Sturgeon retention fishery in The Dalles Pool set to three days a week when season begins Jan. 1st

  CLACKAMAS, Ore.—Anglers will be able to retain sturgeon in The Dalles Pool (Columbia River from The Dalles Dam to John Day Dam) only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays starting Jan. 1 when the new season kicks off at the start of the year. A 12-day recreational season will run three days a week until …

Oregon Hatchery Research Center Board is seeking new members

  ALSEA, Ore. – ODFW is seeking two new board members to represent Wild Fish Advocacy and Fish Habitat Restoration on the Oregon Hatchery Research Center Board. The successful candidates will serve a four-year term. Candidates must submit an application and provide three references by Jan. 31, 2022. The ODFW Director will appoint the new members. …

Oregon’s commercial crab fishery opens December 1st

  For the first time since the 2014-15 season, the ocean commercial Dungeness crab fishery opens as scheduled Dec. 1 along the Oregon coast. Commercial crab vessels can set gear Nov. 28 (the presoak period) in anticipation of the first pull of ocean crab pots on Dec. 1. In partnership with the Oregon Dungeness Crab …

Big Creek opens early Oct. 1st for fishing due to large hatchery coho run

  ASTORIA, Ore.—Big Creek (lower Columbia River tributary east of Astoria) will open to fishing more than two weeks early to allow anglers to access an expected large hatchery coho salmon run and surplus hatchery Chinook salmon. Big Creek is typically open from the mouth (including the railroad trestle near the mouth) to the hatchery …

Pacific halibut sport fishery addition; tagging clarification

  Tuesday, September 21, 2021   NEWPORT, Ore – ODFW announces an extra day of Pacific halibut fishing in the Columbia River Subarea and clarifies how to record the two fish bag limit in the Central and Southern Oregon subareas. Additional angling day Friday, Sept. 24 has opened for anglers to fish for Pacific halibut …

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 …