Spring chinook fishing reopens for today through Saturday in the lower Willamette River, but the return of super-high flows in the Columbia River will not help catch rates in Multnomah Channel.
Trolling at the mouth of Wind River has not been real productive. Catches are little better at Drano Lake.
The best angling choices this weekend are not for salmon.
Merwin Reservoir has been on a run of pretty good kokanee catches, although finding the right depth is getting harder as the lake slowly warms.
There have been unconfirmed reports of a good bite for kokanee at Yale Reservoir. This is a bit early for Yale’s kokanee to get active, especially in a cold-water year, so fishing likely will be hit-and-miss for another two weeks.
Walleye angling has been exceptional all spring in The Dalles and John Day pools.
Angler sampling by the Washington (WDFW) and Oregon (ODFW) departments of Fish and Wildlife:
Mid-Columbia — The Dalles pool, 104 boaters with 614 walleye kept and 66 released; six bank rods with three walleye kept. (WDFW)
• John Day pool, 141 boaters with 625 walleye kept and 625 released. (WDFW)
Cowlitz — Twenty-six boaters with three adult spring chinook and one jack kept; 98 bank rods with six adult spring chinook kept.(WDFW)
Streamflow is a high 14,700 cubic feet per second with 5 feet of visibility, but only 46 degrees.
In the past week, the salmon hatchery recovered 277 winter steelhead, one cutthroat trout, 706 adult spring chinook, 41 jack chinook and seven summer steelhead.
East Fork Lewis — Seven bank rods with no steelhead. (WDFW)
Kalama — Forty-eight boaters with nine spring chinook kept plus one spring chinook and two steelhead released; 98 bank rods with eight spring chinook and one steelhead kept plus six steelhead and one spring chinook released. (WDFW)
Wind — Ninety-four boaters with seven adult spring chinook kept and one released. (WDFW)
Access to Shepherd Falls is closed. The Department of Fish and Wildlife trail access from Shepherd Falls road is closed due to safety concerns. Carson Hot Springs is not allowing access.
Drano Lake — Three-hundred-seventy-three boat rods with 71 adult spring chinook, one jack chinook and one steelhead kept plus five adult chinook released. (WDFW)
Klickitat — Five bank rods with one steelhead released. (WDFW)
