States reopen Chinook salmon fishing below Bonneville, July 16

States reopen Chinook salmon fishing below Bonneville
Recreational Chinook salmon fishermen will get an additional three weeks of fishing on the main stem Columbia River downstream of Bonneville Dam under rules adopted by fishery managers from Oregon and Washington.  The fishery will take place Friday, July 11 through Thursday, July 31 from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to the Bonneville Dam deadline, with a daily bag limit of two adult salmonids – Chinook, steelhead or sockeye – per day. All Chinook and steelhead must be fin-clipped.  This is the second time fishery managers have extended the summer Chinook salmon retention season below Bonneville Dam. Sockeye and steelhead seasons are already open.  The decision was based on an increase in the catch guideline for summer Chinook that resulted from updated run size and catch data. Current expectations are for a Columbia River return of 74,000 summer Chinook and 560,000 sockeye, up from the preseason forecasts of 67,500 Chinook and 347,000 sockeye.  The summer Chinook and sockeye season remains open through July 31 from Bonneville Dan upstream to the Oregon/Washington border. Steelhead fisheries in this section of the Columbia are open through the end of the year.  Fall Chinook salmon fisheries are scheduled to commence on Aug. 1.  For more information, visit ODFW’s website at www.odfw.com.