Current and upcoming opportunities
The Columbia River from Buoy 10 to the I-5 bridge is open to the retention of hatchery steelhead and hatchery Chinook. From the I-5 Bridge to the McNary Dam, open for hatchery steelhead.
White sturgeon retention is closed from Buoy 10 at the mouth of the Columbia upstream to Bonneville Dam, but remains an option for catch and release.
Fishing for white sturgeon is open in the Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day pools until quotas are met.
A few winter steelhead are available from Columbia River beaches, and in the tributaries.
Lowland lakes have been well-stocked with trout and are fishing very well.
Walleye fishing is good in the Bonneville Pool, fair in The Dalles and John Day pools.
Salmon/steelhead
Columbia mainstem
The salmonid creel program on the lower Columbia has ended for the year and will resume in February.
The Dalles Pool — Weekly checking showed no catch for one bank angler. (ODFW)
John Day Pool — Four bank anglers had no catch. One boat/one rod kept one steelhead and released two steelhead. (WDFW)
Columbia River tributaries
Elochoman River — 11 bank anglers kept five steelhead.
Cowlitz River
I-5 bridge downstream — 11 bank anglers kept two steelhead and released one steelhead.
Above the I-5 Bridge — Eight bank anglers had no catch. One boat/three rods kept one steelhead. (WDFW)
Sturgeon
Bonneville Pool — 19 boats/55 anglers kept 11 legal sturgeon and released 208 sublegal and one oversize sturgeon. Anglers have caught an estimated 265 sturgeon of the 500 fish quota.
The Dalles Pool — Two bank anglers had no catch. Nine boats/20 anglers released seven sublegal sturgeon and one oversize sturgeon. Anglers have caught an estimated 97 sturgeon of the 135 fish quota.
John Day Pool — 15 bank anglers had no catch. 21 boats/51 rods kept three legal sturgeon and released one sublegal and two oversize sturgeon. Anglers have caught an estimated 32 sturgeon of the 105 fish quota. (WDFW)
Walleye
Bonneville Pool — Five boats/six rods kept 28 walleye and released three walleye.
The Dalles Pool — One bank angler kept one walleye. Two boats/two rods had no catch.
John Day Pool — 10 boats/21 rods kept 11 walleye and released two walleye.
Bass
John Day Pool — One bank angler had no catch
Recent trout stockings
Horsethief Lake (Klickitat) — Planted with 34 brood rainbows at 0.10 per pound on January 22.
Kress Lake (Cowlitz) — Planted with three adult winter steelhead at 0.10 per pound on Jan. 17. Planted with 13 adult winter steelhead at 0.10 per pound on Jan. 21.
