3 Fish Coho Limits on some Washington Trib's

[Born to be Wild]

Talked with Chuck Johnson (WDFW – Vancouver) today about this years Washington Columbia River trib limits of coho.

It looks as if 4 rivers are going to start out with 3 coho a day bag limits!
These are the Cowlitz, NF Lewis, Washougal, and Toutle. If the run size appears to be larger in these particular rivers than originally estimated, they could go to 4 or 6 fish (coho) a day with an in-season bag limit change. There is also the remote possibility any one of them could be reduced during the season if the expected runs didn’t materialize, but doubtful.

The Cowlitz and Washougal has a late run of coho. The NF Lewis has both a late and early run (strain) of coho and the Toutle has an early strain only.

Three other rivers are starting at 2 fish (coho) a day. These are the Kalama, Grays, and the Elocoman Rivers. There is the possibility that anyone of these three rivers could have an in-season change in bag limits also.

I’m a bit surprised to see the Washougal included in the 3 fish a day and the Elocoman in the 2 fish a day. In the past several years when daily bag limits were increased to 4 or 6 coho a day, the Elocoman was included and the Washougal excluded.

Anyway, great news for fall fishermen that enjoy catching hatchery coho in the rivers! I applaud WDFW for allowing fishermen to take advantage of excess hatchery coho.

All non fin clipped coho should be handled with care and released unharmed. This is extremely important in the lower Columbia and it's tribs with the current status of the "lower Columbia wild coho".

One last note: Bouy 10 will open up with a 3 coho a day bag limit August 16th.

:grin:

[Born to be Wild]

By the way, I usually talk to Joe Hymer in the Vancouver office, but he was out fishing today.

Understand he was fishing the Wind or maybe Chuck said Drano. Anyway Chuck said he had bonked a couple on the head already at the time I talked to him.

[steelheadslayer]

That's great news Dan, when the limit at Buoy 10 was 4 a couple years ago, I limited out every time I went down there. Last year, the limit was two and I lost one fish in two trips.

[Beerbelly]

Hey Dan thank's for the report, Thats good new's. I just didn't want to stop at 2 last year. Too much fun.

[Bankbound]

Being from Oregon I never ever fish up north short of the san juans every so often. My question is are there really THAT many fish up there on those rivers to support a 6 fish harvest limit? The ocean conditions must be incredible to produce that type of return. Am I missing out or what?!

MH

[willametteriveroutlaw]

Yep..

[boater]

Originally posted by Bankbound:
My question is are there really THAT many fish up there on those rivers to support a 6 fish harvest limit?


MH

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">they plant alot of fish

[Sore Back]

Thank's for the info Dan.

[Born to be Wild]

Bankbound,

As Wilametteriveroutlaw and Boater said; "yep, they plant a lot of fish up there".

The Cowlitz and NF Lewis Rivers are probably the largest hatchery coho rivers on the Columbia system. They can have returns of 70,000 - 100,000 respectively. In 2001 the Cowlitz had a return of 68,605 coho and the Lewis had a return of 99,095 coho. That's after the gill nets, Bouy 10 and the ocean fisheries.

2001 was a big hatchery coho year for this day and age with an OPI of 1.7 million. Out of that total over 1 million returned to the Columbia. That's after all the coho that were caught in the ocean, bouy 10, Columbia River (sport & commercial) and the small amount that returned to the Oregon Coast (approx. 40,000). Actually that Columbia count might have included the bouy 10, Columbia River (sport & commercial) fisheries.

This years OPI is estimated to be approx. 863,100 hatchery coho. A respectable year.

For those of you that don't understand why there is such liberal bag limits in some of the trib's and bouy 10 and not the ocean it is because the hatchery fish are mixed in with the wild coho from the Columbia and Oregon Coast both while out at sea. The Oregon Coastal wild coho (OCN's) still need some protection but less and less as they continue to rebound.

There is a pretty liberal hatchery coho fishery in the ocean this year however and virtually no commercial fishery on them in the salt resulting in some of the hatcheries recieving excess fish thus the liberal limits in some of the trib's.

This first pic is of 10 coho and 1 chinook caught for three of us last fall in the Cowlitz after an in-season bag limit change to 4 coho a day.



This second pic is of a 6 fish limit of late coho I caught on the Elocoman in 2001 when a few of the Washington trib's had a 6 a day limit and there still was thousands of coho over the escapement goal. One gal I know caught a chromer late coho on Nov. 24th that year on the Elocoman.

[steelheadslayer]

Dan, I have NO idea where that last pic was taken, care to share the zipper location with us. The fish look like they like that stretch of water, all 20 yds. of it. Hopefully, the fish will show in force and we can get an emergency limit increase.

[KingFisher85]

I can't wait. This last year was killer for me, I know this year is gonna be even better!
Thanks for the info Dan

[Born to be Wild]

OK Steelheadslayer, just for that I'm not going to share my zipper egg cure with ya! I didn't even fish that river last year (my personal favorite). Not enough water on a timely basis. Only fished the Toutle (not enough water there for my liking), the Cowlitz and Kalama.

KingFisher85, where the heck is Amboy?

[KingFisher85]

You don't wanna know were Amboy is.
Know were Merwin Lake is on the Lewis River? Am right on the other side of the hill from it.

[Bankbound]

Ok you all have one more Oregon angler to contend with!! I'll be the lost puppy for the first months, thet is unless the other Mike H. wants toi show me around????!!

[Bankbound]

My first double post.....I'm so proud! :grin:

[ 04-18-2003, 07:16 AM: Message edited by: Bankbound ]

[Born to be Wild]

Whoops! That was suppose to go on the fin clip thread!

Will just start another one.

Dan

[ 04-18-2003, 11:52 AM: Message edited by: DepoeBayDan ]