Spring chinook angling in the lower Columbia River is projected to last through April 6 before the early season closes and sportsmen wait until a mid-May update of the salmon forecast.
Under the state, federal and tribal management agreements, guidelines and catch buffers, sport fishermen downstream of Bonneville Dam have an initial allocation of 6,905 upper Columbia-Snake spring chinook, said Ron Roler, Columbia River policy coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
With chinook headed for the Willamette and other rivers included, a kept catch of about 8,900 spring chinook overall is anticipated in the early season, he said.
Angling regulations are expected to allow fishing from a boat from the mouth of the Columbia upstream to Beacon Rock daily. Bank fishermen would get from the river mouth to Bonneville Dam daily.
Until March 1, fishing is limited to downstream of Interstate 5.
There would be an estimated 82,000 fishing trips. Spring chinook are the premier salmon in the Columbia River. They are excellent table fare and fuel a fishing frenzy by sportsmen suffering from cabin fever.
April 6 is a Thursday. Roler said if fishing was allowed on Friday, models show the upper Columbia-Snake allocation would be exceeded by about 500 spring chinook. State officials will review the catches on April 5 to determine if a fishing extension is possible and still stay within the allocation.
Water conditions play a huge role in how fast anglers catch the allocation. The deep snowpack in the Cascades and Rocky mountains could make for a high and off-color Columbia, which is not conducive to high catch rates.
Washington and Oregon officials shared the projection Wednesday with the bistate Columbia River Recreational Advisor Group in Vancouver.
The states will adopt the 2017 spring chinook fishing regulations at a hearing beginning at 1 p.m. a.m. Feb. 23 at the Clark Regional Waste Water District, 8000 N.E. 52nd Court.
There have been sport-fishing closures in recent years on Tuesdays to allow for commercial fishing without conflicts between the two fleets on the Columbia.
Reforms adopted by the Washington and Oregon fish and wildlife commissions agree there will be no commercial fishing considered before the mid-May run forecast update.
A run of 160,400 spring chinook is forecast to enter the Columbia River destined for waters upstream of Bonneville Dam. Predictions are for another 38,000 to head for the Willamette River, 3,600 to the Sandy River and 4,900 to off-channel locations, such as Youngs Bay near Astoria.
For the Washington lower Columbia tributaries, the predictions are 17,100 to the Cowlitz, 3,100 to the Kalama and 700 to the Lewis.
Roler said a sport-fishing closure zone is expected at the mouth of the Lewis River.
The North Fork of the Lewis is expected to get 700 fish back, compared to a spawning goal at the hatcheries of 1,380 spring chinook.
Sport fishing between Bonneville Dam and the Washington-Oregon boundary, east of Umatilla, Ore., is expected to open March 16 and continue through May 5. The early-season allocation for that area is 921 salmon.
