Get your fishing gear ready because starting March 1, anglers can hit the waters of the lower Columbia River for some spring chinook salmon fishing. This fishing season is expected to last until April 5, stretching from Buoy 10 to Bonneville Dam. Upstream from the dam to the Oregon-Washington border, fishing enthusiasts can cast their lines from April 1 to May 2.
During this fishing window, anglers are permitted to catch one hatchery chinook per day, staying within the two-fish hatchery salmon/steelhead bag limit. The final decision on these seasons was made during a meeting held in Vancouver by biologists from Oregon and Washington.
But there’s a twist – if the catch rates exceed expectations, closures might happen earlier than anticipated. Managers will be keeping a close eye on the situation and will reassess after each closure to evaluate the progress of the salmon run.
Updates on the status of the run, mainly based on Bonneville crossings, are usually available in May, which could potentially open up more fishing opportunities.
Additionally, anglers have something to look forward to before the salmon season kicks off – a two-day white sturgeon retention fishery. This fishery allows one sturgeon per day and is scheduled for Saturday (Feb. 24) and Wednesday (Feb. 28) between The Dalles and John Day dams.
