PORTLAND — Fishing effort and spring chinook catch in the lower Willamette River improved considerably last week as the water dropped and cleared.
Here are the catch estimates, released Thursday, for March 17-23, from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife:
Lower river — 2,177 boater trips with 169 spring chinook kept and 29 released.
Middle river — 1,070 boater trips with 84 spring chinook kept and 19 released.
Upper river — 819 boater trips with 43 spring chinook kept and 11 released; 1,014 bank rods with seven spring chinook kept.
