It seems almost silly to be still talking about Buoy 10 in early October — except the catch continued at better than a coho per rod as recently as Tuesday.
Washington and Oregon on Wednesday increased the bag limit to three adult hatchery coho at Buoy 10 effective Friday.
The new limit is six fish, up to three adults, but no more than two adult chinook or hatchery steelhead or one of each. The minimum size limit is 12 inches.
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife sampled seven boaters with nine coho on Tuesday. The numbers are not a fluke.
Monday’s sampling was 10 charter rods with 20 coho and 10 private boaters with 18 coho.
And on Sunday, 96 private boaters were sampled with 159 coho, six charter rods had 11 coho and 43 anglers off the Columbia River north jetty had 55 coho.
Oregon’s checks were 315 boaters with 518 coho kept plus 13 chinook and 184 coho released.
Obviously, a big number of coho remain in the estuary.
However, commercial fishing resumed Wednesday downstream of Warrior Rock.
Trout are providing good action at Swift Reservoir. The reservoir is only 12 feet below full pool, so boat launching is not a problem.
Angler checks from the Washington (WDFW) and Oregon (ODFW) departments of Fish and Wildlife:
Lower Columbia — Tongue Point to Warrior Rock, 27 boaters with 22 coho kept plus five adult chinook and six coho released. (ODFW)
Cathlamet, two bank rods with one coho kept. (WDFW)
Longview, 17 boaters with three chinook released; 21 bank rods with one coho and three steelhead kept plus two jack chinook released. (WDFW)
Cowlitz River mouth, 60 boaters with 17 coho and two steelhead kept plus five coho and 22 chinook released. (WDFW)
Kalama, 11 boaters with no salmon or steelhead; 18 bank rods with nine adult chinook, one jack chinook and one coho released. (WDFW)
Woodland, eight bank rods with no catch; nine boaters with two coho kept. (WDFW)
Warrior Rock to Portland, 261 boaters with 14 adult chinook, 10 jack chinook and three adult coho kept plus three adult coho released. (ODFW)
Warrior Rock to Kelley Point, 219 boaters with 53 adult chinook, six jack chinook, one steelhead and four coho kept plus two steelhead released; 227 bank rods with 69 adult chinook, three jack chinook and four coho kept plus three chinook released; six boaters with two legal and 10 sublegal sturgeon released. (WDFW)
Davis Bar to Portland airport tower, 21 boaters with four adult chinook kept; 19 bank rods with no catch. (WDFW)
Troutdale, 95 boaters with six adult chinook, one jack chinook and one adult coho kept; three boaters with seven walleye kept. (ODFW)
Camas-Washougal, 84 boaters with 13 adult chinook and four jack chinook kept plus one steelhead released. (WDFW)
North Bonneville, 49 boaters with 16 adult chinook and four coho kept plus two coho released; 49 bank rods with 15 adult chinook, 10 jack chinook and one coho kept plus five jack chinook released. (WDFW)
Columbia Gorge (downstream of Bonneville Dam), 179 boaters with 54 adult chinook, 11 jack chinook, three adult coho and one steelhead kept plus two jack chinook and two adult coho released; 47 Oregon bank rods with eight adult chinook and three jack chinook kept; two boaters with no walleye. (ODFW)
Mid-Columbia — Bonneville pool, 10 boaters with six adult chinook and one jack chinook kept. (WDFW)
Cowlitz — Two-hundred-six boaters with 21 adult chinook, one jack chinook, 124 adult coho, three coho and two steelhead kept plus 14 adult chinook, two jack chinook and 45 adult coho released; 109 bank rods with nine adult chinook, 35 adult coho and three steelhead kept plus seven adult chinook and one adult coho released. (WDFW)
Kalama — Thirty-seven bank rods with 10 adult coho kept plus one adult chinook and three adult coho released. (WDFW)
Lewis — Three boaters with one adult coho kept. (WDFW)
North Fork Lewis — Twelve boaters with one jack chinook released; 44 bank rods with nine adult coho and two steelhead kept. (WDFW)
Washougal — Thirty-two bank rods with five adult chinook kept and one released. (WDFW)
Drano Lake — Twenty-eight boaters with 32 adult chinook, two jack chinook, four adult coho and one steelhead kept plus three adult chinook, six adult coho and one steelhead released. (WDFW)
Klickitat — Twenty-five bank rods with 18 adult chinook and one jack chinook kept. (WDFW)
