDFW)
Davis Bar to Portland airport tower, 474 boaters with 81 adult spring chinook kept and 24 released; four bank rods with no catch. (WDFW)
Troutdale, 144 boaters with 17 adult chinook kept plus seven released. (ODFW)
Camas-Washougal, 312 boaters with 38 adult spring chinook kept and 13 released; 109 bank rods with no catch. (WDFW)
Columbia Gorge (downstream of Beacon Rock), 48 boaters with 10 adult spring chinook kept and two released. (WDFW)
Columbia Gorge (downstream of Beacon Rock), 129 boaters with 39 spring chinook kept and 12 released. (ODFW)
North Bonneville, 452 bank rods with 123 adult spring chinook kept and 33 released. (WDFW)
Columbia Gorge, 81 Oregon bank rods with nine chinook kept and two released. (ODFW)
Mid-Columbia — The Dalles pool, 38 bank rods with one legal sturgeon kept plus two oversize and 10 sub legals released; eight boaters with one legal sturgeon kept, one legal released and 34 sublegals released; 30 bank rods with one chinook released; 11 boaters with eight walleye kept and three released; three bank rods with no walleye; four boaters with 11 bass released. (WDFW)
Through March, an estimated 15 percent of the harvest guideline had been taken.
John Day pool, 15 boaters with 31 bass released; 30 boaters with 13 walleye kept and eight released; 25 bank rods with two sublegal sturgeon released; 55 boaters with five legal sturgeon kept plus five legal, one oversize and 13 sublegals released. (WDFW)
Through March, an estimated 31 percent of the harvest guideline had been taken.
