Fishing report: Bonneville Pool opens for sturgeon retention; smelt dip on Cowlitz

Two days of sturgeon retention in the Bonneville Pool has been set for March 9 and 16 only, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced Tuesday.

The Bonneville Pool — from Bonneville Dam to The Dallas Dam and all adjacent Washington tributaries — will have a daily limit of one white sturgeon with a minimum 38-inch fork length and maximum of 54 inches.

Catch and release fishing is open on all other days.

The WDFW noted that enough fish remain on the harvest guideline of 675 sturgeon to open the two additional days.

Also, the season has been extended for The Dalles Pool with retention days of Monday, Wednesday and Friday through March 30. Catch-and-release fishing remains open on non-retention days.

The Dalles Pool — from The Dalles Dam to John Day Dam — extended its season because enough of the 190-white sturgeon harvest guideline remains.

Daily limit is one with minimum fork length of 43 inches and maximum of 54 inches.

One-day smelt dip net on Cowlitz River

Anglers will have an opportunity to dip for smelt in 2022 during a limited-opening recreational fishery on Saturday, March 5.

A portion of the Cowlitz River will be open to recreational dip netting along the shore from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. for this day only.

The 2022 smelt run was predicted to be larger than the 2021 run and in-season monitoring data so far supports that increased forecast, allowing for a limited recreational dip-net fishery for the third year in a row.

The portion of the river open to dip netting extends from the Highway 432 Bridge upstream to the Al Helenberg Memorial Boat Ramp, located approximately 1,300 feet upstream from the Highway 411/A Street Bridge in Castle Rock.

Each dip-netter may retain up to 10 pounds of smelt per day, with no more than one day’s limit in possession. Ten pounds is about a quarter of a 5-gallon bucket, but anglers are encouraged to bring their own scale for tracking.

No fishing license is required to dip net for smelt in this limited fishery.

Fishery reports

Reports from March 2:

MAINSTEM COLUMBIA RIVER

SALMON/STEELHEAD

Vancouver — Two boats/three rods released one Chinook.

Woodland — Four bank anglers had no catch.

STURGEON

The Dalles Pool — Estimated harvest 84; percent of guideline 44.2.

John Day Pool — Estimated harvest 15; percent of guideline 14.3.

WALLEYE

Bonneville Pool — No report.

The Dalles Pool — One bank angler released one walleye; four boats/12 rods kept 12 walleye.

John Day Pool — 27 boats/73 rods kept 92 walleye.

COLUMBIA RIVER TRIBUTARIES

SALMON/STEELHEAD

Cowlitz River from Interstate 5 Bridge downstream — 180 bank rods kept 18 steelhead and released nine steelhead.

Cowlitz River above the I-5 Bridge — 31 bank rods kept three steelhead; 20 boats/71 rods kept 30 steelhead.