Steelhead fishing in the John Day arm of the Columbia River in the Columbia River Gorge is open for the first time in several years.
The daily limit is two salmon or steelhead, but only one chinook. The steelhead must have a clipped adipose fin.
The John Day arm is the inundated lower seven miles of the John Day pool behind John Day Dam.
Summer steelhead headed for Snake and upper Columbia tributaries streams often dawdle in The Dalles and John Day pools during the winter months, then resume their migration in the spring.
Anglers can launch their boats at Lepage Park at the mouth of the John Day or launch at Railroad Island Pond ramp on the Washington side immediately upstream of the dam.
Although this summer’s return of steelhead upstream of Bonneville Dam is below average, the return of 170,000 fish is 40 percent better than forecast and an improvement over the very poor returns since 2016.
So, state fishery managers this winter have reopened the Columbia River upstream of The Dalles Dam to the Highway 395 Bridge in the Tri-Cities through Dec. 31.
Typically, the John Day arm has had reasonably productive catch rates. Most fishing is done by trolling plugs near the shoreline.
Water level too low to launch at Yale Park ramp
The water level at Yale Reservoir on the North Fork of the Lewis River is too low to launch boats at Yale Park boat ramp.
Yale Reservoir on Monday was at 464 feet elevation. The bottom of the concrete ramp at Yale Park is 469 feet elevation. The low water has little practical effect since kokanee fishing in the reservoir is done for the year except for a very few die-hard anglers.
Speelyai Bay boat ramp on Merwin Reservoir is usable. Merwin’s elevation on Monday was 232 feet. Most boaters can launch at Speelyai Bay down to 224 feet elevation.
Swift Reservoir is open for fishing through Nov. 30. However, the water level is at 951 feet elevation, about 25 feet below the bottom of Swift Forest Park boat ramp.
Hourly reports on the water levels at the three reservoirs is available online at https://www.weather.gov/wrh/
Creel reports
COLUMBIA TRIBUTARIES
Salmon/Steelhead
Cowlitz River I-5 bridge downstream — 12 bank rods kept one coho jack and released one coho jack.
Cowlitz River above the I-5 bridge — Two bank rods kept one coho.
Kalama River — Eight bank rods kept two steelhead, one coho and released one steelhead; one boat/one rod kept two coho.
Klickitat River below Fisher Hill Bridge — 56 bank rods kept one Chinook, one Chinook jack, 26 coho, eight coho jacks and released eight coho.
Klickitat River above No. 5 Fishway — Four bank rods had no catch.
