Estuary Salmon

Estuary Salmon fishing and links and information about estuary Salmon fishing.

Estuary Salmon fishing report for July 2008

Lower Columbia — Fort Canby, 35 private boaters with nine legal sturgeon kept and five sublegals released.

Ilwaco, 274 charter anglers with 251 legal sturgeon kept plus five legal sturgeon, 24 oversize and 267 sublegals released; 244 private boaters with 70 legal sturgeon kept plus three legal, eight oversize and 67 sublegals released.

Chinook Salmon, 379 private boaters with 118 legal sturgeon kept plus 11 legal, 19 oversize and 158 sublegals

released.

Sturgeon season extended in Columbia River estuary;
Days added to Bonneville Pool fishery

OLYMPIA - Anglers will get additional days to retain white sturgeon in the Columbia River estuary and in the Bonneville Pool.
Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon, in a joint state meeting Thursday, announced those decisions after assessing catch data for both fisheries.
By the states' action, anglers will be allowed to catch and retain legal-size white sturgeon between the mouth of the Columbia River and the Wauna powerlines near Cathlamet through July 31, or until the harvest guideline is reached. The fishery, which opened in May, was originally scheduled to close June 27 and then re-open for four more days of fishing from July 1-4.
The additional fishing days are designed to give anglers an opportunity to catch an estimated 5,570 sturgeon still available for harvest in the estuary, said Brad James, a fish biologist for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). The catch guideline for that area is 6,800 fish.
"We plan to meet again July 13 to review the catch data for the estuary," James said. "If the catch is greater than expected, modifications to the fishery may be necessary."
Anglers fishing the estuary have a daily catch limit of one white sturgeon, with a fork-length measurement of 41 inches to 54 inches. All green sturgeon must be released.
Anglers also will be allowed to catch and retain legal-size white sturgeon June 30-July 2 and July 7-9 from the Bonneville Dam upstream to The Dalles Dam. Anglers fishing the Bonneville Pool will have a daily catch limit of one white sturgeon, with a fork-length measurement of 38 inches to 54 inches.
An estimated 373 white sturgeon are still available for harvest in the Bonneville Pool sport fishery, James said. The guideline for that area is 2,000 white sturgeon.

Steve Beattie catching a Salmon (above photo)

Chinook Salmon to Knappton, 86 bank rods with seven legal sturgeon kept plus two oversize and three sublegals released.

Knappton, Deep River ramps, 423 boaters with 213 legal sturgeon kept plus 23 legal, 28 oversize, two green and 376 sublegals released.

Estuary, seven boaters with five steelhead kept and three released; 19 bank rods with four steelhead kept.

Cathlamet, five boaters with four steelhead kept and one released; 34 bank rods with two steelhead kept plus one steelhead and one summer Chinook Salmon released; three boaters with no sturgeon.

Longview, 95 bank rods with 19 steelhead kept and 16 released; 53 boaters with five steelhead kept plus two steelhead and summer Chinook Salmon Chinook Salmon released; 13 bank rods with six sublegal sturgeon released; four boaters with 17 sublegal sturgeon released.

Kalama, 167 bank rods with 33 steelhead and one jack Chinook Salmon kept plus 12 steelhead released; eight boaters with five steelhead kept and seven released.

Woodland, 43 bank rods with three steelhead kept and two released; one boater with no catch.

Warrior Rock to Frenchmen’s Bar, 34 bank rods with two steelhead kept plus 10 steelhead and two summer Chinook Salmon released.

Camas-Washougal, three bank rods with no steelhead; 13 boaters with one steelhead kept and two summer Chinook Salmon released; four bank rods with no sturgeon; 14 boaters with one oversize and 25 sublegal sturgeon released; three boaters with five walleye kept.

North Bonneville, 65 bank rods with 12 steelhead kept and 15 released; 10 boaters with three steelhead kept and six released; four boaters with eight sublegal sturgeon released.

Cowlitz — Eleven bank rods with three steelhead kept; 76 boaters with 63 steelhead kept.

Lewis — Five boaters with one steelhead kept.

Drano Lake — Seventeen boaters with 18 steelhead kept and five released.

White Salmon — Thirteen bank rods with two steelhead kept; four boaters with six steelhead kept and two released.