By Bob Brown
Some fishing notes for river anglers:
• Bonneville Power's Northern Pikeminnow Sports Reward Fishery is going gangbusters in the Columbia and Snake rivers. So far this season, beginning May 1, a total of 7,945 participating anglers have caught 47,538 pikeminnows, averaging six fish per person.
During May 29 through June 4, 1,528 anglers caught 11,500 pikeminnows plus 15 tagged fish worth $500 each. The two hottest locations during that week were near The Dalles and Columbia Point. Catch in The Dalles area was 5,558 pikeminnows and 1,252 at Columbia Point. Fishing was also pretty good in the Washougal area, where 58 anglers caught 622 pikeminnows.
• The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) has announced restrictions on summer steelhead fishing in the Columbia River Basin in response to projections of the lowest steelhead returns in 37 years.
It is expected about 130,700 summer-run steelhead will return to the river this year, the lowest number since 1980. The return of wild steelhead to the Snake River and upper Columbia above Priest Rapids Dam is also weak.
The department plans to reduce daily catch limits, prohibit night fishing, and close some waters for steelhead fishing during months when those fish are passing through.
As before, anglers may retain only those steelhead marked as hatchery fish with a clipped adipose fin and healed scar. Wild steelhead must be released.
From June 16 through Oct. 31, emergency rules issued by the WDFW will reduce the catch limit for hatchery steelhead to one fish per day and prohibited night fishing in the following waters:
1. Columbia River from the Megler- Astoria Bridge to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco.
2. Cowlitz River, downstream from the Lexington Drive/Sparks Road bridge.
3. Lewis River, downstream from the confluence with the East Fork Lewis River.
4. Wind River, downstream from Shepherd Falls.
5. Drano Lake.
6. White Salmon River, downstream from the county road bridge.
During the month of August, the new rules require anglers to release any steelhead caught in those five tributaries on the Columbia River from Buoy 10 to The Dalles Dam.
• Fishing on the Cowlitz has been on the low end of the scale, according to creel samplings taken during the week of May 29- June 4. Fish checkers tallied 271 bank rods with 51 adult and three jack spring chinook, one steelhead and two cutthroat kept. Forty-six boat anglers kept seven adult and one spring chinook and four steelhead. One cutthroat was releases. Flows on June 5 were 12,300 cubic feet per second with a visibility of about 8 feet and a temperature of 47.1 degrees F.
WDFW office relocates
After over 20 years at the same location, the WDFW’s Region 5 office in Vancouver is moving to a new locale. Effective July 1, the new address will be 5525 S. 11th St. in Ridgefield. The phone number isn’t changing.
John Long, the Region 5 director, said " Located at the same site for over 20 years, we had outgrown the old building in terms of storage, parking and office space. The new building is at a better location for the public, meets new state standards, and is more centrally located for field work throughout the region."
The office for Region 6, whose territory includes Pierce County, is in Montesano. It can be contacted at 360-249-4628 and teammontesano@dfw.wa.gov.
Bob Brown lives in Roy and is a freelance outdoors writer.
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