The Oregon and Washington Fish and Wildlife Departments released their final summer and fall sport fishing seasons for salmon and steelhead in the Columbia River.
The summer season for hatchery Chinook salmon, hatchery steelhead, and sockeye salmon will begin June 16 in the river from the Astoria area near the mouth up to Pasco, Washington. In most of that long section, the river is the boundary between the two states.
The fall season in the river from the famed Buoy 10 area upriver will again start on August 1. Different river sections will have different closure dates and other specific regulations.
Pay close attention to all regulatory details, including especially short seasons for summer Chinook salmon, a.k.a. king salmon, specific area closures, and increased hatchery marking requirements.
The following news release, which the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife issued late Friday, provides additional details. Use the links in the release to uncover all of the specifics before planning your trips, and always check for in-season updates.
The remainder of this article is the ODFW News Release:
CLACKAMAS, Ore.—Oregon and Washington fishery managers have finalized preseason planning for 2024 Columbia River summer and fall recreational salmon and steelhead fisheries.
Forecasts for summer and fall Chinook, sockeye, and coho will allow opportunity for anglers to target these fish. The planned 2024 fall-season fisheries are primarily limited by the expected harvest of upriver bright fall Chinook which is subject to catch-sharing agreements with the Columbia River treaty tribes under the U.S. v. OR Management Agreement. As has been the case in recent years, added protections are also necessary for ESA-listed Lower Columbia River (LCR) fall Chinook and summer steelhead.
For the summer season, retention of adult hatchery Chinook, hatchery steelhead, and sockeye will open June 16 from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco, WA. Due to the summer Chinook forecast of 52,600 adults (similar to last year’s actual return) and allocation guidance, adult Chinook retention will only be open from June 16–19 in the area downstream of Bonneville Dam and from June 16–30 upstream of Bonneville Dam. However, the sockeye return is forecast to be 401,700 (about 20 percent higher than last year’s actual return) and the retention of sockeye and hatchery steelhead is expected to remain open through the end of July. The daily adult bag limit during the summer season is two adult salmon/steelhead, but only one may be a hatchery steelhead, and all sockeye are considered adults.
This year’s adult fall Chinook forecast of 551,800 fish and the Columbia River coho forecast of 279,900 adults are both lower than their returns last year. Chinook and coho retention seasons start Aug. 1 and vary by river section, please see Columbia River regulation updates for specific details. This year’s regulations include additional measures, such as mark-selective (adipose fin-clipped only) retention rules for Chinook in the Buoy 10 and lower river fisheries and salmon/steelhead angling closures upstream of west Puget Island when Chinook retention is prohibited. These are intended to help manage fishery impacts to ESA-listed stocks and to increase the stability of the planned season structure.
“While fall salmon forecasts are down a little this year, we have been able to work with our co-managers and the public to craft some excellent fishing opportunities for this fall season. If an in-season review of the upriver bright Chinook stock indicates a return higher than the pre-season forecast, we may be able to provide Chinook opportunity beyond the preseason plans,” said Jeff Whisler, ODFW’s Columbia River Fisheries Manager.
The preseason forecast of 126,200 upriver summer steelhead is slightly higher than last year’s return but still represents a poor return relative to historic levels. In recognition of the expected low abundance, anglers will see conservative retention regulations again in 2024, similar to recent years. Hatchery steelhead retention will be allowed June 16 to July 31 from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to The Dalles Dam and June 16 through Aug. 31 from The Dalles Dam upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco, WA with a reduced bag limit of one fish. After retention of summer steelhead closes in each area, it is expected to remain closed through the end of the year; however, winter steelhead retention will open under permanent regulations beginning Nov. 1 downstream of The Dalles Dam.
Protective regulations will also include Thermal Angling Sanctuaries in Eagle Creek, Herman Creek, and the Deschutes River as well as in the Columbia River near the mouths of these tributaries (see the website for maps and detailed descriptions of these sanctuary areas). The John Day Arm (lower John Day River, downstream of Tumwater Falls) will also be closed to angling for salmon and steelhead from September 1 through the end of the year.
Detailed preseason regulations with season dates and bag limits by area are available at https://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/OSCRP/CRM/index.asp (see 2024 Preseason Summer and Fall Columbia River Recreational Fishery Regulations). As always, regulations are subject to change based on in-season information on abundance and fishery performance. Anglers are reminded to check Regulation Updates for their zone before fishing.
For more information about Columbia River fishing seasons, visit ODFW’s online fishing reports at https://myodfw.com/recreation-report/fishing-report/columbia-zone Summer and fall season regulations will also be posted at this link before the season begins.