by Ian Carter
Merwin is the place to go for some feisty Kokanee fishing. Several early Steelhead are beginning to show on the Kalama and Lewis rivers. There is good news coming from WDFW regarding Spring forecast. Please do your part by completing a survey from WDFW regarding the late summer and fall fisheries linked later in this report.
REMINDER, please verify the regulations before fishing any body of water
Lewis Report
Winter steelhead are beginning to show. I heard several reports of a few super bright steelhead retained this week. WDFW checks showed 18 rods with no catch. There was a boost of 3,000 Coho on the last escapement report. When I drove by the hatchery, workers were transferring fish to the totes. Granted, it’s not the box truck full of totes from a month ago. The type N are very late this year, so there may be a few new Coho around.
There are some positive reports from the East Fork. Lucia Falls has fish jumping everywhere. Below is a picture taken last weekend by a Battle Ground resident. Apparently, it wasn’t a one off, there are many fish. I haven’t heard any specific fishing reports. It does stand to reason that it might be worth a go if you enjoy catch and release.
Kalama Report
WDFW creel checks for the Kalama showed that two bank rods had no catch. I drove up there today around 10:00am, (Wednesday) and didn’t observe a single fisherman from I-5 to the Kalama Falls fish hatchery.
Cowlitz Report
Reminder closed for retention of Chinook, hatchery Coho only. You are permitted 3 hatchery Steelhead minimum size 20”. Nathan at Sportsman’s Warehouse in reports that some Coho are still around.
WDFW waterside checks revealed very little effort and no success. Cowlitz River I-5 Br downstream – 10 bank rods had no catch. Cowlitz River Above the I-5 Br – Six bank rods had no catch.
Tacoma Power employees continue to release decent numbers. Their totals for the week were 1,712 coho adults, 38 coho jacks, ten cutthroat trout, 11 summer-run steelhead adults, and one winter-run steelhead adult over five days of operations at the Cowlitz Salmon Hatchery separator.
Columbia Report
The New Year will be here before we know it and anticipation is building for the above Bonneville Sturgeon fishery. If you have never fished that area, good places to try are in the vicinity of the Wind and Klickitat mouths.
Columbia River, from Bonneville Dam upstream to The Dalles Dam:
Effective: Sunday, January 1, 2023, and Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays only from January 2 through March 22, 2023, only: open for retention of white sturgeon between 38” and 54” fork length.
Catch and release fishing for sturgeon is allowed on days not open to retention.
The springer forecast was released on Tuesday and the projections look epic. High points include the tributaries, and the Sockeye runs. We should hopefully see a decent lower Sockeye fishery this coming summer.
If you were disappointed with how our most recent fall Chinook fishery was handled, you have a chance to add some input. Recreational fisherman are asked to fill out a survey for the upcoming season for the mainstem Columbia River. I am interested in exploring the feedback from our recreational community regarding the ideas presented. Apparently, there is no simple solution.
Please complete this survey at https://publicinput.com/columbiariverfallchinook no later than Jan. 15, 2023. Fall salmon seasons have closed earlier than anticipated in recent years due to impacts to ESA-listed stocks. Fishery managers are considering ways to reduce the likelihood of this outcome in the future.
The survey lists several possible management strategies for future Columbia River fisheries and asks anglers to identify which strategies they would most like to see. The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Thank you for your input.
Merwin fishing remains quite hot. Limits are common, with most of the Kokanee located close to Speelyai. There are instances of doubles and triples on some boats. Some anglers are beginning to troll immediately after passing the no wake zone.
Kress Lake –Last week received 15 recycled Steelhead with more on the way. Three were winter fish and twelve were summer runs.
Lacamas Lake – Reports indicate the stocked trout aren’t biting very well. They must have immediately scattered after stocking.
Razor Clams – No news other than reports indicate the toxin levels are receding, but not there yet. Hopefully fresh razors will be on the menu very soon.
Crabbing – Reports from the coast and estuaries are excellent.
Weather Prediction
The weekend appears to be cold and dry with no precipitation forecasted until Monday. The wind outlook looks decent if you are planning a trip to Merwin.
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