Sturgeon retention season is under way again in the Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day pools in the Columbia River Gorge.
New Year’s Day had nasty east winds, making the river too rough to fish.
The catch on the weekend in Bonneville pool was nothing to get excited about, but likely will improve.
The water temperature at Bonneville Dam was 42 degrees on Wednesday.
Also of note, some walleye were caught in the John Day pool.
Boaters did well on the Cowlitz River last weekend. Streamflows have been high. Flows on Wednesday at Mayfield Dam were 13,000 cubic feet per second.
The East Fork of the Lewis River at Heisson was flowing at 1,680 cubic feet per second and dropping. Ideal fishing and boating flows are 1,100 to 1,400 cubic feet per second. The Washougal was at 1,900 cubic feet per second.
There also are reports of decent kokanee bites happening intermittently at Merwin Reservoir.
Angler checks from the Washington (WDFW) and Oregon (ODFW) departments of Fish and Wildlife:
Mid-Columbia — Bonneville pool, 20 boaters with three legal sturgeon kept and 46 sublegals released; 21 bank rods with eight sublegals released; four boaters with seven wild steelhead released; two bank rods with one wild steelhead released. (WDFW)
The Dalles pool, 30 boaters with three legal sturgeon plus four oversize and 35 sublegals released; 68 bank rods with two legal sturgeon kept and eight sublegals released. (WDFW)
John Day pool, 30 boaters with one oversize and five sublegal sturgeon released; 23 bank rods with three sublegal sturgeon released; two boaters with two walleye kept and one released. (WDFW)
John Day River arm, six boats with one wild steelhead released; six bank rods with two hatchery steelhead kept. (ODFW)
Cowlitz — Seventy-two bank rods with three steelhead and three coho kept; 49 boaters with 31 steelhead and eight coho kept plus seven coho released. (WDFW)
