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 area from Buoy 10 at the mouth of the Columbia 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.
Walleye fishing is slow in The Dalles and John Day pools.
A few winter steelhead should be available for anglers plunking from the beaches on the lower Columbia River. Steelheading in local rivers is slow to fair
Trout and kokanee are biting well in local lakes.
Salmon/Steelhead
Lower Columbia creel will resume in February.
The Dalles Pool — Two steelhead released for two boats (four anglers).
Grays River — Three bank anglers had no catch.
Elochoman River — 31 bank anglers kept three steelhead and released one coho jack. Two boats/seven rods kept two steelhead.
Abernathy Creek — Three bank anglers had no catch.
Germany Creek — Four bank anglers kept one steelhead and released one steelhead.
Cowlitz River — I-5 Bridge downstream: Three boats/five rods kept one steelhead. Above the I-5 Bridge: Eight bank rods released one coho jack. Two boats/four rods had no catch
East Fork Lewis River — 24 bank anglers released two steelhead. Three boats/eight rods released one steelhead.
Salmon Creek — 41 bank anglers had no catch.
Sturgeon
Lower Columbia River (below Bonneville Dam) — Closed for retention. No report.
Bonneville Pool — Weekly checking showed 20 sublegal and one oversize sturgeon released for 55 bank anglers; and 17 legal white sturgeon kept, plus 172 sublegal, and five legal white sturgeon released for 30 boats (82 anglers).
The Dalles Pool — Closed for retention. Weekly checking showed one sublegal and one oversize sturgeon released for 88 bank anglers; and 33 legal white sturgeon kept, plus 274 sublegal, one legal and 13 oversize sturgeon released for 68 boats (207 anglers).
John Day Pool — Weekly checking showed no catch for 40 bank anglers; and four sublegal, and four oversize sturgeon released for 20 boats (54 anglers).
Walleye
The Dalles Pool — Weekly checking showed no catch for one bank angler; and one walleye kept for six boats (14 anglers).
John Day Pool — Weekly checking showed three walleye kept for five boats (eight anglers).
Trout
Trout fishing continues to be excellent in local lakes, and stockings for 2019 will begin soon. Check the WDFW trout stockings page for updates at https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/plants/weekly/search.php
Merwin Lake — Fishing continues to be good, with anglers getting good catches of kokanee from 12 to 14 inches.
