Current conditions unavailable
The Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced on Friday the first — and potentially only — day of this year’s Cowlitz River recreational smelt fishery: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday.
The season started Feb. 4 and will run through March 21.
Each Friday the agency announces on its website an update on whether the following Wednesday and Saturday will be open for dipping or not.
How the agency manages the prized local tradition has caused immense frustration in recent years as dippers have received fewer and fewer opportunities to successfully bag the small fish.
“Based on what we’re seeing in the mainstem Columbia River, we are able to offer an early season opportunity in the Cowlitz,” said Laura Heironimus, WDFW’s smelt lead, in a press release. “Fishers should be aware that smelt are still moving into the system, so availability may vary based on river conditions and timing.”
The fishery was a near total bust last year because the approved dipping days did not line up with the days the fish actually ran up the Cowlitz.
The fact that happened as the department had just required dippers to buy a freshwater fishing license for the first time added insult to injury for some people The Daily News spoke to last season.
The license requirement remains. Dippers’ least expensive option is a “1 Day Combination” license for $14.90. A season-long freshwater license costs $39.95 this year. Children under 15 do not need a license.
All smelt rules and updates can be found at wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/smelt.
Dippers are limited to 10 pounds of fish. Dipping is allowed from the Highway 432 bridge near Kelso up to the Al Helenberg Memorial Boat Ramp in Castle Rock. A list of popular sites dippers may use is posted on the smelt webpage.
This year, the agency has started putting more information on its website following criticism from dippers last year who had taken time off work, spent hundreds of dollars and, in some cases, driven hours to get to the river just to find it empty.
Information can be found on the “Cowlitz River smelt observations” section of the website which includes a summary of findings from test dips that the agency conducts on Tuesdays.
It currently advises prospective dippers, “Feb. 12: No smelt were collected during test dipping efforts, and no predators were observed. Water conditions are moderate with some color present, which is favorable, though river levels remain low. Sampling efforts will continue on Tuesday, Feb. 17.”
Predators like sea lions are a common indicator that smelt are running in the river.
WDFW’s regional spokesperson, Britton Ransford, said the webpage will continue to be updated on Tuesdays, as staffing allows, to help fishers make more informed decisions. Prospective fishers who prefer phone calls can call the office if they prefer, he added.
But he cautioned “it’s called fishing, not catching,” and said the smelt will ultimately do what they want despite the agency’s best efforts to predict what will happen and keep fishers informed.
While commercial fishers on the Columbia have already caught the 10,000 pounds that partly trigger the Cowlitz season to be opened, the fish are unpredictable. Last year, they hovered in the Columbia much longer than usual before eventually entering the Cowlitz, partly causing the bust season.
Ransford said rain that’s forecast in the coming week may help push the current smelt run to continue heading into the Cowlitz.
Columbia River smelt, also known as Eulachon, are listed as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act. That means fishery managers must monitor the run size. Fish and Wildlife data shows those runs have varied wildly over the last 15 years.
Numbers rose from 2011 to 2014 landing at about 17 million pounds. Then fell to less than half a million in 2018, before rising again to a high in 2022. They have declined again in the years since, landing at about 10 million pounds.
