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May 11, 2016
CLACKAMAS, Ore. – Spring Chinook and steelhead fishing on the Columbia River will re-open for an additional three days under rules adopted today during a joint state hearing of fish and wildlife officials from Oregon and Washington.
The season opens on Friday May 13 and continues through Sunday May 15.
The open area is from Tongue Point approximately 19 miles upstream from the river mouth upstream to the Oregon/Washington border (above McNary Dam). Only bank angling is allowed from Beacon Rock upstream to the Tower Island powerlines near The Dalles.
The joint state action is based on an updated estimate of salmon returns issued on Monday by the U.S. v. Oregon Technical Advisory Committee, which reaffirmed its pre-season estimate of 188,800 upriver spring Chinook entering the mouth of the Columbia in 2016. The estimate is based on Chinook passage at Bonneville to date. Chinook crossings are approximately 50 percent completed by May 7, based on the 10-year average.
“We know anglers were anxious to get back on the water, and we’re happy that the run update allowed us to be able to offer some additional Spring Chinook fishing,” said Tucker Jones, ODFW’s Columbia River Program manager.
The daily bag limit is two fin-clipped adult salmonids per day of which only one may be a Chinook. Retention of fin-clipped Chinook jacks is also allowed. Sockeye salmon must be released.
To protect ESA-listed Lewis River spring Chinook salmon during the three-day season, the states agreed to establish a sanctuary around the mouth of the Lewis River that will be closed to all fishing.
The closure area is described as a line from a marker on the lower end of Bachelor Island through USCG buoy Red #4 to the Oregon shore, downstream to a line from the lower (north) end of Sauvie Island across to the downstream range marker (0.7 miles downstream of the Lewis R.) and continuing along the wing jetty to the Washington Shore
Beginning Monday May 16, permanent rules resume which allow for retention of hatchery steelhead downstream of the I-5 Bridge.
For more information, visit ODFW’s website at www.odfw.com. ### |
