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Columbia River Steelhead Fishery Slows in Lower River,
But Still Very Good Above Bonneville Dam

by Mark Yuasa
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 18, 2010

Steelhead fishing has cooled down in the Lower Columbia River.

Blame the low water flow, water temperatures hovering at 72 degrees and a drop in the fish counts at Bonneville Dam. The few steelhead caught around the mouths of the Cowlitz and Lewis were some nice-sized fish into the lower teens.

The action at the Wind River mouth, Drano Lake and White Salmon River are good for steelhead.

At Drano about three-quarter of the boat anglers sampled had kept or released a steelhead, and more than half were kept. Some coho were also sampled there too.

Bonneville Pool boat anglers averaged a fish per rod including fish released. Catch was mainly steelhead along with a few fall chinook.

The Columbia River A-steelhead run is tracking about 375,000 to 400,000 right now compared to the original preseason forecast of 337,500. The larger-size and later returning B-steelhead forecast is about 90,000.


Mark Yuasa
Columbia River Steelhead Fishery Slows in Lower River, But Still Very Good Above Bonneville Dam
Seattle Post-Intelligencer, August 18, 2010

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