Columbia River Gorge photo by Liz Lauren – Pexels
CLACKAMAS, Ore.—Following an in-season assessment of the upriver spring Chinook return, fishery managers from Oregon and Washington added more recreational spring Chinook fishing days on the mainstem Columbia during a joint state hearing yesterday. Six additional fishing days downstream of Bonneville Dam and five additional fishing days upstream of Bonneville Dam were added.
While fishery biologists with the U.S. v. Oregon Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) are now expecting the upriver-origin adult spring Chinook return to be 126,200 fish (which is a reduction from the preseason forecast of 147,300), enough recreational allocation remains to offer more fishing opportunity, while staying within allowed ESA-impact rates and other management limits.
As of May 12, a total of 72,591 adult spring Chinook have passed Bonneville Dam, which is greater than the recent 10-year average cumulative count for this date.
Open dates, areas, and daily adult bag limits for the days added follow:
Downstream of Bonneville Dam
Dates: Friday, May 15 through Sunday, May 17 and
Saturday, May 23 through Monday, May 25
Open area: Tongue Point/Rocky Point line upstream to Beacon Rock plus only the Oregon and Washington banks from Beacon Rock upstream to the Bonneville Dam deadline. For exact boundaries visit the Recreation Report for the Columbia Zone.
Retention allowed: Open for hatchery Chinook and hatchery steelhead
Daily Adult Bag Limit: Two adult hatchery salmonids (Chinook or steelhead) per day, but only one may be a Chinook. Shad may also be retained.
Upstream of Bonneville Dam
Dates: Friday, May 15 through Sunday, May 17 and
Saturday, May 23 through Sunday, May 24
Open area: Tower Island power lines (approximately six miles downstream of The Dalles Dam) upstream to the Oregon/Washington border, plus only the Oregon and Washington banks from Bonneville Dam upstream to the Tower Island power lines.
Retention allowed: Open for hatchery Chinook and hatchery steelhead
Daily Adult Bag limit: Two adult hatchery salmonids (Chinook or steelhead) per day, but only one may be a Chinook.
All other permanent regulations apply, including the permanent retention regulations for hatchery steelhead (which differ above and below I-5 Bridge) on days when hatchery spring Chinook retention is not allowed.
Anglers are reminded that from March 1 through June 15 on days when the mainstem Columbia River recreational fishery below Bonneville Dam is open to retention of Chinook, the daily salmonid bag limit in Oregon and Washington Select Areas will be the same as mainstem Columbia River bag limits.
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