It has turned out to be a pretty amazing year for coho, especially the late stock coho in the Columbia River and tributaries.
Here are two facts to support the above statement:
Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery has had more than 100,000 adult coho return this year. So, add to that all the Cowlitz-origin coho caught in the ocean, at Buoy 10, in the lower Columbia sport and commercial fisheries and in the river.
Coho still are fueling a fishery in the Klickitat River where bank anglers averaged more than three coho per rod last weekend.
A research net on Monday a mile up the Cowlitz River was deployed for 24 hours and caught 72 smelt. All smelt fisheries remain closed.
Spearfish Lake in Klickitat County has been stocked with 100 large brood stock rainbow trout.
Angler checks from the Washington (WDFW) and Oregon (ODFW) departments of Fish and Wildlife:
Mid-Columbia — Klickitat River mouth, 10 boat rods with 12 adult coho kept and one released. (WDFW)
John Day River mouth, 14 boats with six steelhead kept and 14 released. (ODFW)
Cowlitz — Twenty-four boaters with three steelhead kept and one cutthroat trout released; 69 bank rods with six adult coho and three steelhead kept. (WDFW)
Lewis — Four boaters and 11 bank rods with no catch. (WDFW)
North Fork Lewis — Thirteen boat rods with four adult chinook and two adult coho kept plus one adult chinook released; 48 bank rods with two adult coho kept and one released. (WDFW)
Klickitat — Twenty-nine bank rods with 63 adult coho kept and 26 coho released. (WDFW)
