Salmon fishing is pretty much limited to the North Fork of the Lewis, Cowlitz and Klickitat rivers as the Columbia River is closed through the end of the year.
Streamflow in the Cowlitz is a moderate 6,600 cubic feet per second at Mayfield Dam. The North Fork of the Lewis at Merwin Dam is a high 9,120 feet per second. Normal for the date is 2,740 cubic feet per second.
The Klickitat River at Pitt on Wednesday afternoon was at 1,300 cubic feet per second. The average for the date is 755 cubic feet per second.
There are a few other local fisheries to consider, though.
Trollers are getting limits of rainbow trout and landlocked coho in Swift Reservoir.
The reservoir is not as clear after all the rain as earlier, but still produced 10-fish limits on Sunday. The pool elevation is 984 feet, so no problems launching.
Walleye creel checks in The Dalles and John Day pools have been excellent in the past couple of weeks.
Silver Lake always is fun in October and November, when it yields lots of crappie from its canals.
The problem, however, is sorting through 20 to 25 crappie to get one that exceeds the 9-inch minimum size limit.
Angler sampling by the Washington and Oregon departments of Fish and Wildlife:
Note: — Columbia River salmon and steelhead sampling was from prior to the Oct. 22 closure.
Cowlitz — Fifty-five boaters with 15 adult coho, two steelhead and two cutthroat trout kept plus two adult chinook and two adult coho released; 328 bank rods with five adult chinook, eight steelhead, 52 adult coho, 11 jack coho and four cutthroat trout kept plus 49 adult chinook, one jack chinook, 12 adult coho and nine jack coho released. (WDFW)
Lewis — Seven bank rods with no catch; 12 boaters with one adult coho kept. (WDFW)
North Fork Lewis — Forty-three boaters with seven adult chinook, 24 adult coho and one jack coho kept plus four adult chinook and six adult coho released; 109 bank rods with one adult chinook, 12 adult coho and one jack coho kept plus seven adult coho released. (WDFW)
East Fork Lewis — Seven bank rods with one wild steelhead released. (WDFW)
Kalama — Sixty-six bank rods with one wild coho released. (WDFW)
Klickitat — One boater with one adult coho kept; 50 bank rods with 24 adult coho and three jack coho kept plus three adult chinook and one jack chinook released. (WDFW)
Lower Columbia — Tongue Point to Portland, 10 boaters with one jack chinook released. (ODFW)
Troutdale, Ore., 38 boaters with six adult chinook and one adult coho kept plus two chinook released; two boaters with one walleye kept. (ODFW)
Columbia Gorge (downstream of Bonneville Dam), 24 boaters with 18 adult chinook and two adult coho kept plus one chinook released. (ODFW)
Mid-Columbia — Bonneville pool, 47 boaters with seven adult chinook, six adult coho and two steelhead kept plus one steelhead released. (ODFW)
The Dalles pool, 11 boaters with 26 sublegal, six legal and one oversize sturgeon released; 11 boaters with 26 walleye kept plus eight walleye released. (ODFW)
John Day pool, 31 boaters with two adult coho and two steelhead kept plus seven steelhead released; nine bank rods with no catch; 21 boaters with 47 sublegal, 13 legal and seven oversize sturgeon released; 68 boaters with 87 walleye kept and 67 walleye released. (ODFW)
