Washington Hunter
Well-known member
Spring chinook fishing on the Columbia River will reopen Saturday, May 13. More chinook salmon are finally moving up the Columbia River, and fishery managers for Washington and Oregon agreed to reopen the sport spring chinook fishery from the upper Bonneville Pool to McNary Dam. The new opening was announced after a week in which the count of spring chinook moving above Bonneville Dam jumped by 38,518 fish, reaching 51,834 by Wednesday. "It’s now clear that the large number of fish we saw move over the dam early last week wasn’t just a fluke," said Cindy LeFleur, a fishery manager at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife. "Fishery managers are a lot more comfortable now that those numbers are holding strong." Anglers can fish for chinook salmon in the Columbia River from the Tower Island power lines six miles below The Dalles Dam to McNary Dam from May 13 through June 15 or until the catch guideline is reached. Anglers can catch a total of six hatchery salmon - identified by a clipped adipose fin - but only two them can be adults. All chum and sockeye salmon - and wild steelhead must be released. Before the season began, fishery managers predicted a total return of 88,400 spring chinook to areas upriver of Bonneville Dam. Based on counts at the dam through early May, the run size is now estimated at between 65,000 and 88,400 fish. -- Posted 5/12/06 by Chester
