Salmon fishing at Buoy 10 on Thursday got off to a better-than-anticipated start with a surprising number of coho in the catch. Anglers did report a lot of grass in the water, requiring frequent cleaning of their lines and lures.
No official catch numbers were available.
Ocean salmon fishing off the southern Washington and northern Oregon coast has been good, with anglers averaging 1.75 fish per trip last week.
Information from the Washington and Oregon departments of Fish and Wildlife through Sunday for the area between Cape Falcon, near Manzanita. Ore., and Leadbetter Point in Washington shows 51 percent of the coho quota and 30 percent of the chinook guideline had been caught. Eighty-four percent of last week’s catch was coho.
Steelhead fishing is now closed in the Columbia River between Buoy 10 and The Dalles Dam.
Fishery Reports
Lower Columbia River from Rocky Point/Tongue Point line upstream to Bonneville Dam. There were 90 salmonid boats and 242 Washington bank rods were tallied during the July 27 flight count.
MAINSTEM COLUMBIA
Salmon/Steelhead
Sec. 1 (Bonneville) — 87 bank anglers kept six steelhead and released two Chinook, 17 steelhead and two sockeye.
Sec. 2 (Camas/Washougal) — 10 bank anglers had no catch. 9 boats/12 rods kept three steelhead and released two steelhead.
Sec. 3 (I-5 area) — 23 bank anglers kept four steelhead, and released one steelhead.
Sec. 4 (Vancouver) — 33 bank anglers kept three steelhead and released six steelhead. Eight boats/17 rods kept five steelhead.
Sec. 5 (Woodland) — 84 bank anglers kept 11 steelhead and released one Chinook and 13 steelhead. Three boats/eight rods kept three jacks and released four Chinook.
Sec. 6 (Kalama) — 199 bank anglers kept 18 steelhead, released one Chinook and 28 steelhead. Two boats/seven rods had no catch.
Sec. 8 (Longview) — 147 bank anglers kept eight steelhead, released 12 steelhead and two sockeye. 14 boats/30 rods kept eight steelhead and released five steelhead.
Sec. 9 (Cathlamet) — 21 bank anglers released one Chinook and one steelhead, 6 boats/11 rods kept one Chinook jack, three steelhead and released one steelhead.
Sec. 10 (Cathlamet) — 13 bank anglers released two steelhead.
Sturgeon
Sec. 2 (Camas/Washougal) — One bank angler had no catch.
Sec. 5 (Woodland) — Two bank anglers had no catch.
Sec. 9 (Cathlamet) — One boat/2 rods had no catch.
Walleye
Sec. 2 (Camas/Washougal) — four boats/five rods kept four walleye and released two walleye.
COLUMBIA TRIBUTARIES
Salmon/Steelhead
Cowlitz River I-5 Bridge downstream — 25 bank rods had no catch.
Cowlitz River above the I-5 Bridge — 29 bank rods kept three jacks and 12 steelhead. 17 boats/36 rods kept 23 steelhead.
Lewis River — Five boats/11 rods kept two Chinook, one steelhead and released one Chinook.
Drano Lake — Five bank rods released three steelhead. 10 boats/27 rods released two Chinook, one jack and 18 steelhead.
OREGON CREEL CHECK
Walleye
The Dalles pool — 17 walleye kept for five boats (17 anglers); no catch for one bank angler.
John Day pool — 218 walleye kept, and 52 walleye released for 31 boats (79 anglers); no catch for one bank angler.
Sturgeon
Lower Columbia — Closed for retention. Eight sub-legal sized, 20 legal sized and 30 over-legal sized sturgeon released for one boat (four anglers).
Bonneville pool — Closed for retention. Three sub-legal sized, four legal sized and five over-legal sized sturgeon released for three boats (11 anglers).
The Dalles pool — Closed for retention. Five sub-legal sized and three legal sized sturgeon released for one boat (three anglers).
John Day Pool — Closed for retention. Six legal sized sturgeon released for one boat (four anglers).
Salmon, steelhead
Gorge — One steelhead released for two boats (six anglers); 10 steelhead kept and one Chinook and 31 steelhead released for 141 bank anglers.
Troutdale — One steelhead released for 10 boats (17 anglers).
Portland to Warrior Rock — One Chinook released for three boats (seven anglers).
Warrior Rock to Rainier — 11 steelhead kept and three steelhead released for 20 boats (45 anglers); and one Chinook released for 32 bank anglers.
Rainier to Lower Puget Island — No catch for three boats (10 anglers); one Chinook and one steelhead releases for three bank anglers.
