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Fishing Report, August 23 by Terry Otto The Columbian, August 23, 2018

The fall salmon season is open from Buoy 10 upstream to the Oregon/Washington border above McNary Dam. An estimated 375,500 fall Chinook and 213,600 coho are expected to return to the Columbia River this fall.

Chinook retention will end after Friday, although coho retention will remain open, and the bag limit will increase from one salmonid to two on Saturday. Anglers will be able to keep two ad-clipped hatchery coho, or one clipped coho and one clipped steelhead.

White sturgeon retention is closed from Buoy 10 upstream to the Oregon/Washington Border above McNary Dam, but remains an option for catch and release fishing.

Steelhead are available in Southwest Washington streams and rivers, although fishing is fair at best.

Walleye angling is excellent in the John Day Pool, but slower in the Bonneville Pool.

Trout fishing in the high elevation lakes is good, but in lowland lakes it's poor.

Panfish and bass fishing is fair to good in area lakes and the Columbia River.

Salmon/Steelhead
Wind River -- Five boats/nine boat rods released two steelhead.

Drano Lake -- Twenty-nine boats/58 boat rods kept 12 steelhead and released 22 steelhead.

Cowlitz River -- Until further notice, the closed waters section below the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery Barrier Dam is 400 feet, at the posted markers.

Columbia River
Anglers are reminded that the salmonid limit from Buoy 10 to Bonneville Dam is one salmon or steelhead. All coho and steelhead retained must have a healed adipose fin-clip.

A closure is in effect at the mouth of Deschutes River.

A night closure for steelhead retention is in effect at Drano Lake River and Wind River.

Buoy 10 -- Fishing improved this week with good catches last Friday. Saturday's fishing was a little slower. Although a lot of the Chinook being caught are in the 20 and 30-pound range, there is a strong component of Chinook that are 24 to 26 inches long, suggesting that next year's three-year old component may be strong.

Anglers may not keep jack Chinook, which are Chinook under 24 inches, in the Buoy 10 fishery.

Catches of coho salmon picked up over the weekend, which could be a good sign for the fishing after the Chinook closure.

From Bonneville Dam to Cathlamet -- 464 bank anglers kept one adult chinook, one Chinook jack, 16 steelhead and they released 16 steelhead. 396 boat anglers kept 24 adult Chinook, four Chinook jacks, seven steelhead and one coho. They released one Chinook jack and one steelhead.

Sturgeon
From the mouth of the Columbia River upstream to McNary Dam including adjacent tributaries, white sturgeon is open for catch and release fishing only. Fishing for sturgeon at night is closed.

Warm Water Fishing
Hot temperatures have slowed the fishing, although bass fishing is still fair at Lacamas Lake, and panfish continue to bite well in the morning and evening hours in local lakes. Fishing for bass in the Columbia River remains good.

Northern Pikeminnow
Anglers participating in the pikeminnow sport reward program may still fish at night in Washington waters.

Related Pages:
States Close Columbia River to Steelhead Retention by Staff, Columbian Basin Bulletin, 8/30/18
Fisheries Managers Forecast 'Unprecedentedly Low' Summer Steelhead by George Plaven, East Oregonian, 5/22/17