Winter steelhead update
Published 1:08 pm Tuesday, January 18, 2011
It’s the middle of the winter season now for steelhead in the Pateros area of the Columbia River, drifting a Worden’s Maxi Jig in Calypso pattern under a float, baited with Pautzke’s fire cured shrimp. Also try Mack’s Glo Getters in red, pink or orange.
This remains a relati
vely poor season for steelheaders at Ringold, on the Columbia upriver from the Tri-Cities, according to Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Paul Hoffarth. Anglers are scoring at about one fish per 15 hours on the water, well below success rates for the past two years.
A few fish being caught off and on in the lower Cascade and at Reiter Ponds on the Skykomish, while the number of hatchery winter-runs returning to lower Columbia tributaries is about the same as for the same period last year. State checks on the Cowlitz over the weekend showed 47 anglers in 18 boats at Blue Creek had 13 steelhead, and 53 bank anglers had 16 fish. Three fishermen at the barrier dam had none.
Rivers in the Forks area were not in prime fishing condition over the weekend, but checks on the Bogachiel showed 28 fishermen with 5 wild fish released and 4 hatchery fish kept; Sol Duc, 28 fishermen with 9 wild released and 8 hatchery kept; and lower Hoh, 20 fishermen with 1 wild released and 1 hatchery kept.
