The Dalles, Ore. – A sport fishing season for spring chinook salmon will begin April 15 on the Hood and Deschutes Rivers under a temporary rule adopted by ODFW.

Fishery managers have set the Deschutes River bag limit for spring chinook at one adipose fin-clipped adult and five adipose fin clipped jacks from April 15 to July 31, 2008. Once anglers have caught their daily bag limit of one adult chinook on the Deschutes, they must stop fishing entirely for the day between the upper railroad trestle and Sherars Falls.  This rule was put in place to protect wild Deschutes spring chinook.

Here are the fishing rules ODFW adopted:

Deschutes River:

From the mouth at the I-84 Bridge upstream to Sherars Falls, open to angling for trout, steelhead and adipose fin clipped chinook salmon from April 15, 2008 to July 31, 2008.

• The catch limit is one adult adipose fin clipped salmon per day and five adipose fin clipped jack salmon per day.
• All non-adipose fin clipped chinook salmon must be released unharmed.
• It is unlawful to continue to fish from Sherars Falls downstream to the upper railroad trestle (three miles) after taking a daily bag limit of one adult chinook salmon.

Hood River:

From the mouth to Powerdale Dam (four miles), open to angling for adipose fin-clipped chinook salmon from April 15 through June 30, 2008.

• The catch limit for chinook salmon is two adipose fin-clipped adults and five adipose fin-clipped jacks per day. 
• All salmon that have not been adipose fin-clipped must be released unharmed.
• All other catch limits and restrictions remain unchanged from those listed for Hood River in the 2008 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations.