Columbia River Chinook, Sockeye And Sturgeon Fishing Opportunities

Fishing seasons extended for chinook,
sockeye, sturgeon on Columbia River

OLYMPIA - Starting July 3, anglers will get four extra days to fish for summer chinook salmon and the rest of July to fish for sockeye salmon on Columbia River below Bonneville Dam.

Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon agreed to extend seasons for both salmon fisheries during a joint meeting Tuesday, when they also added four days of sturgeon fishing this month in the 46-mile reservoir behind Bonneville Dam.

In all three cases, fishing seasons were extended to allow anglers to catch fish available for harvest under joint catch guidelines, said Ron Roler, Columbia River Policy Coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).

He noted that catch guidelines for sockeye salmon reflect an updated forecast of 425,000 fish, up from 347,100 previously anticipated. This year's summer chinook forecast remains at 67,500 fish.

"Salmon are returning at or above projections, which gives us room to reopen those fisheries," Roler said. "We also have 468 white sturgeon in the Bonneville Pool still available for harvest."

Fisheries for both summer chinook and sockeye salmon closed July 1, as previously scheduled, but will open July 3 under the following rules:

• Summer chinook: Open July 3-6 from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to the Bonneville Dam deadline. Anglers can keep up to two adult hatchery chinook (with clipped adipose fins) as part of the two-fish daily limit for adult salmonids.
• Sockeye salmon: Open July 3-31 from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to the Bonneville Dam deadline. Anglers can keep up to two sockeye (adipose fin clipped or not) as part of their two-fish daily limit for adult salmonids.
• Sturgeon: The retention fishery for white sturgeon in the Bonneville Pool will be open July 11-12 and July 18-19. Anglers fishing the Bonneville Pool those days will have a daily limit of one white sturgeon with a fork length of 38 to 54 inches.

Fishing for sturgeon prohibited through July 31 from The Dalles Dam downstream 1.8 miles to a line from the upstream dock at the Port of The Dalles boat ramp straight across to a marker on the Washington shore.

For more information about the salmon and sturgeon fisheries, check the fishing rule changes at https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/.