The warm weather has perked up the bass and catfish lurking in the Yakima River, and fishing in turn has also taken a swing for the better.

Paul Hoffarth, a state Fish and Wildlife in Pasco, reported anglers were primarily fishing for smallmouth bass. The 85 bass anglers interviewed this past week caught 114 fish and released 68, averaging 1.4 bass per hour.

From May 30 through June 5 an estimated 2,025 smallmouth bass were caught and 1,123 were caught in the lower river. Bank angling for channel catfish during the daylight has improved with 41 catfish being caught during the week.

Based on the current preliminary data over 25,000 smallmouth bass have been caught and over 21,000 harvested in the Yakima River this spring. Final estimates will be calculated at the close of the salmon fishery.