ENTERPRISE – The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife will open the upper Snake River for spring chinook fishing on Saturday, April 24. The river will be open to sport fishing seven days a week from Dug Bar Boat Ramp to the deadline below Hells Canyon Dam.
The fishery will remain open until a notice of closure is announced.
The daily bag limit is four adipose fin-clipped spring chinook salmon per day, no more than two can be adult salmon longer than 24 inches. Anglers must stop fishing for salmon for the day when they have kept four salmon or two adult salmon, whichever comes first. Only barbless hooks may be used. Anglers are reminded to consult the 2010 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations for other applicable regulations.
ODFW and Idaho Fish and Game fishery managers, who co-manage Snake River sport fisheries, predict up to 15,000 hatchery-origin chinook salmon will return to the base of Hell’s Canyon dam this year. This is more fish than needed for hatchery production needs and thus will be available for sport harvest.
“The duration of the fishery will depend on actual number of fish returning and the success rate of anglers trying to catch them” said Jeff Yanke, ODFW district fish biologist in Enterprise. “Given the number of fish expected to return, we expect Oregon and Idaho anglers to enjoy a great spring chinook season this year.”
### | 
Receive News Release Updates by E-mail