Ready, set, fish!
Sturgeon retention opens Saturday in the Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day pools of the Columbia River Gorge. Not a big deal you say. Well, perhaps not unless you actually want to catch a keeper sturgeon.
Specifically, we’re talking about Bonneville pool, the area between Bonneville and The Dalles dams.
In 2010, Bonneville pool opened for sturgeon retention on Jan. 1 and closed on Feb. 21 when the annual quota of 1,400 was reached. Compare that to the January-February catch in the lower Columbia, which was 52 in 2009 and 105 in 2010.
So, if you want to take a sturgeon home this winter, think about bundling up and taking the boat 60 miles east or so.
A year ago, unusually warm water temperatures fueled an increase in fishing effort and an improved catch rate beginning in mid-January in the Bonneville pool.
Brad James, sturgeon biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said a repeat of 2010 is not a lock, but possible.
“The fish are there,” he said.
Bonneville pool has a good population of sturgeon heading into the legal-size slot of 38 inches to 54 inches fork length.
James said Bonneville pool sturgeon spawn just downstream of The Dalles Dam.
“The Dalles tailrace is unique to the impoundments (reservoirs) of the Columbia,” he said. “The basalt pillars there choke down the channel and increase the velocity and turbidity. That may make for better survival of the eggs and larvae.”
Initially, sturgeon in the Bonneville pool have slower growth rate, which improves as the fish get larger and can compete better for food sources. he added.
Good fishing in Bonneville pool is linked to river conditions, James said.
“The best catch rates actually are when it turns muddy,” he said. “If it’s a cold river, that might slow things down.”
Wednesday, the water temperature at Bonneville Dam was 42 degrees, compared to 38 degrees on the same date a year ago. The temperature at Bonneville now is almost the same as mid-January of 2010.
To check on current wind conditions in the Hood River area, a live camera view is available online at www.hatchcam.com.
Bonneville, The Dalles and John Day pools are open daily. While the length limit is 38 to 54 inches in Bonneville, it is 43 to 54 inches fork length in The Dalles and John Day.
Unlike below Bonneville, fishing is open daily the three pools. The limit is one sturgeon a day and five for the year. Anglers are required to use single-point barbless hooks.
In 2009, the catch guideline was 700 and the season lasted until June 6.
Despite doubling the guideline to 1,400, fishing ended in late February in 2010.
James said state and tribal biologists will meet in January to review sturgeon populations in the three pools. It is possible the Bonneville catch guideline may be increased.
Catch guidelines for The Dalles and John Day pools are 300 and 165, respectively.
