A preliminary draft of Columbia River fish returns for 2015 and expectations for 2016 has been released by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and, as usual, fishing on the big river ranged from good to not so good this past year. The difference between 2015 and some past seasons, however, was that the good returns (and fisheries) were very, very good — records and near-records for some species on some parts of the river, as a matter of fact.
State biologist Joe Hymer, at WDFW’s Vancouver office, said chinook were the big news in 2015, and all three of the major runs — spring, summer and fall fish — were strong.
Springers probably generate the most interest of the three, Hymer said, partially at least because they’re the first chinook fishery of the year. While the catch in 2015 was very good, an adult king for every five to six rods, it wasn’t a record. Hymer noted, however, that there were enough springers in the river to allow WDFW to extend the season to 102 days.
The 189,000 spring kings forecast for 2016 is well under the return of 289,000 fish in 2015.
Last season’s catch of summer chinook, just under 6,000 fish, was the highest on record. The fishery for these largest of the Columbia’s chinook, called “June hogs,” took place mostly in July, and Hymer said the late action was perhaps due to warm water conditions in the Columbia. The best fishing took place above the Astoria-Megler bridge, he said. “Summer chinook are getting more popular every year as the runs keep improving and opportunity keeps expanding.”
Some 93,300 summers are forecast for 2016, which would be above the 2015 prediction but under the actual 2015 return of 127,000 adult kings.
The fall chinook run of 969,000 upriver brights and 289,000 lower river “tules,” totalled better than 1.25 million fish, a record return. It also provided a record catch in the lower Columbia and a near-record at buoy 10 (the catch average was better than a half-fish per rod) and in the Hanford Reach, where 48,000 angler trips landed 35,400 kings.
The 2016 fall chinook forecast is for a run above average and similar to recent years.
Hymer said the other side of the coin produced several clunkers on the Columbia in 2015. Upriver summer steelhead was one, as the run of 261,000 came back well below the 10-year average of 348,000 fish. The sockeye run suffered appalling losses from too-warm water conditions above Wenatchee, and a very strong return of 513,000 fish counted at Bonneville Dam, the third largest on record, was reported by Fisheries and Oceans Canada to have dwindled to 10,400 fish in the Canadian Okanagan. The Lake Wenatchee component of the sockeye run was robust at 51,500 fish over Tumwater Dam, the second highest count since 1999.
Hymer said some adult sturgeon also succumbed to high water temperatures above Bonneville Dam.
The real bummer, though, was the coho run, which came in way below the 540,000-fish forecast. The numbers haven’t been completely crunched yet, but are expected to be dismal. Hymer said poor ocean conditions along the Oregon and Washington coasts could potentially have negative impacts on coho and tule fall chinook returns, and that updated forecasts by stock will be available in February.
Shad will once again be strong, the forecast says, and a very short smelt dipping season may or may not happen on the Cowlitz.
Biologist Lisa Harlan, also in Vancouver, said things are looking good for spring chinook in the Kalama and Cowlitz in 2016. The springer forecast on the Kalama is for 5,000 fish, compared to a run of 1,900 in 2015. The prediction on the Cowlitz is for 25,100 fish, compared to a run of 11,200 last season.
Local blackmouth
All Star Charters owner/skipper Gary Krein of Everett said windy conditions have kept most salmon fishermen ashore the last couple of weeks, but that there are still a few feeder chinook to be had in Marine Area 8-2 when the boats are able to get out. His boat took a nice fish of seven or eight pounds on Saturday and released a couple of shakers, Krein said, off the north end of Hat Island. He’s been using 4-inch Coyote spoons in green/white, he said, sticking to the larger lures to cut down on the number of sub-legal fish hooked.
Marine Area 7, the San Juan Islands, has probably offered the best fishery and some protected water recently. “There are some fish being taken up there,” Krein said, “but you have to keep moving around to find ‘em.”
The wind died down enough one day last week to allow fishermen to venture out to MacArthur Bank, off the south tip of Lopez Island, and they scored well, also on spoons. Another good bet would be Parker Reef, off the north end of Orcas Island, Krein said.
Most blackmouth in the islands have been averaging six to eight pounds, with a scattering of 12- or 13-pounders.
Wenatchee steelhead
Most of the upper Columbia tributaries have been closed to steelhead fishing, but a portion of the Wenatchee remains open and productive. Rick Graybill at Hooked on Toys in Wenatchee said the river is open from its mouth up to the Icicle River, and that the Leavenworth area offers the best fishing. These are good looking fish, Graybill said, averaging five to seven pounds.
“The river is a good color right now,” he said, “but still running high. That makes it tough to bank fish effectively, so most guys are using drift boats.”
Back-trolling the new Mag Lips 3.0 is a popular technique, or drifting float/jig setups. Good colors, Graybill said, include chrome, silver, chrome with black back, or chrome/pink. Call for more info at 509-663-0740.
C&R sturgeon
Ever wonder how popular catch and release fishing for sturgeon is? Here’s a hint: A 2015 lower Columbia white sturgeon status report says angler trips for the species have dropped from a high of 209,000 in 2000 to about 3,000 during the past couple years of catch and release only fishing.
The number of sturgeon kept in the mainstem Columbia below Bonneville Dam has dropped from a high of 62,400 fish in 1987 to no retention in 2014-15.
Stilly re-opens
Whitehorse Hatchery personnel have taken enough early winter steelhead eggs, so the mainstem Stillaguamish and its North Fork have reverted to steelhead retention and standard gear as shown in the Fishing Regulations pamphlet.
For more outdoor news, read Wayne Kruse’s blog at www.heraldnet.com/huntingandfishing.
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