01-20-2003, 04:50 AM
[font "Arial"][size 2]January 18, 2003[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 2]Washington Smelt Reports [/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 2]Anglers, sturgeon, seagulls and local business in SW Washington anxiously await the first smelt run of 2003 [/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 2]Four Corners General Store in Castle Rock reports light pressure from dippers. On January 15th a mother, father and their son came into the store with a full 5 gallon bucket. They had been dipping for about one to one-and-a-half hours.[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 2]Bobs Merchandise reports fishing for smelt has not yet taken off. The few dippers who are getting any decent numbers are either dipping from boats or dipping from the shore during the evening hours. The smelt are currently running out in the deeper water during the daytime and tend to move in closer to shore after dark. Washington regulations allow dipping between the hours of 6 a.m. till 10 p.m.[/size][/font]
[size 2][font "Arial"]Lewis River: Large numbers of seagulls are at the mouth of the Lewis along with numerous seals and one huge sea lion and it looks as though the pilot run of smelt has arrived in the lower river. Sports dippers should have good dipping opportunities soon, possibly by Wednesday or Thursday of this coming next week.[/font][/size]
[size 2][font "Arial"]North Fork Lewis: The "first springer" was officially confirmed caught on Lewis River. On Wednesday January 15, a local angler brought a 30 pound springer into Bob's Merchandise in Longview. Steelhead fishing has been fair on the North Fork Lewis where anglers are catching some nice size fish, but overall winter steelhead fishing in most SW Washington rivers remains slow. Another springer, also a first, was caught by Mike Bergman a Washington angler who lives on the Kalama River. Mike caught his 28 pounder salmon in the first week of January.[/font][/size]
[size 2][font "Arial"]Current conditions:
The remaining smelt in the Cowlitz are up around Lexington. The next push of smelt remain out in the main stem Columbia River. Smelt are present in the Grays River and the lower Lewis River.
Catches:
Cowlitz River:
Sport: SLOW Lexington - up to 60 min per limits, best after dark. Carvinal Market to Rocky Pt - up to 2 hrs per limits.
Commercial: No landings
Lewis River:
Sport: Very few - but some smelt and birds are present.
Commercial: No landings.
Sport Seasons/Regulations:
The daily limit is 10 lbs per person and the fishery is open 7 days a week from 6 AM to 10 PM through March 31st, all Washington Columbia River tributaries. Main Stem Columbia River daily limit is 10 lbs per person and the fishery is open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
Commercial Seasons/Regulations (Washington tributaries):
Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights: 6 PM - 6 AM.
Cowlitz, Kalama, and Lewis rivers.[/font][/size]
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January 14, 2003
Multnomah Channel
Conditions at the head of the Multnomah Channel are improving. Water color on January 14 was somewhere between a steelhead green and a medium brown as reported by Steven at Fred's Marina. "There are a few anglers pursuing sturgeon with fair success," Steven says. "Most the effort for sturgeon is currently in the channel near Sauvie Island bridge and in the Willamette at Kelly Point Park. I have not seen anyone trying for spring salmon yet. But I expect that to change with improving water conditions and the predictions of good numbers of early run of big fish."
The lower channel, Browns Landing and Coon Island areas, are not receiving much pressure yet as the water there is still pretty dark. Sturgeon fishing should show steady improvement over the next few weeks as water conditions become more favorable.
Both the Umpqua and Siletz rivers are bound to provide some truly excellent fishing for winter steelhead this season. Past years returns have been increasing and water conditions have been very good. So far anglers fishing both rivers report the best early fishing they can ever remember.
The Wilson began producing better catches of winters as of late last week and things are looking real good for the weeks ahead, baring any heavy rains or blow-outs. Anglers on the Trask saw a few good days over the weekend, one hatchery winter caught weighed 12.5 pounds, but fishing there has since slowed. Should be a fair to average winter steelhead fishery this year.
The Sandy and Clackamas have been slow for winter steelhead, there was a good spurt of fish on both in early January and again on the Sandy around the 10th, but currently not a lot of action on either system. Anglers success on the Sandy should improve as they adjust to the later return timing of wild broodstock fish which should begin to arrive in good numbers late this month peaking in late March.
The Cowlitz River has been fair although a bit disappointing as numbers of winter steelhead seem to be off some. The majority of the catch has been at Blue Creek and in the Mission Bar area. Summer steelhead are still available but most are dark. Some anglers think the bulk of the run is possibly just running late due to this seasons dry fall. Tacoma Power's Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator recovered 3,779 coho salmon, 119 coho jacks, 114 winter-run steelhead and four summer-run steelhead during five days of separator operations between January 5 and January 11. River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately 6,100 cubic feet per second on Monday, January 13. Water visibility is over 10 feet.
Sturgeon fishing on the lower Cowlitz and in the Columbia near the Cowlitz mouth and at Longview has been good. Some smelt were spotted in the area early last week and have drawn sturgeon into the lower river/
The Lewis River has been fair so far and the North Fork Lewis is now coming alive as anglers there reported good catches during the weekend of January 11 and 12. [/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2]______________________________________________________[/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2][/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2][/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2]Rick L Martin
The Local Fisherman News
4524 NE 89th
Portland, OR 97220
503-255-5958
[url "http://www.localfishermannews.com"][#800080]www.localfishermannews.com[/#800080][/url] [/size][/font]
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[font "Arial"][size 2]Washington Smelt Reports [/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 2]Anglers, sturgeon, seagulls and local business in SW Washington anxiously await the first smelt run of 2003 [/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 2]Four Corners General Store in Castle Rock reports light pressure from dippers. On January 15th a mother, father and their son came into the store with a full 5 gallon bucket. They had been dipping for about one to one-and-a-half hours.[/size][/font]
[font "Arial"][size 2]Bobs Merchandise reports fishing for smelt has not yet taken off. The few dippers who are getting any decent numbers are either dipping from boats or dipping from the shore during the evening hours. The smelt are currently running out in the deeper water during the daytime and tend to move in closer to shore after dark. Washington regulations allow dipping between the hours of 6 a.m. till 10 p.m.[/size][/font]
[size 2][font "Arial"]Lewis River: Large numbers of seagulls are at the mouth of the Lewis along with numerous seals and one huge sea lion and it looks as though the pilot run of smelt has arrived in the lower river. Sports dippers should have good dipping opportunities soon, possibly by Wednesday or Thursday of this coming next week.[/font][/size]
[size 2][font "Arial"]North Fork Lewis: The "first springer" was officially confirmed caught on Lewis River. On Wednesday January 15, a local angler brought a 30 pound springer into Bob's Merchandise in Longview. Steelhead fishing has been fair on the North Fork Lewis where anglers are catching some nice size fish, but overall winter steelhead fishing in most SW Washington rivers remains slow. Another springer, also a first, was caught by Mike Bergman a Washington angler who lives on the Kalama River. Mike caught his 28 pounder salmon in the first week of January.[/font][/size]
[size 2][font "Arial"]Current conditions:
The remaining smelt in the Cowlitz are up around Lexington. The next push of smelt remain out in the main stem Columbia River. Smelt are present in the Grays River and the lower Lewis River.
Catches:
Cowlitz River:
Sport: SLOW Lexington - up to 60 min per limits, best after dark. Carvinal Market to Rocky Pt - up to 2 hrs per limits.
Commercial: No landings
Lewis River:
Sport: Very few - but some smelt and birds are present.
Commercial: No landings.
Sport Seasons/Regulations:
The daily limit is 10 lbs per person and the fishery is open 7 days a week from 6 AM to 10 PM through March 31st, all Washington Columbia River tributaries. Main Stem Columbia River daily limit is 10 lbs per person and the fishery is open 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
Commercial Seasons/Regulations (Washington tributaries):
Sunday, Tuesday, and Wednesday nights: 6 PM - 6 AM.
Cowlitz, Kalama, and Lewis rivers.[/font][/size]
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January 14, 2003
Multnomah Channel
Conditions at the head of the Multnomah Channel are improving. Water color on January 14 was somewhere between a steelhead green and a medium brown as reported by Steven at Fred's Marina. "There are a few anglers pursuing sturgeon with fair success," Steven says. "Most the effort for sturgeon is currently in the channel near Sauvie Island bridge and in the Willamette at Kelly Point Park. I have not seen anyone trying for spring salmon yet. But I expect that to change with improving water conditions and the predictions of good numbers of early run of big fish."
The lower channel, Browns Landing and Coon Island areas, are not receiving much pressure yet as the water there is still pretty dark. Sturgeon fishing should show steady improvement over the next few weeks as water conditions become more favorable.
Both the Umpqua and Siletz rivers are bound to provide some truly excellent fishing for winter steelhead this season. Past years returns have been increasing and water conditions have been very good. So far anglers fishing both rivers report the best early fishing they can ever remember.
The Wilson began producing better catches of winters as of late last week and things are looking real good for the weeks ahead, baring any heavy rains or blow-outs. Anglers on the Trask saw a few good days over the weekend, one hatchery winter caught weighed 12.5 pounds, but fishing there has since slowed. Should be a fair to average winter steelhead fishery this year.
The Sandy and Clackamas have been slow for winter steelhead, there was a good spurt of fish on both in early January and again on the Sandy around the 10th, but currently not a lot of action on either system. Anglers success on the Sandy should improve as they adjust to the later return timing of wild broodstock fish which should begin to arrive in good numbers late this month peaking in late March.
The Cowlitz River has been fair although a bit disappointing as numbers of winter steelhead seem to be off some. The majority of the catch has been at Blue Creek and in the Mission Bar area. Summer steelhead are still available but most are dark. Some anglers think the bulk of the run is possibly just running late due to this seasons dry fall. Tacoma Power's Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator recovered 3,779 coho salmon, 119 coho jacks, 114 winter-run steelhead and four summer-run steelhead during five days of separator operations between January 5 and January 11. River flows at Mayfield Dam are approximately 6,100 cubic feet per second on Monday, January 13. Water visibility is over 10 feet.
Sturgeon fishing on the lower Cowlitz and in the Columbia near the Cowlitz mouth and at Longview has been good. Some smelt were spotted in the area early last week and have drawn sturgeon into the lower river/
The Lewis River has been fair so far and the North Fork Lewis is now coming alive as anglers there reported good catches during the weekend of January 11 and 12. [/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2]______________________________________________________[/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2][/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2][/size][/font] [font "Arial"][size 2]Rick L Martin
The Local Fisherman News
4524 NE 89th
Portland, OR 97220
503-255-5958
[url "http://www.localfishermannews.com"][#800080]www.localfishermannews.com[/#800080][/url] [/size][/font]
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