Notice of Columbia River Compact/Joint State Hearing: ODFW & WDFW have scheduled a hearing for Wednesday, Feb. 20, 2019, to consider spring Chinook recreational fisheries.
Weekend Fishing Opportunities:
White sturgeon retention is closed from Buoy 10 upstream to Bonneville Dam, and in The Dalles Pool but remains an option for catch-and-release fishing.
Bonneville and John Day pools are open to the retention of white sturgeon until quotas are reached.
The Columbia River from Buoy 10 upstream to the I-5 Bridge is open for hatchery Chinook salmon (coho remains closed); and hatchery steelhead is open from Buoy 10 upstream to the OR/WA Border under permanent regulations.
Walleye fishing continues to improve in the John Day Pool.
Steelheading in the Columbia and local tributaries is still slow.
Trout are biting well in local lakes.
Updates
The Lower Columbia mainstem creel will resume this month.
Columbia River tributary regulation update:
Grays River: Until further notice, from the mouth upstream to the mouth of the South Fork release all coho.
West Fork Grays River: Until further notice, from the mouth upstream release all Coho.
Cowlitz River: Until further notice, from the mouth to the Barrier Dam including all lower Cowlitz tributaries, closed for Chinook retention. Until further notice, the closed waters section below the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery Barrier Dam is 400 feet, at the posted markers.
Tilton River: The closed-waters area at the fish release site at Gust Backstrom Park has been reduced to approximately 100 feet at the posted signs.
Washougal River, including Camas Slough: Until further notice, from the mouth to the bridge at Salmon Falls, closed for Chinook retention. (WDFW)
Salmon/Steelhead
Columbia River Tributaries:
Grays River — 10 bank anglers released 1 steelhead. 2 boats/4 rods had no catch.
Elochoman River — 17 bank anglers kept 1 steelhead and released 3 steelhead. 1 boat/2 rods released 2 steelhead.
Abernathy Creek — 1 bank angler had no catch.
Mill Creek — 3 bank anglers had no catch.
Germany Creek — 10 bank anglers kept 2 steelhead and released 1 steelhead.
East Fork Lewis River — 18 bank anglers released 1 steelhead.
Salmon Creek — 26 bank anglers kept 3 steelhead and released 2 steelhead.
Cowlitz River — I-5 Br downstream: 26 bank rods had no catch.
Above the I-5 Bridge — 12 bank rods kept 2 steelhead and released 1 steelhead. 3 boats/6 rods kept 6 steelhead.
Sturgeon
Bonneville Pool — 13 bank anglers kept 2 legal sturgeon and released 5 sublegal sturgeon. 14 boats/30 rods released 17 sublegal and 1 oversize sturgeon.
The Dalles Pool — Closed for retention. No report.
John Day Pool — 31 bank anglers kept 1 legal sturgeon. 9 boats/18 rods released 2 sublegal sturgeon.
Walleye
Bonneville Pool — 2 boats/4 rods kept 1 walleye.
John Day Pool — 16 boats/28 rods kept 18 walleye and released 5 walleye.
Recent trout stockings
Rowland Lake (Klickitat County) 325 plus-sized rainbow trout at 0.5 fish per pound were planted on January 25.
