Rainbow trout have been stocked in nine Southwest Washington lakes to spice up winter angling opportunities.
Battle Ground Lake got 3,000 half-pound rainbows. The other lakes got broodstock rainbows — either 4.5 or 8 pounds — no longer needed at state hatcheries.
Klineline Pond got 116 of the smaller broodstock and 74 of the 8-pounders. Stocking at the other lakes included: Kidney Lake, 35 and 28; Icehouse Lake, 35 and 14; Little Ash Lake, 35 and 14; Tunnel Lake, 35 and 13; Northwestern Reservoir, 35 and 13; Rowland Lake, 40 and 20, and Spearfish Lake, 100 and 24.
It’s been windy, snowy and icy in the Columbia Gorge, but the few boaters out for sturgeon in the Bonneville pool are doing well.
Winter steelhead returns to lower Columbia tributary hatcheries appear about on par with a year ago.
Grays Hatchery has 234 steelhead compared to none this time in 2010. Elochoman has 198 compared to 260 a year ago. Cowlitz has 1,128, almost the same as 1,150 in 2010. Kalama is at 451 compared to 452. Lewis River is at 1,918 compared to 1,891 and on the Washougal the number is 390 compared to 582.
Angler checks from the Washington (WDFW) and Oregon (ODFW) departments of Fish and Wildlife:
Lower Columbia — Longview to Portland, 50 boaters with 11 sublegal sturgeon released; two Oregon bank rods with no sturgeon. (ODFW)
Camas to Bonneville Dam, 19 bank rods with no sturgeon; four boaters with one legal sturgeon kept plus four sublegals released. (WDFW)
Mid-Columbia — Bonneville pool, seven boaters with five legal sturgeon kept and four sublegals released; 15 bank rods with four sublegal sturgeon released; one boater with no walleye; two boaters with two steelhead kept and three released. (WDFW)
The Dalles pool, 53 boaters with two legal sturgeon kept plus four oversize and 71 sublegals released; 36 bank rods with five sublegals released; 17 bank rods with four steelhead kept and seven released; three boaters with no walleye. (WDFW)
John Day pool, 77 boaters with three oversize and 11 sublegal sturgeon released; 29 bank rods with no catch; six boaters with two steelhead kept; two boaters with no walleye. (WDFW)
Cowlitz — At Blue Creek, 47 boaters with 12 steelhead kept and one released; 53 bank rods with 15 steelhead kept and one released.
At the barrier dam, three bank rods with no steelhead. (WDFW)
