Deschutes River opens to chinook salmon fishing April 1

Mike Gauvin of Madras landed this Deschutes River spring chinook in 2008. Fish managers are predicting 7,500 to 8,500 hatchery fish will be available for harvest during the upcoming spring chinook season on the Deschutes.

THE DALLES, Ore. – Fisheries managers announced today there will be a sport fishing season for spring chinook salmon on the Deschutes River beginning April 1, 2010.

According to Rod French, district fish biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, managers are predicting a return of 2,000 wild spring chinook to the Deschutes River this year. This compares to last year’s projected return of 400 wild fish, which prompted the cancellation of the 2009 spring sport fishing season.

“When the wild chinook populations are low, we can’t afford any incidental catch and release mortality from anglers targeting hatchery fish,” French said. “This year, however, we’re expecting an excellent return of wild fish along with a strong return of hatchery fish for anglers to keep”.

Here is a summary of the temporary rules adopted by ODFW:

The Deschutes River from the mouth at the I-84 Bridge upstream to Sherars Falls is open to angling for trout, steelhead and adipose fin-clipped chinook salmon from April 1, 2010 to July 31, 2010.

• The catch limit is two 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 angle from Sherars Falls downstream to the upper railroad trestle after taking a daily bag limit of two adult chinook salmon.

The fishery below Sherars Falls is extremely popular because the high catch rates offer a good opportunity to catch a Columbia River spring chinook from the bank. In recent years, an annual average of over 7,000 anglers have participated in the fishery.

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