White sturgeon retention is closed from Buoy 10 at the mouth of the Columbia River upstream to Bonneville Dam, but remains an option for catch-and-release fishing.
Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day pools are open to the retention of white sturgeon until quotas are reached. See the 2019 sport fishing regulations for size, daily, and annual bag limits.
The area from Buoy 10 upstream to the I-5 Bridge is open for hatchery Chinook salmon (coho remains closed). Hatchery steelhead is open from Buoy 10 upstream to the Oregon-Washington border under permanent regulations.
Fall trout plantings have begun in local lakes and in the Columbia River Gorge, and fishing has been very good.
Trophy-sized brooder trout are being planted in local lakes and in the Columbia River Gorge.
Walleye should be available in The Dalles and John Day pools when the weather allows anglers to get out on the water.
A few winter steelhead should be available for anglers plunking from the beaches on the lower Columbia River.
Winter steelheading in Salmon Creek and the Elochoman River has been slow.
Salmon/Steelhead
Lower Columbia mainstem creel will resume in February.
Grays River — Two bank anglers had no catch.
Skamokawa Creek — No anglers sampled.
Elochoman River — 27 bank anglers kept four steelhead. One boat/two rods had no catch.
Abernathy Creek — Four bank anglers had no catch.
Mill Creek — No anglers sampled.
Germany Creek — 6 bank anglers had no catch.
Cowlitz River — I-5 Bridge downstream: 12 bank rods had no catch. Above the I-5 Bridge: nine bank rods had no catch.
Kalama River — No anglers sampled.
Lewis River — No anglers sampled.
East Fork Lewis River — 24 bank anglers released one steelhead.
Salmon Creek — 37 bank anglers kept one steelhead.
Kickitat River — No anglers sampled.
Trout Plantings
Battle Ground Lake –Planted with 2,000 rainbow trout at 2.5 fish per pound on Dec 12. Another 2,000 rainbows the same size were planted on Dec. 20. The lake has been fishing very well.
Horsethief Lake — Planted with 150 trophy-sized brood stock rainbow trout from 5 to 10 pounds on Dec. 19.
Klineline Pond — Planted with 2,000 rainbow trout at 2.6 per pound on Dec. 20.
Lake Sacajawea — Stocked with 640 rainbows at 0.8 per pound on Dec. 18, and 2,000 rainbows at 2.5 per pound on Dec. 20.
Kokanee
Merwin and Yale Lakes: Anglers continue to catch good sized kokanee from both lakes.
