Fishery managers from Oregon and Washington today approved another extension of the recreational fishing season for Chinook salmon on the Columbia River.
Chinook season will reopen for one day on Saturday, May 9 and again from May 16 through June 15 on the lower Columbia, from Tongue Point upstream to Bonneville Dam. Fishing from both boats and the bank is allowed upstream to Beacon Rock, while only bank angling is permitted from Beacon Rock upstream to the fishing deadline at Bonneville Dam.
The additional fishing days were approved based on current catch estimates and a revised run update that puts the projected return of upriver-origin spring Chinook at 241,000, resulting in 3,800 more fish being available to recreational anglers in the lower Columbia.
Above Bonneville Dam, the current spring Chinook season was extended by four days through Sunday, May 10. This season had previously been set to close effective May 7 and was extended based on the new run-size projections, which indicated an additional 600 springers are available to recreational anglers in this section of the river. This season is effective from the Tower Island power lines, approximately six miles below The Dalles Dam, upstream to the Oregon/Washington border. In addition, bank (but not boat) fishing is permitted on both sides of the river from Bonneville Dam upstream to the Tower Island power lines.
Additional regulations include the following:
• The mainstem Columbia will be open for retention of adipose fin-clipped steelhead and shad only during days and seasons open for retention of adipose fin-clipped spring Chinook.
• When the recreational fishery below Bonneville Dam is open to retention of Chinook, the salmonid daily bag limit in Oregon and Washington Select Areas will be the same as mainstem Columbia River bag limits. On days when the mainstem Columbia River fishery is closed to Chinook retention, permanent salmonid bag limit regulations apply.
The daily bag limit for all fisheries noted above is two adult salmonids per day, but only one may be a Chinook. Only adipose fin-clipped fish may be kept and all sockeye must be released. All other permanent regulations apply.
This is the third time fishery managers have extended the recreational spring Chinook season. The summer Chinook fishery is scheduled to begin June 16.
