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April 4, 2024
CLACKAMAS, Ore.—Fishery managers from Oregon and Washington added four additional days (Saturday, April 6 through Tuesday, April 9) of recreational spring Chinook salmon fishing in the mainstem Columbia River downstream of Bonneville Dam during a joint state meeting today.
With the additional days, the following regulations are in effect:
Downstream of Bonneville Dam
- Open through Tuesday, April 9
- Bag limit: Two adult hatchery salmonids (Chinook or steelhead) per day, but only one may be a Chinook.
- Open area: Buoy 10 line upstream to Beacon Rock (boat and bank) plus bank angling only from Beacon Rock upstream to the Bonneville Dam deadline. For exact boundaries visit https://myodfw.com/recreation-report/fishing-report/columbia-zone.
- Shad may also be retained.
Through Sunday, April 2, there have been about 23,500 angler trips, resulting in a harvest of approximately 1,000 adult spring Chinook; this recreational fishery has only used about 14 percent of the upriver spring Chinook allocation available to it prior to an in-season run size update.
Staff believe this fishery could use up to a cumulative total of 40 percent of its pre-update upriver spring Chinook allocation by April 5, when the fishery was originally scheduled to close, leaving room to add more days and remain confident that the fishery will be well within its conservation limits.
There have been 105 adult spring Chinook counted at Bonneville Dam through April 2. It is still very early in the run—based on 10-year average run timing, to date, only about two tenths of a percent of the adult upriver spring Chinook destined for the Columbia River have passed Bonneville Dam.
The season upstream of Bonneville Dam, from the Tower Island power lines upstream to the Oregon/Washington border, started April 1 and is scheduled to continue through Thursday, May 2.
All other permanent regulations are in effect including the use of barbless hooks when angling for salmon or steelhead in mainstem Columbia River waters from the mouth upstream to the OR/WA state line.
Anglers should always check for in-season regulation changes before fishing by checking the Recreation Report – Fishing Report for the zone, https://myodfw.com/recreation-report/fishing-report/columbia-zone.
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| Contact: |
Jeff Whisler, (971) 673-6024
Michelle Dennehy, (503) 931-2748 |
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