Sturgeon Fishing Closing On Dalles Pool

The Dalles Pool closes early for sturgeon retention fishing

OLYMPIA – Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon announced today that The Dalles Pool on the Columbia River will close to sturgeon-retention fishing in at the end of day Sunday, Jan. 6.

The announcement came just four days after the fishery opened Jan. 1, prompted by much higher catches than anticipated in the first three days of fishing.

Bill Tweit, a special assistant at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), said an immediate closure was necessary to prevent the harvest from exceeding the quota of 135 white sturgeon in those waters.

"The catch mounted much faster than expected," Tweit said. "The water temperature was higher than usual, but we don't know for certain what caused the bite to come on so strong."

The Dalles Pool, which stretches from The Dalles Dam upriver to John Day Dam, will remain open to catch-and-release fishing.

Bonneville Pool and John Day Pool, two other areas of the Columbia River that also opened for white sturgeon fishing Jan. 1, will remain open to retention fishing until further notice.

In the Bonneville Pool, anglers may retain white sturgeon measuring 38-54 inches (fork length) between Bonneville Dam and The Dalles Dam under a catch guideline of 325 fish.

In the John Day Pool, anglers may retain white sturgeon measuring 43-54 inches (fork length) between John Day Dam and McNary Dam until the catch reaches the 105-fish guideline.

The daily limit in those areas is one white sturgeon per day, with an annual limit of two legal-size fish.