Bolstered by continued high numbers of chinook salmon passing Bonneville Dam, Oregon and Washington once again relaxed angling rules on the Columbia River during a telephone meeting Wednesday.
Fishing will reopen riverwide on Friday through Sunday, with both chinook and coho salmon allowed from Buoy 10 upriver to the U.S. 395 bridge near Pasco, Washington. All steelhead must be released.
Except for Buoy 10, the limit will be one salmon. All coho downriver from the Hood River bridge must be fin-clipped. Any legal sized chinook can be kept, clipped or not. Jacks are allowed everywhere except at Buoy 10.
From Buoy 10 to Tongue Point, two salmon can be kept, but only one can be a chinook. Fishing will remain open in that area after Sunday for hatchery coho.
Biologists believe the 2020 run will exceed the prediction of 181,000 chinook, but won’t update the run until Monday. They said it’s likely another meeting on sportfishing will be held after that update.
In other salmon action, coho fishing is closed on the Oregon coast for the rest of the year. An all-coho quota between Cape Falcon and Humbug Mountain has been met.
Fishing report
Fishing reports for waters in southwest Washington, including the Columbia River and tributaries as reported to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife on Sept. 9.
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.
Update: Sturgeon
Columbia River, from Wauna powerlines upstream to Bonneville Dam, including the Cowlitz River:
Only Saturday, Sept. 12 and Sept. 19 anglers may retain White Sturgeon between 44 inches minimum to 50 inches maximum fork length.
The daily white sturgeon limit is one fish, with an annual maximum limit of two fish. Only one single- point barbless hook and bait is allowed when fishing for sturgeon.
Catch and release fishing remains open on non-retention days. Anglers may also continue catch and release fishing even after the annual limit has been met. Fishing for sturgeon at night is closed.
Mainstem Lower Columbia River
Salmon/steelhead
Bonneville — 90 bank anglers with five Chinook and one Chinook jack kept, and two steelhead released; 52 boats/128 rods with 57 Chinook, four Chinook jacks, and one coho kept, and six Chinook, two Chinook jacks released.
Camas/Washougal — 112 boats/264 rods with 76 Chinook and five Chinook jacks kept, and five Chinook, four Chinook jacks released.
Interstate-5 area — Nine bank anglers with no catch; 70 boats/176 rods with 18 Chinook and six Chinook jacks kept, and one Chinook jack released.
Vancouver — 164 bank anglers with four Chinook kept; 99 boats/248 rods with 60 Chinook, 10 Chinook jacks, and three coho kept, and one Chinook jack, two coho released.
Woodland — 39 bank anglers with two Chinook kept; 11 boats/27 rods with three Chinook, two Chinook jacks kept.
Kalama — 120 bank anglers with 21 Chinook kept; 28 boats/73 rods with 23 Chinook kept, and two Chinook, one Chinook jack released.
Cowlitz — 37 boats/103 rods with 50 Chinook, three Chinook jacks kept, and two coho released.
Longview — 32 bank anglers with one Chinook kept; 31 boats/75 rods with 26 Chinook kept.
Columbia River tributaries
Salmon/steelhead
Cowlitz River from I-5 Bridge downstream — Two boats/six rods with one Chinook, one coho jack released.
Above the I-5 Bridge — 11 bank rods with three Chinook released.
Kalama River — Six bank anglers with no catch; one boat/two rods with no catch.
Lewis River — 17 bank anglers with no catch; five boats/seven rods with one Chinook kept.
Drano Lake — 43 bank anglers with three Chinook jacks, one coho kept; 92 boats/279 rods with 78 Chinook, seven Chinook jacks, and three coho kept, and six Chinook, two coho and 13 steelhead released.
https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/reports/creel
