White sturgeon retention on the Columbia River is closed from Buoy 10 upstream to McNary Dam but remains an option for catch-and-release fishing.
The McNary Pool is open to the retention of legal white sturgeon through July 31.
Walleye angling is excellent in the John Day Pool.
Bank anglers are catching winter steelhead on the lower Columbia River.
Trout fishing continues to be good in many SW Washington Lakes
Lower Columbia mainstem: Salmonid catch and effort is slow but should improve as the salmon begin to move into the lower Columbia. On Saturday’s flight, 18 salmonid boats and 41 Oregon bank anglers were counted from the Columbia River estuary to Bonneville Dam.(ODFW)
Cowlitz River: From the I-5 Bridge downstream: 35 bank rods kept 1 steelhead. Upstream from the I-5 Bridge: 22 bank anglers released 1 steelhead and 1 adult coho. 14 boats/40 rods kept 1 adult spring Chinook and 8 steelhead and released 1 steelhead and 1 cutthroat.
Grays River: 16 bank anglers and 6 boat anglers kept 2 hatchery steelhead and released 6 steelhead of natural origin
Elochoman River: 30 anglers released 2 steelhead of hatchery origin
Abernathy Creek: 5 bank anglers had no catch
East Fork of the Lewis River: 27 bank anglers released two wild steelhead
Salmon Creek: 36 bank anglers and one boat angler kept two hatchery steelhead and released I native steelhead
Washington creel checks:
Sec. 4 (Vancouver) bank — 2 salmonid anglers had no catch.
Sec. 5 (Woodland) bank — 9 salmonid anglers had no catch.
Sec. 6 (Kalama) bank — 2 salmonid anglers had no catch.
Sec. 8 (Longview) bank — 2 salmonid anglers released 1 steelhead.
Sec. 8 boat — 1 boat/1 salmonid angler had no catch.
Sec. 9 (Cathlamet) bank — 1 salmonid angler had no catch.
John Day Pool — Boat anglers averaged over 3 walleye kept/released per rod. Weekly checking showed six walleye kept for two bank anglers; and 250 walleye kept, plus 70 walleye released for 52 boats (104 anglers).
John Day Pool (John Day Dam upstream to McNary Dam): Closed for retention. Weekly checking showed three sublegal sturgeon released for 53 bank anglers; and two legal white sturgeon kept, plus 19 sublegal and two oversize sturgeon released for 41 boats (96 anglers).
Recent plants of catchable size rainbows into Southwest Washington waters:
Battle Ground Lake: Feb 5, 1,500 rainbow planted at 1.9 per pound
Klineline Pond: Feb 5, 1,500 rainbows planted at 1.9 per pound
Not much sign of smelt during the lower Columbia mainstem sport effort flight last Saturday. There were a few seals from Wallace Island to Rice Island, but no sea lions and no bird activity except for few gulls following an outbound ship.
All waters within the state of Washington remain closed to fishing for Columbia River smelt (eulachon). (WDFW)
