The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has announced that the popular spring chinook fishery on the Hood River will open April 15.
According to Rod French, ODFW fish biologist, managers are predicting over 1,100 hatchery fish will return to the Hood River.
“The Hood River fishery is one of the few places a bank angler has a pretty good chance of catching a Columbia River spring chinook,” French said.
While the fishery will open in mid-April, French said the run usually peaks in late May due to colder water temperatures in the Hood River.
Here is a summary of the temporary rules for the Hood River adopted by ODFW:
• Open for adipose fin-clipped chinook from April 15 through June 30 from the mouth to mainstem confluence with the East Fork, and the West Fork from the confluence with the mainstem upstream to the angling deadline 200 feet downstream of Punchbowl Falls.
• The catch limit is two adult adipose fin-clipped chinook salmon per day, and five adipose fin-clipped jack chinook salmon per day.
• All non-adipose fin-clipped chinook salmon must be released unharmed.
