Recreational spring Chinook anglers will get one more day of fishing on the mainstem Columbia River downstream of Bonneville Dam under rules adopted today by fishery managers from Oregon and Washington.
Chinook salmon retention will open for one day only on Saturday, April 19 under the season approved during a joint hearing of the Oregon and Washington departments of fish and wildlife. The lower Columbia will re-open to boat and bank fishing from the river mouth upstream to Rooster Rock, plus bank angling only from Rooster Rock upstream to the Bonneville Dam deadline. The upstream boat angling boundary was moved downstream to Rooster Rock to help ensure catch remains within the management guideline.
This is the second time this year fishery managers have extended the Chinook salmon retention season below Bonneville Dam. Today’s decision was based on catch data that indicated additional spring Chinook remain available for harvest under catch guidelines set earlier in the year. The first extension included an additional six days of retention beyond the original closure date of April 8.
“We expect that as we are nearing the peak of the run, and with improved catch rates there will be a lot of anglers on the water for this one-day extension,” said John North, manager of Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Columbia River Program.
The daily bag limit remains at two adult fin-clipped salmon or steelhead, of which only one may be a Chinook.
Above Bonneville, the Chinook season remains open through May 9 or until the harvest guideline of 1,354 spring Chinook is achieved.
For more information visit ODFW’s website.
