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Spotty for Spring Chinook in Lower Columbia, But Other Fishing Options Around in Southwest Region by Mark Yuasa Seattle Times, April 3, 2012

Salmon/Steelhead

Cowlitz River - Anglers are catching steelhead and some spring Chinook throughout the river but mostly around the trout hatchery.

Last week Tacoma Power recovered 459 winter-run steelhead and one spring Chinook adult during five days of operation at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.

During the past week Tacoma Power employees released 45 winter-run steelhead and one spring Chinook adult at the Day Use Park in Lake Scanewa above Cowlitz Falls Dam and 29 steelhead into the Tilton River at Gust Backstrom Park in Morton.

River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately 9,850 cubic feet per second on Monday, April 2.

Kalama River - Anglers are catching some steelhead.

Lewis River - No catch was sampled but a few spring Chinook have been reported caught.

Wind River, Drano Lake, Klickitat River - No effort. Drano Lake and has been turbid; Klickitat at flood stage. The Wind was high but green.

Lower Columbia below Bonneville Dam - During the last week of March we sampled 2,021 salmon anglers (including 660 boats) with 95 spring Chinook and 9 steelhead. Boat anglers averaged a Chinook kept/released per every 17.9 rods based on mainly completed trips while bank anglers averaged one per every 53.4 rods based on primarily incomplete trips.

80 (84-percent) of the Chinook caught were kept. We sampled 51 (64-percent) of the Chinook kept. 44 (86-percent) of the Chinook sampled were upriver stock based on Visual Stock Identification (VSI).

Not many anglers fishing in these high river flows. Just 276 boats and 439 bank anglers were counted during the Sunday April 1 effort flight count.

A Joint State Hearing is scheduled for 10 AM Thursday April 5 to review sport catches and consider an immediate season extension if possible.

The Dalles and John Day pools - Bank anglers are catching some steelhead.