Summer steelhead are taking center stage in the lower Columbia River as chinook catches wane, although steelhead fishing has lots of room for improvement.
The mark rate on steelhead last week was 53 percent in sampling done by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
One bright spot for steelhead was at Drano Lake in the Columbia Gorge, where the catch average was almost a fish per rod, including fish released.
Walleye fishing is under way near Washougal. At Merwin Reservoir, 2,500 large rainbow trout were released.
At the Columbia River ports, 2,156 ocean anglers last week caught 811 chinook and 1,467 coho for a catch average of 1.06.
For the season, 23.2 percent of the coho quota has been taken through Sunday.
Angler checks by the Washington (WDFW) and Oregon (ODFW) departments of Fish and Wildlife:
Lower Columbia — Downstream of Puget Island, five boaters with one summer chinook released; six bank rods with no catch; three boaters with four legal and 12 sublegal sturgeon released. (WDFW)
Cathlamet, 20 boaters with seven steelhead kept and three released; 37 bank rods with two steelhead kept and two released. (WDFW)
Longview, 126 boaters with 17 steelhead kept and seven released; 222 bank rods with 22 steelhead kept and 12 released (WDFW)
Cowlitz River mouth, 22 boaters with four steelhead kept and two released. (WDFW)
Kalama, 69 boaters with two adult chinook, one jack chinook and eight steelhead kept plus six adult chinook, one jack chinook and seven steelhead released; 180 bank rods with 10 adult chinook and two steelhead kept plus 10 adult chinook released; 14 boaters with 20 legal, six oversize and 24 sublegal sturgeon released; two bank rods with one sublegal sturgeon released. (WDFW)
Woodland, 88 boaters with one adult summer chinook and three steelhead kept plus one adult chinook released; 143 bank rods with one adult chinook and five steelhead kept plus two adult chinook and three steelhead released. (WDFW)
Warrior Rock to Kelley Point, 68 boaters with one jack chinook and two steelhead kept plus four adult chinook and four steelhead released; 237 bank rods with six adult chinook, one jack chinook, 14 steelhead and one sockeye kept plus four adult chinook, one jack chinook and 22 steelhead released. (WDFW)
Davis Bar to Portland airport tower, 12 boaters with no catch; 60 bank rod with four steelhead and two sockeye kept plus four steelhead released. (WDFW)
Camas-Washougal, 47 boaters with four steelhead kept plus six steelhead, one adult chinook and one jack chinook released; three bank rods with no catch; three boaters with two legal and four sublegal sturgeon released; two bank rods with one legal sturgeon released; 14 boaters with nine walleye kept and 18 released. (WDFW)
North Bonneville, 11 boaters with one adult summer chinook kept plus one adult chinook and three steelhead released; 110 bank rods with two adult chinook, one jack chinook and seven steelhead kept plus two adult chinook and 16 steelhead released. (WDFW)
Wind River — Two boaters with no catch. (WDFW)
Drano Lake — Forty-two boaters with 29 steelhead kept and 16 released; seven bank rods with one steelhead released. (WDFW)
East Fork Lewis — Nine bank rods with no catch. (WDFW)
Kalama — Sixteen boaters with two wild steelhead released; 100 bank rods with 12 hatchery steelhead kept and one wild steelhead released. (WDFW)
