Anglers from across the Pacific Northwest took to the banks of the Cowlitz River on Wednesday, March 12, for the opening of the state's brief smelt dipping season.
All it took was a few empty nets for hopeful dip-netters to realize the small silver fish were nowhere to be found despite the recreational fishery being approved by the Washington state Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
At the Al Helenberg Memorial Boat Ramp, located approximately 1,300 feet upstream of the Highway 411/A Street Bridge in Castle Rock, smelt dippers were heading down to claim their spot before the sun came up.
Braving heavy rain and cold temperatures, anglers awaited the start time.
Smelters began dipping their nets at 8 a.m.
Many were leaving for their vehicles by 8:01 a.m.
“I didn't see a single fish. It only takes four or five dips to know,” said Simon Kulishot, of Everett, who called it a day after 10 minutes of pulling an empty net from the Cowlitz.
Dipping was open from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. from the Highway 432 Bridge near Kelso upstream to the Al Helenberg Memorial Boat Ramp, and will open again this Saturday for the same time frame.
Each dip-netter was allowed to retain a daily limit of up to 10 pounds of smelt.
John Wascend lives just a block down the road from Riverside Park in north Longview, where he tried his luck dip-netting.
“To give up, it probably took about 20 or 30 tries,” Wascend said. “I'm gonna hang around for a bit. Maybe I'll dip my net back in if I hear some celebrations down the way.”
A Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Scientific technician was on site to collect biological data on the fish, had any been pulled from the river.
“We kinda know where the fish are. We weren't anticipating a great catch today,” the technician said. “The goal was to set a date so people could better plan, then just cross our fingers and hope the fish cooperate.”
He said that cold water temperatures in February have kept the smelt in the mainstream of the Columbia River, where they have yet to begin their migration up the Cowlitz.
“People were mad in the past for only getting one day's notice, so we try to strike a balance to keep the public happy,” he said. “The fish work on their program, not our program. They're at the mercy of nature. They respond to what it’s doing.”
In late January, WDFW announced a tentative schedule for the Cowlitz River smelt fishery, proposing 14 tentative dipping opportunities on Wednesdays and Saturdays from Feb. 5 through March 22. Each date will be confirmed or canceled in the days ahead of the proposed openings. The schedule can be viewed at https://shorturl.at/250Z2.
As of this year, a current Washington fishing license is required to dip-net for smelt. A Washington combination, freshwater or temporary license is valid. Children 14 and under do not need a fishing license. Visit https://wdfw.wa.gov/licenses/fishing/types-fees for more information.
