Salmon & Steelhead Catch Report: 521 Boats, 117 Rods

0:00Flight crews counted 521 salmon boats and 117 Washington bank rods on the lower Columbia River from Rocky Point. To Bonneville Dam during the March 26th aerial survey, catches were slow overall, but some sections saw keepers, mostly Chinook salmon and a few steelhead. Boats in section 4 near Vancouver kept two Chinook, while section 5 at Woodland added seven more, and section 6 by Kalama got four. Things picked up downstream in section 8 at Longview, with boats keeping 12 Chinook, and section 10 near Cathamette, topped it with 15. Chinook kept. Bank anglers had mixed luck, 71 in Longview, kept three Chinook and four steelhead, and Woodland folks napped one steelhead. Tributary Shome Breider, Calitz River anglers kept over 40 steelhead combined, and Lewis River banks held two Chinook. Sturgeon stayed quiet, with just one boat checked in Longview, and no catch. Meanwhile, trout plants hit local spots.

1:003,000 rainbow trout stocked at Battleground Lake on March 26th, Ice House on March. 30th, Horseshoe on March 31st, and Lackamas plus Little Ash on April 1st, all around 2.5 to 2.7 fish per pound. Conditions look steady for early spring runs, so hit those hot sections if you're chasing salmon or steelhead before the next count drops. I'm Cory with the story, and you've been listening to Vancouver News today. AI-powered local news.