The departments of fish and wildlife from Oregon and Washington on Wednesday set four more days of recreational salmon and steelhead fishing on the Columbia River.
The fisheries will take place Friday, May 15 through Sunday, May 17 and on Wednesday May 20.
Downstream of Bonneville Dam, the open area is from the Warrior Rock/Bachelor Island line upstream to Beacon Rock (boat and bank), and bank angling only from Beacon Rock to the Bonneville Dam deadline. The bag limit is two adult salmonids (Chinook, sockeye, or steelhead) per day, but only one may be a Chinook. Retained Chinook and steelhead must be hatchery fish and all sockeye are considered adults.
Upstream of Bonneville Dam, bank angling is allowed upstream to the Tower Island powerlines, while both boat and bank angling is open from Tower Island upstream to the Oregon/Washington border. The bag limit is two adult hatchery salmonids (Chinook or steelhead only) per day, but only one may be a Chinook.
Anglers are reminded that retention of adult spring Chinook remains closed downstream of Warrior Rock, but retention of hatchery steelhead, sockeye, and jack Chinook is scheduled to open on May 16 from the Tongue Point/Rocky Point line upstream to the I-5 Bridge. Shad angling and retention opens throughout the lower Columbia downstream of Bonneville Dam on May 16.
Fishing reports for waters in Southwest Washington, including the Columbia River and tributaries as reported to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife on May 12.
Salmon and steelhead
Columbia River mainstem
Buoy 10 upstream to Warrior Rock line — Closed to angling for and retention of salmon, steelhead and shad through Friday (May 15).
Columbia River tributaries
Cowlitz River — Closed to Chinook salmon retention effective May 5 until further notice, from the mouth upstream to Forest Road 1270, the Cispus River and Lake Scanewa.
Kalama River — Effective until further notice, from the mouth to 1,000 feet below the fishway at the upper salmon hatchery, the daily salmon limit is six fish, of which only one may be an adult. Release all salmon other than hatchery chinook and hatchery coho.
Lewis River — Closed to salmon retention from the mouth to Merwin dam until further notice.
Salmon Creek — Effective through May 22, from the mouth to the 182nd Avenue Bridge, daily limit of three steelhead with minimum size 20 inches. Selective gear rules, except barbed hooks are allowed.
Wind River — Effective until further notice, from the mouth to 400 feet downstream of Shipherd Falls fish ladder, salmon and steelhead daily limit is six; no more than two hatchery steelhead, or one hatchery adult salmon and one hatchery steelhead may be retained. Also, from 100 feet above Shipherd Falls to 800 yards downstream of Carson National Fish Hatchery the salmon and steelhead daily limit is six with no more than two hatchery steelhead, or one adult salmon and one hatchery steelhead retained. The closed waters area around the coffer dam remains in effect.
Drano Lake — Effective until further notice, in the waters downstream of markers on point of land downstream and across from Little White Salmon National Fish hatchery and upstream of Highway 14 Bridge there is a daily limit of two salmon and steelhead and no more than one may be an adult salmon. Only hatchery Chinook and hatchery steelhead may be retained.
Klickitat River — Effective until further notice, from the mouth to Fisher Hill Bridge the adult salmon daily limit is one fish. Effective May 23 until further notice, from 400 feet upstream from No. 5 fishway to boundary markers below Klickitat Salmon hatchery the daily salmon limit is six fish, of which only one may be an adult.
Sturgeon
White Sturgeon is open for catch-and-release fishing only from the mouth of the Columbia River upstream to McNary Dam including adjacent tributaries. Fishing for sturgeon at night is closed.
Fish reports
Lower Columbia mainstem
Warrior Rock line upstream to Cape Horn — 606 salmonid boats and 152 Washington bank rods were tallied during Saturday’s (May 9) count.
Bonneville — 827 bank anglers kept 115 Chinook, 13 jacks, one steelhead and released 41 Chinook. 24 boats/75 rods kept 11 Chinook, one jack and released one Chinook.
Camas/Washougal — Two bank anglers had no catch. 89 boats/203 rods kept 20 Chinook and released four Chinook.
Interstate-5 area — 41 boats/87 rods kept six Chinook and one jack.
Vancouver — 170 bank anglers kept four Chinook and released one jack. 262 boats/575 rods kept 24 Chinook, two jacks and released five Chinook and one jack.
Columbia River tributaries
Cowlitz River from I-5 Bridge downstream — 33 bank rods kept two steelhead and released one steelhead. Above the I-5 Bridge: 61 bank rods released one steelhead. Seven boats/20 rods kept one steelhead.
Kalama River — 49 bank anglers kept one Chinook and two steelhead. 12 boats/24 rods kept two Chinook and one steelhead.
Lewis River — Eight bank anglers had no catch. Five boats/nine rods released one steelhead.
Salmon Creek — Eight bank anglers had no catch.
Wind River — 74 boats/173 rods kept 66 Chinook.
Drano Lake — 26 bank rods kept one Chinook and released one Chinook. 142 boats/354 rods kept 78 Chinook, two jacks and released two Chinook.
Klickitat — Seven bank anglers kept one Chinook.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/reports/creel
OREGON
Columbia River
Shad retention allowed as of Saturday (May 16) on Columbia River from Buoy 10 upstream to Tongue Point/Rocky Point line.
Tongue Point/Rocky Point line upsteam to Warrior Rock boundary will be open Saturday (May 16) for hatchery Chinook jacks, hatchery steelhead, sockeye and shad. Daily limit is two adult fish (steelhead and sockeye only).
Warrior Rock boundary upsteam to I-5 Bridge will be open Saturday (May 16) for hatchery Chinook jacks, hatchery steelhead, sockeye and shad. Daily bag limit is two adult fish.
I-5 Bridge upstream to Bonneville Dam is closed for salmon and steelhead through June 15. Open to shad on Saturday (May 16).
Bonneville Dam upstream to Oregon/Washington border (upstream of McNary Dam) is closed for salmon and steelhead through June 15.
https://myodfw.com/recreation-report
