A large portion of the lower Columbia River will remain open for recreational Chinook salmon fishing July 9 through July 15, state fishery managers announced today.
Shad fishing from Bonneville Dam to the Dalles Dam will also close July 9-15, in order to reduce impacts on sockeye.
Chinook fishing opened on much of the Columbia River on July 4, and with Chinook returning well above preseason expectations, fishery managers from Oregon and Washington agreed Wednesday to extend the fishery into next week.
The preseason forecast for Chinook returning to the Columbia River mouth was 38,000 fish, but the run estimate has held steady at 65,000 since being upgraded on June 29.
“Whenever a run comes in stronger than expected, it’s good for conservation goals, and it’s good for anglers,” said Bill Tweit, a special assistant with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). “We’ll continue monitoring the fishery closely, but it’s great that this opportunity is available for the summer season.”
The Columbia River from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line to the Highway 395 bridge in Pasco will be open to Chinook fishing July 9-July 15. The daily limit is 6; up to 2 hatchery adults may be retained. Anglers must release all steelhead and salmon other than hatchery Chinook. Additional Chinook harvest opportunity is available to recreational anglers from the Interstate 182 bridge upstream to the Brewster area.
Fishery managers will continue to monitor catch downstream of the 395 bridge to determine if additional openings can be provided after July 15.
Fishery reports
Fishing reports for waters in Southwest Washington, including the Columbia River and tributaries as reported to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife on July 7.
Always check the WDFW website at wdfw.wa.gov/fishing for the latest fishing rules and regulations as seasons can change or close quickly if necessary.
Lower Columbia mainstem from Rocky Point/Tongue Point line upstream to Bonneville Dam — 635 salmonid boats and 547 Washington bank rods were tallied during the July 4 flight count.
SALMON/STEELHEAD
MAINSTEM LOWER COLUMBIA RIVER
Bonneville — 50 bank anglers with six Chinook, one jack kept and two Chinook and two steelhead released; 1 boat/6 rods had no catch.
Vancouver — 99 bank anglers with eight Chinook kept and one Chinook, one steelhead and three sockeye released; 35 boats/83 rods with three Chinook, one jack kept, and three Chinook, two steelhead released.
Woodland — Two boats/three rods had no catch.
Kalama — 48 bank anglers with one Chinook kept; 8 boats/25 rods released three Chinook and five steelhead.
Cowlitz — Two boats/seven rods had no catch.
STURGEON
Kalama — One boat/two rods had no catch.
SHAD
Bonneville — 9 bank anglers with seven shad kept.
COLUMBIA RIVER TRIBUTARIES
SALMON/STEELHEAD
Cowlitz River from I-5 Bridge downstream — 91 bank rods with five steelhead kept.
Cowlitz, above the I-5 Bridge — 32 bank rods with eight steelhead kept and one jack released; 19 boats/48 rods with 22 steelhead kept.
Kalama River — 18 bank anglers with one jack kept; 3 boats/7 rods with one steelhead kept.
Lewis River — Four bank anglers had no catch.
Wind River — Two bank anglers had no catch.
Drano Lake — One boat/one rod had no catch.
Klickitat above No. 5 Fishway — Three bank anglers with one steelhead kept.
