Fisheries managers have set the ground rules for early spring chinook salmon fishing on the Columbia River.
This year’s season on the lower river (downstream from Bonneville Dam) will run through April 6, which pics up the early part of the year’s best fishing.
Starting March 1 and going through April 6, the daily bag limit will be two hatchery salmon or steelhead, One of those can be a fin-clipped chinook salmon.
Boats may fish from Buoy 10 up below Beacon Rock, about four mile belows below Bonneville Dam. Bank anglers can fish farther up to the deadlines below the dam.
Above Bonneville Dam, spring salmon fishing will run from April 1 through April 26 with similar regulations.
The lower river is currently open to hatchery salmon and steelhead, although it’s still too early to have many catches. The Columbia is running cold and spring chinook passage over Bonneville Dam hasn’t gotten going to any degree, which will be one of the signs to know more fish have arrived.
I would expect fishing on the lower river near Portland to improve significantly in March, especially closer to spring break, and to potentially be very good in those first six days of April.
It’s worth noting that fisheries managers keep track of actual fish numbers as the season goes along. If the run looks strong enough, additional salmon fishing opportunities might open up later in the spring.
I also fish for spring chinook in the lower Willamette River, which isn’t subject to the same mid-season closures as the Columbia.
Read the Columbia River Fishery Notice setting the rules for all of the official details, including full descriptions of the closed areas.
Last Updated on by Marv
