Sampling confirms slow salmon fishing at Buoy 10

ILWACO — The initial Buoy 10 salmon catch sampling numbers are in from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and show slow angling in the popular fishery at the mouth of the Columbia River.

For the first seven days, Washington sampled 710 sportsmen with 49 chinook and five coho. That’s a salmon per 13 rods.

Anglers at Buoy 10 can keep two salmon, but only one chinook per day. On Sundays and Mondays, the chinook must have a clipped adipose or left ventral fin to be retained.

Chinook fishing is scheduled to stay open through Labor Day, which is Sept. 5.

Tides and weather conditions have not be conducive to good catches. However, a good series of tides begins Tuesday, with high water in the morning and a soft ebb.

Creel sampling updates can be found online at wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/creel/buoy10.

Sampling for only the first week:

Aug. 1, 137 anglers, 4 chinook, 0 coho.

Aug. 2, 44 anglers, 0 chinook, 1 coho.

Aug. 3, 46 anglers, 1 chinook, 4 coho.

Aug. 4, 87 anglers, 4 chinook, 0 coho.

Aug. 5, 102 anglers, 10 chinook, 0 coho.

Aug. 6, 234 anglers, 24 chinook, 0 coho.

Aug. 7, 60 anglers, 6 chinook, 0 coho.