12/12/2003
Smelt fishing seasons on the Columbia River and its tributaries are expected to be announced next week by the state, which says the 2004 outlook is good following the two previous excellent seasons. Smelt usually show up in the Cowlitz and often in other tributaries around the first of February, but they're around in January during some years. A few apparently have already moved into the Columbia, with a commercial fisherman reporting a handful in the Clatskanie area on Tuesday.
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12/26/2003
Smelt season: The Columbia River and tributaries are open for smelt season Jan. 1 through March 31, 2004.
The main stem Columbia season will be open seven days a week and 24 hours a day.
Washington tributaries will be open seven days a week from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. The daily limit is 20 pounds per person (about 2/3 of a five-gallon bucket) with dip gear only.
No license is required.
For more information, call the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's Region 5 office, 360-696-6211. Press *1010 for regulations and current fishing reports.
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01/14/2004
Smelt season in the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam and tributaries including the Cowlitz River is open Jan. 1 through Mar. 31. Mainstem Columbia is open 7 days per week and 24 hours per day. Washington tributaries including the Cowlitz are open 7 days per week 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. No license is required. Daily limit is 20 pounds per person (about 2/3 of a 5-gallon bucket). Dip net gear only. Please remember to respect private property. No smelt have been reported yet.
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01/22/2004
Cowlitz River smelt: "The cold water is having a negative affect on smelt returns, and you need it to be about 42 degrees to get them moving," Hymer said.
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Smelt 01/23/2004
Smelt: The fish have yet to make an appearance in the Columbia River, but a commercial fisher did report the catching of a single smelt near the river mouth last week.
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Smelt 01/27/2004
Small amount taken in the mainstem Columbia by an Oregon trawler near Astoria today. Sea lions in significant numbers up to Skamokawa. Eagles and sea lions present on lower Grays River.
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01/29/2004
Cowlitz River smelt: "No real changes for smelt, but we've had some pretty good sea-lion activity up to Skamokawa near Cathalamet, and there may be some smelt pushing into the Lower Grays River," Hymer said.
On Monday, a small amount of smelt was taken in Columbia mainstem by an Oregon trawler near Astoria.
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02/06/2004
Commercial fishers have reported finding a few smelt in the lower Cowlitz River.
The fish have been up as far as Lakeside, which is approximately one mile upstream from Gearhart Park in Longview.
The information is important to recreational fishers, who are waiting for a smelt run to start.
One commercial fisher on the Columbia reportedly caught about 50 pounds of smelt near Cathlamet, said Joe Hymer of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's Vancouver office.
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02/12/2004
Smelt have entered the lower Cowlitz River, and sketchy reports indicate some in the Lewis River too, but dip-netters so far this week have not been catching too many. Limits were reported last Friday in the Lexington area of the Cowlitz, but with the lack of rain, clearing water and sunny days, catches tailed off. Dippers fishing at night have done better. Most figure the run is just starting, though, and the fish will boom into the Cowlitz and maybe the Lewis after the next good rain.
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02/13/2004
Smelt are in southwest Washington's Columbia River, but recreational dippers have found mixed success trying to net the fish.
The best catches have been reported in the early evenings near Kelso, said Joe Hymer, a biologist with the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Smelt also are showing in the Lewis River, but not in big numbers.
Commercial anglers landed 7,000 pounds of smelt on the lower Columbia last week.
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02/20/2004
Smelt dipping has been slow since the fish made a brief appearance in the lower Cowlitz about 10 days ago. A solid run is expected this year, so they should reappear.
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02/26/2004
Smelt: Recreational smelt dipping at the Oak Harbor Marina continues strong, according to spokesman Wes George. There's lots of pressure, but many limits leaving the docks, he said.
"When I got to work Saturday morning," he said, there were already 35 people there, and we had over 100, I would guess, throughout the day."
Jigs are available at Ace Hardware in Oak Harbor, he said.
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02/26/2004
Columbia River: Smelt dipping on the lower Cowlitz River has been dead recently, but a spokesman for Carnival Market in Kelso (360-425-6622) said commercial fishermen are telling him about a big school of smelt still holding in the Columbia, around Skamokawa. "It's just a matter of time before we get some of those fish," he said.
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03/04/2004
Lower Cowlitz - Smelt still have not arrived in significant numbers, said Ralph Moritz of Four Corners General Store.
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03/04/2004
Smelt in Oak Harbor area: "Jigging has been really good at the marina's public moorage dock," Chamberlain said.
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03/04/2004
Smelt in Cowlitz River and other Lower Columbia tributaries: "No changes for smelt and it has been dead," Hymer said. "There is still a possibility they could show up, but even the commercial guys have put away their gear for now."
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03/12/2004
Recreational smelt dippers are getting a chance to use their nets this week.
In the Longview-Kelso area, sports dipping from the mouth of the Cowlitz to Lexington has been good, with fishers netting five to 15 smelt per dip early this week, said Will Morrison of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife's Vancouver office.
Bird and marine animal activity has been observed in the Lewis River, but there have been no reported catches. There have been no reports of smelt in Grays River.
For smelt updates, call 360-696-6211, then press *1010.
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03/17/2004
Lower Cowlitz - Commercial fishermen were targeting smelt near Lexington, but smelt dippers have not done well near Castle Rock lately, said Pam Anfinson of Four Corners General Store in Castle Rock.
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10/14/2004
Smelt: Fishermen using white smelt jigs did well over the weekend at Cornet Bay, on the northeast corner of Whidbey Island,
