White sturgeon retention is closed from Buoy 10 at the mouth of the Columbia River upstream to Bonneville Dam. The Dalles Pool is also closed, but remains an open for catch-and-release fishing.
Bonneville and John Day pools are open to the retention of white sturgeon until quotas are reached.
Effective Jan. 1, the area from Buoy 10 upstream to the I-5 Bridge is open for hatchery Chinook salmon (coho remains closed); and hatchery steelhead is open from Buoy 10 upstream to the Oregon-Washington border under permanent regulations.
Walleye fishing is improving in the John Day pool.
A few winter steelhead should be available for anglers plunking from the beaches on the lower Columbia River. Steelheading in local rivers is slow.
Trout and kokanee are biting well in local lakes.
Columbia River tributary regulation updates
Grays River — Release all Coho until further notice, from the mouth upstream to the mouth of the South Fork.
West Fork Grays River — Release all Coho until further notice from the mouth upstream.
Cowlitz River — Closed for Chinook retention until further notice from the mouth to the Barrier Dam including all lower Cowlitz tributaries. Until further notice, the closed waters section below the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery Barrier Dam is 400′, at the posted markers.
Tilton River — The closed-waters area at the fish release site at Gust Backstrom Park has been reduced to approximately 100 feet at the posted signs.
Washougal River, including Camas Slough — Closed for Chinook retention until further notice from the mouth to the bridge at Salmon Falls.
Salmon/Steelhead
The salmonid creel program on the lower Columbia River has ended for the year and will resume in February.
Bonneville Pool — Weekly checking showed no catch for one bank angler.
John Day Pool — Weekly checking showed no catch for four bank anglers.
Elochoman River — 30 bank anglers kept three steelhead. Three boats/six rods had no catch.
Abernathy Creek — Four bank anglers had no catch.
Germany Creek — 12 bank anglers kept three steelhead.
Cowlitz River — I-5 Bridge downstream: 33 bank rods released one steelhead. Above the I-5 Bridge: 18 bank rods kept one steelhead. Eight boats/21 rods released one steelhead.
East Fork Lewis River — 26 bank anglers released one steelhead.
Salmon Creek — 25 bank anglers kept one steelhead.
Sturgeon
Bonneville Pool — Anglers may retain white sturgeon measuring 38-54 inches (fork length) between Bonneville Dam and The Dalles Dam until further notice. The current guideline is 325 fish, but this guideline is scheduled to be re-evaluated.
In weekly checking, 18 bank anglers released four sublegal sturgeon; 25 boats/79 rods kept 13 legal sturgeon and released one legal, 151 sublegal and one oversize sturgeon.
The Dalles Pool — Closed to sturgeon retention. Catch and release fishing is allowed.
John Day Pool — Anglers may retain white sturgeon measuring 43-54 inches (fork length) between John Day Dam and McNary Dam until the catch reaches the 105-fish guideline.
In weekly checking, four bank anglers had no catch. Five boats/eight rods had no catch.
Walleye
John Day Pool — Weekly checking showed no catch for one bank angler; and 13 walleye kept, plus six walleye released for eight boats. (14 anglers)
Recent trout plants
Klineline Pond — 1,500 catchable rainbow trout were planted on Jan. 9
Kress Lake — An additional 25 adult steelhead were stocked on Jan. 11 and 14.
