let's try this again!

Saturday/ Sunday (02/02/02 - 02/03/02) sport fishery, and Sunday/ Monday (02/03/02 - 02/04/02) commercial fishery:

Conditions:
It appears that the smelt previously reported in the mainstem Columbia River have bypassed the Cowlitz in favor of other watersheds further upriver (birds and seals appear to be working the Carrol Slough and Lewis River). Both the Cowlitz and and Lewis rivers measured 42 degrees on Sunday. Smelt tend to stop heading upstream once water temperatures reach or fall below 40 degrees. Cowlitz River flow was 10,700 cfs on Saturday and 10,100 cfs on Sunday, measured at the USGS Castle Rock Station. The average daily flows were less than half of last weekends flows, and about 55% of the past 30-day average (18,516cfs).

Catches:

Cowlitz River:
Sport - Weekend catches were zero smelt per dip at Gearhart ramp, 0-2 smelt per dip at Kelso Bridge , 0-4 smelt per dip at Carnival Market, and 0-6 smelt per dip at Lexington.

Commercial - According to a phone survey of 6 buyers, on Monday, there were 13 landings, totaling 13,926 pounds. The weighted average price per pound was 20 cents.

Columbia River:
Commercial - No reported landings.

Seasons/Regulations:

Sport seasons/regs:

All tributary waters are open Saturdays, Sundays, and Wednesdays, 6am - 10pm through March 31st. There is a 10 lb daily limit in effect.
Updates available at (360) 696-6211 *1010.

Commercial seasons/regs:

Currently the Mainstem Columbia and Cowlitz River (downstream of Peterson's Eddy) are open for commercial smelt fishing. In the Columbia River, the fishery is open from 3am to 9pm daily on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. Gillnets, dipnets, and trawl nets are allowed. Smelt are the only allowable sale from the fishery. In the Cowlitz River the fishery is open from 6pm Sundays to 6am Mondays, from 6pm Tuesdays to 6 am Wednesdays, and 6pm Wednesdays to 6 am Thursdays. Gear in the Cowlitz is restricted to dipnets, and only smelt are allowed to be sold.

Later today, WDFW intends to issue an emergency regulation which modifies WAC 220-33-040 and repeals the existing emergency rule WAC 220-33-04000P. If the regulation is signed this afternoon, two additional areas will be added to the tributary section, effective 6:00 PM, Tuesday, February 5, 2002:

Kalama River - downstream from the Modrow Bridge (note this is consistent with current motorized vessel restrictions)

Lewis River- mainstem and the North Fork downstream from the overhead power lines near Eagle Island (note this means that the East Fork Lewis will not be open to commercial smelt fishing).

Dates, times, gear, and allowable sales will be the same as that established in the Cowlitz River,described above.

This pending emergency regulation is consistent with Level 2 fishery provisions in the 2002 Columbia River smelt management plan.

If the Director is unable to sign the rule-making order this afternoon, the commercial fishery will remain restricted to the current mainstem Columbia River and Cowlitz areas. Therefore, commercial fishers are advised to call and confirm that the proposed ammendment is in effect, before attempting to fish the Lewis or Kalama rivers this evening. The commercial hotline in Olympia can be reached via (360) 902-2500.