Current and upcoming opportunities
The Columbia River from Buoy 10 to the Interstate 5 bridge is open to the retention of hatchery steelhead and hatchery Chinook. From the I-5 Bridge to the McNary Dam, open for hatchery steelhead.
White sturgeon retention is closed from Buoy 10 at the mouth of the Columbia upstream to Bonneville Dam, but remains an option for catch and release.
White sturgeon retention closed in the Bonneville Pool as of Feb. 14, and in The Dalles Pool as of Tuesday, Feb. 18. The John Day Pool remains open for retention.
High and muddy water has slowed the steelhead bite in the main stem Columbia River, although conditions and success are better in the tributaries.
Lowland lakes have been well-stocked with trout and are fishing very well.
Walleye fishing has slowed considerably, a result of muddy water.
Crappie fishing has improved in Silver Lake and Kress Lake.
Salmon/Steelhead
COLUMBIA RIVER MAINSTEM
A Compact hearing is scheduled for 10 a.m. today at the Shilo Inn near the Portland Airport, that will consider mainstem recreational spring season fisheries.
On Saturday’s Oregon boat trip, there were 15 salmonid boats and 55 Oregon bank anglers counted from Portland to Longview. Bank anglers are catching a few steelhead along the lower banks when water conditions are good. (ODFW)
Sec 5 (Woodland) — Six bank anglers kept one steelhead.
Sec 6 (Kalama) — One bank angler had no catch.
Sec 8 (Longview) — One bank angler had no catch. (WDFW)
COLUMBIA RIVER TRIBUTARIES
Grays River — Eight bank anglers had no catch.
Elochoman River — 12 bank anglers released two steelhead. One boat/two rods released two steelhead.
Cowlitz River – I-5 Bridge downstream — Four bank rods had no catch.
Above the I-5 Bridge — 10 bank rods had no catch. Five boats/20 rods kept 11 steelhead and released one steelhead.
Sturgeon
Bonneville Pool — Six bank anglers had no catch. Eight boats/24 rods kept six legal sturgeon and released six legal, 63 sublegal and one oversize sturgeon.
The Dalles Pool — 15 bank anglers had no catch. 13 boats/30 rods kept 10 legal sturgeon and released three legal, 35 sublegal and one oversize sturgeon.
John Day Pool — 52 bank anglers released one sublegal sturgeon. Eight boats/21 rods kept two legal sturgeon and released eight sublegal and two oversize sturgeon.
Walleye
Bonneville Pool — Two boats/two rods had no catch.
The Dalles Pool — Eight boats/20 rods had no catch.
John Day Pool — Two bank anglers had no catch. Four boats/Nine rods released three walleye.
Recent trout plants
Kress Lake, (Cowlitz) — Planted with four winter steelhead last week.
