Fishery managers from Oregon and Washington added extra fishing days for recreational spring Chinook salmon and steelhead (one day below and two days above Bonneville Dam) in the Columbia River at a meeting on Tuesday.
Although the projected return of adult upriver spring Chinook to the Columbia River mouth remains at 87,000 fish, managers were able to add more days based on catch information from this past weekend. This additional opportunity supplements seasons adopted last week for below and above Bonneville Dam. A summary of upcoming adult spring Chinook seasons is provided below:
Below Bonneville Dam
- Season: Saturday May 29 and Tuesday June 1 through Tuesday June 15
- Open area: Tongue Point/Rocky Point line upstream to the Bonneville Dam deadline (boat and bank), except salmonid angling from a boat is prohibited in the spring salmonid boat-angling area closure adjacent to the Cowlitz River mouth (map available online).
Bonneville Dam to Oregon/Washington Border
- Season: Saturday May 29, Sunday May 30, Saturday June 5, and Sunday June 6
- Open area: Tower Island power lines (approximately six miles below The Dalles Dam) upstream to Oregon/Washington border, plus the Oregon and Washington banks between Bonneville Dam and the Tower Island power lines.
For both seasons listed above, the bag limit is two adult hatchery salmonids (Chinook or steelhead) per day, but only one may be a Chinook and only one may be a steelhead.
The retention of hatchery steelhead and jack Chinook is currently open in the mainstem Columbia River from Tongue Point upstream to the I-5 Bridge under permanent regulations, although the steelhead bag limit is limited to one per day. Beginning June 16, adult hatchery Chinook retention will reopen concurrent with the summer management period (see details for summer and fall seasons).
