Get hooked on fishing at local hatcheries

By Greg Johnson

The tip of your fishing pole suddenly starts twitching, followed by a violent tug of war with a 30-pound Lewis River Chinook salmon.

You try to keep your composure as the hefty salmon repeatedly takes line off your reel in a back-and-forth battle. After one more mighty run, you finally land the fighting fish in your net.

Just across the river stands the major reason for your fishing success. The Lewis River Salmon Hatchery, on the North Fork of the Lewis River 4 miles downstream of Merwin Dam, produces coho salmon as well as spring and fall runs of the prized Chinook salmon.

Salmon spend up to five years feeding and maturing in the ocean before using the Earth’s magnetic field to navigate to the Columbia River. Their journey eventually takes them to the Lewis River, where they swim up an engineered fish ladder to their final destination at the hatchery. The hatchery is where they are trapped and sorted, and their fertilized eggs are kept for breeding.

Recent federal cuts to the Select Area Fisheries Enhancement program have negatively affected several Northwest fish hatcheries. However, the Lewis River hatchery is not affected because it’s supported by PacifiCorp and Cowlitz PUD. It’s a great place for grandparents to teach their grandkids a lesson on the life cycle of these beautiful fish.

Another local hatchery worth experiencing is the Vancouver Trout Hatchery, which is operated by the nonprofit Columbia Springs education center. The hatchery was built in 1938 at the base of the Columbia Slope, where spring water provides cold, clean water ideal for raising trout and salmon. The trout and steelhead are eventually planted in local rivers and lakes for recreational fishing.

Columbia Springs partners with Clark Public Utilities and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to annually raise thousands of steelhead, rainbow trout and chum salmon. Columbia Springs visitors can learn about the unique hydrology, history and hatchery operations. They can also walk on 2 miles of trails to enjoy lakes and 100 acres of lush forests.

Columbia Springs is located at 12208 S.E. Evergreen Highway in Vancouver. The facility is open from dawn to dusk daily. Admission is free. For information, go to www.columbiasprings.org or call 360-882-0936.

Greg Johnson is a travel writer for The Messenger