The biggest hatchery-raised steelhead return in years and the annual fall chinook run are proving a big lure for anglers on the Columbia River.
Washington's Department of Fish and Wildlife opened the season early for hatchery-raised steelhead through the Hanford Reach because of the huge run and also raised the daily bag limit to three fish between the blue bridge in Pasco and Priest Rapids Dam.
Through Sept. 24, 34,035 summer steelhead were counted at Priest Rapids Dam on the upper Columbia, the highest since 65,292 were recorded in 1986, said Paul Hoffarth, district fish biologist for fish and wildlife. Records have been kept at Priest Rapids since 1962, he said.
At McNary Dam, 297,352 steelhead were counted through Sept. 29, the most since 396,960 were recorded in 2001, Hoffarth said. Records have been kept at McNary since 1956, he said.
The fall chinook run also appears to be up from last year by about 20 percent in the Hanford Reach area, Hoffarth said. So far this year, 2,508 adult fall chinook and 874 jacks had been harvested, and fishing effort also is up.
An estimated 1,872 fall chinook were harvested in the Reach during the week ending Sept. 27. Anglers averaged 1.2 chinook per boat.
And anglers can only expect success to improve, Hoffarth said.
"Cooler night-time temperatures and a little rainfall should help pick things up," Hoffarth said.
The Hanford Reach from the blue bridge upstream to Priest Rapids Dam opened Sept. 22 for hatchery steelhead fishing. An estimated 287 steelhead were caught through Sept. 27, of which 193 were harvested, according to fish and wildlife.
Department staffers interviewed 94 boats (199 anglers) with 15 steelhead at Ringold. Steelhead catch rates for boat anglers were low as most of the boat anglers interviewed at Ringold were targeting chinook, Hoffarth said.
The Hanford Reach of the Columbia and the Yakima River will close for salmon fishing Oct. 22, and the Reach from the wooden power line towers at the old Hanford town site to Priest Rapids Dam will also close for steelhead Oct. 22.
The Columbia downstream of the wooden power line towers will remain open for steelhead fishing after
Oct. 22, but the daily catch limit for hatchery steelhead will be reduced to two fish.
Only hatchery fish measuring at least 20 inches that are marked for identification with a clipped adipose fin and a healed scar can be retained.
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Chinook season looks strong for 2012
Chinook season looks strong for 2012
It's only a matter of time before the first migrating spring chinook is hooked by a lucky angler in the Lower Columbia River.
We already know this fish will be among a strong forecast of 414,500, which could lead to the fourth-largest return of upriver spring chinook on record.
Fishing is open daily from Buoy 10 in the Lower Columbia up to I-5. The fishery expands upriver to Beacon Rock from March 1 to April 6 (closed March 20, March 27 and April 3), and possibly longer depending in the catch rate.
Chinook salmon fishery opens near Chelan
Chinook salmon fishery opens near Chelan
OLYMPIA -- The state Department of Fish and Wildlife will test whether anglers can successfully catch summer chinook salmon in the tailrace of the Chelan County PUD's hydroelectric powerhouse in Chelan.
The new fishery is scheduled to run through Oct. 15.
"This opening will test whether we can conduct a fishery in such a small area," Jeff Korth, regional fish manager for the WDFW, said in a news release Friday. "Starting this year, a lot of hatchery-reared fish will be moving through the tailrace, and we'd like to give anglers a chance to catch some."
Yakama Nation shutters Boundary Reach to anglers
Yakama Nation shutters Boundary Reach to anglers
YAKIMA -- Rule-breaking anglers certainly don't like it and even some law-abiding fishermen may not like it, but state fisheries biologists are quite pleased with the Yakama Nation's decision to close to sport fishing the stretch of the Yakima River that borders the reservation.
For years, tribal and state fisheries and enforcement officials have been alarmed about the number of winter and early-spring anglers that, while fishing for whitefish, have reeled in and in some cases illegally harvested steelhead.
"Our enforcement guys watched it, and in some cases, if people thought they could get away with it, they would keep steelhead," said John Easterbrooks, regional fish program manager for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.
Area tribes begin annual fish sales
Area tribes begin annual fish sales
The Nez Perce, Umatilla, Warm Springs and Yakama tribes have begun their annual fish gill-netting and fish sales program at several locations along the Columbia River.
Salmon, steelhead and coho are available from tribal fishers now, but the chinook run should peak in the tribal fishing areas about the second week of September.
The large run of salmon and steelhead should result in ongoing sales of Columbia River fish for the next several weeks.
Commission calls for early end to sturgeon gillnet season
Commission calls for early end to sturgeon gillnet season
The Coastal Conservation Association is calling for an end to the winter sturgeon gillnet season in the lower Columbia River to reduce handling of the dwindling population.
"It is an unneeded season on fish that are in serious trouble,'' said Bruce Polley, CCA Oregon government relations committee chairman. "Because this season is unnecessary to access the commercial quota, it results in an increase in discarded sturgeon in fall salmon/sturgeon gillnet fisheries.''
Historically, the winter sturgeon season has been in January and early to mid-February.
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