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Latest Fishing Reports From the Columbia River Area by Mark Yuasa Seattle Times, September 6, 2011

Here are the latest fishing reports from the Columbia River region by state Fish and Wildlife in Vancouver:

• Salmon/Steelhead

  In the Cowlitz River 49 boat anglers this past week near the mouth kept 25 adult chinook and released 17, released two jack chinook, kept one adult coho and released five, and kept 14 steelhead and released three.

  In the Lewis River five boat anglers this past week near the mouth had no catch.

  In Drano Lake 27 boat anglers this past week with two adult chinook kept and one released plus 19 steelhead kept and 15 released. About 50 boats here last Saturday morning.

  In the Klickitat River eight bank anglers this past week had no catch, and three boat anglers kept three adult chinook and two steelhead.

  At Buoy 10 near the Lower Columbia River showed not much change from the week before. Boat anglers sampled on the Washington side kept a coho per every 5.6 rods this past weekend.

  In the Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam during the first five days of September state Fish and Wildlife sampled 2,049 salmon anglers (including 542 boats) with 551 adult and 19 jack fall chinook, 19 adult coho, 51 steelhead, and one pink. All but a dozen of the adult and a couple jack chinook, 16 (84%) of the coho, and 30 (59%) of the steelhead were kept. The pink was released as required by regulation; however a couple unmarked adult coho were not.

  Just over 1,600 salmon boats and 600 bank anglers were observed on the Lower Columbia mainstem last Saturday Sept. 3. Approximately 79% of the boats were counted from Longview to Vancouver. In comparison to the same time last year, boat and bank effort last Saturday was slightly higher than 2010 (1,373 boats and 362 bank anglers).

  Through Sept. 9, anglers can keep one adult chinook per day as part of their limit from Rocky Point upriver to Bonneville Dam. Anglers fishing those waters have a daily limit of six fish, including two adult salmon (chinook or hatchery coho) or hatchery steehead, or one of each. Beginning Sept. 10, chinook retention will close from the Lewis River downstream but increase to a maximum of two adult chinook per day upriver to Bonneville Dam. Starting Oct. 1, when most wild tules have passed, the stretch of the Columbia River below the Lewis River will also open to retention of two adult chinook per day.

  In Bonneville Pool 24 boat anglers this past week kept one adult chinook and two steelhead. Despite the strong easterly wind, 28 boats were counted off the White Salmon River and 10 off Drano last Saturday.

• Sturgeon

  Only one bank angler was sampled during the current catch-and-release only fishery. On last Saturday's effort flight count, only 13 boats and 11 bank anglers were observed fishing for sturgeon during the current catch-and-release only fishery.

• Walleye

  The half dozen boat anglers sampled in the Camas/Washougal area had kept a handful of walleye. Eight walleye boats were found in the gorge to Camas/Washougal area during last Saturday's effort flight count.