Spring Chinook, Steelhead Fishing To Reopen On Lower Columbia River

OLYMPIA - The sport fishery for hatchery spring chinook salmon and hatchery steelhead will reopen Saturday (May 25) on the lower Columbia River under an agreement reached today by fishery managers from Washington and Oregon.

The fishery is scheduled to run through June 15 from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line near the mouth of the river to the deadline below Bonneville Dam. For boat anglers, the upriver boundary is Beacon Rock.

Anglers may retain one adult hatchery chinook salmon as part of their daily limit.

Barbless hooks are required. All chinook salmon and steelhead not marked with a clipped adipose fin must be released. Sockeye salmon must also be released.

"We know a lot of anglers have been waiting for this opportunity," said Ron Roler, Columbia River policy coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). "Now that we have a better idea of this year’s run size, more spring chinook have become available for harvest."

Fishery managers closed the fishery April 13, after anglers had taken 3,539 upriver chinook. Although the size of the run was later reduced to 107,500 fish, Roler said 1,357 upriver chinook are still available for the recreational fishery.