Ocean salmon fishing closes Aug. 30 from Leadbetter Point, WA to Cape Falcon, OR

  Friday, August 27, 2021   SALEM, Ore – Recreational ocean salmon angling closes 12:01 a.m. on Monday, August 30 within the Columbia River Ocean Salmon Management Area (Leadbetter Point, WA to Cape Falcon, OR). Through Aug. 22, an estimated 34,080 marked coho have already been landed in this area, and fishery managers expect harvest …

ODFW Public meetings on 2022 sport halibut and bottomfish seasons

Photo by Kolmkolm   NEWPORT, Ore – ODFW is hosting a virtual meeting on Monday, Aug. 9 from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. to gather public input on the 2022 sport halibut and bottomfish seasons. Pacific halibut: The International Pacific Halibut Commission approved a 1.5 million-pound catch limit for Area 2A (Oregon, Washington, and California) …

ODFW enacts temporary changes to harvest of wild fall-run Chinook salmon in some SW Zone coastal rivers

Photo Courtesy of Columbia River Fall Salmon Guides Columbia River Fishing Adventures     Hatchery salmon fishing mostly unchanged from permanent regulations   ALEM, Ore. — ODFW is enacting temporary restrictions on coastal wild adult Chinook salmon harvest in the Southwest Zone due to low forecasted returns. Chinook salmon returns have been below average the past …

States set additional Columbia River spring Chinook fishing days

  CLACKAMAS, Ore.—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 yesterday. Although the projected return of adult upriver spring Chinook to the Columbia River mouth remains at 87,000 fish, managers …

ODFW announces bag limit reduction for sport bottomfish

  NEWPORT, Ore – Effective Monday, May 10 the general marine bag limit is reduced to five fish (from six) per angler per day for sport bottomfish. The sub-bag limit of one China, copper, or quillback rockfish remains in place. This change reduces the risk of early closure or more severe restrictions later this summer in …

Southern Oregon coast opens for razor clam harvesting

  The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) announce the opening of all razor clam harvesting from the south jetty of the Siuslaw River to the California border. Recent shellfish samples taken from this area indicate levels of the marine biotoxin domoic acid have fallen below the …

Early pikeminnow season launch gives some anglers the chance to earn more cash

  PORTLAND, Ore. – Registered anglers fishing near the Tri-Cities, Washington, can fish and turn in northern pikeminnow beginning April 19 as part of an early opening trial of the 2021 Northern Pikeminnow Sport Reward Fishery. The early season opener is only available to anglers registered at the Columbia Point registration station near Richland, Washington, fishing …

Umatilla River spring Chinook season to close on April 16th

  PENDLETON, Ore. – ODFW will close recreational spring Chinook retention in the Umatilla River Basin from April 16 through June 30, 2021. The closure will be in effect from the mouth of the Umatilla River, near Highway 730 bridge, to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) boundary (approximately 0.7 miles above Hwy …

ODFW eliminates bag limit at Chickahominy Reservoir due to low water levels

  HINES, Ore. – ODFW is temporarily lifting possession and size limits for trout at Chickahominy Reservoir near the town of Riley due to low reservoir water levels and current drought conditions. The temporary rule will be in effect from April 14 through Oct. 10. Other current angling gear restrictions (fishing rod and hook) remain …

States approve 2021 sturgeon retention seasons below Bonneville Dam

Photo courtesy of Sturgeon Fishing Guides Columbia River Fishing Adventures   CLACKAMAS, Ore. – Fishery managers from Oregon and Washington recently adopted two recreational white sturgeon retention fisheries for the lower Columbia River downstream of Bonneville Dam. The first fishery will occur from the Wauna powerlines (at river mile 40) downstream to Buoy 10 at the …