Spring Chinook Fishing Guide

WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/ 
April 15, 2011
Spring Chinook fishery extended again
on the lower Columbia River
OLYMPIA - Columbia River anglers will have four more days to catch hatchery-reared spring Chinook salmon below Bonneville Dam, where tough fishing conditions have held this year's catch below expected levels since late last month.
Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon agreed Thursday to extend the season through April 19 to give anglers more time to reach the initial harvest guideline set at the beginning of the season.
The additional four days of fishing will follow on the heels of an eight-day extension previously approved through April 15.
Cindy LeFleur, Columbia River policy coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW), said test fisheries have found relatively high concentrations of spring Chinook salmon in the lower river, but water conditions have slowed their passage over Bonneville Dam and made them hard to catch with a hook and line.
"Anglers have been catching fish in some areas of the lower river, but turbid, high-water conditions have put a damper on overall catch rates," LeFleur said. "Visibility underwater is about two feet, so the fish have a hard time seeing anglers' lures."
Through April 15, lower-river anglers are projected to have caught and kept a total of 5,900 spring Chinook, including 4,600 upriver fish that count toward the 7,700-fish harvest guideline.
This year's harvest guideline for the lower river fisheries is based on a projected return of 198,400 upriver fish, minus a 30 percent "buffer" to guard against overestimating the run. Based on the estimated catch through April 19, the fishery will close with a buffer of approximately 43 percent, said Guy Norman, WDFW southwest regional director.
"After this extension, we don't anticipate making any changes in the season until more fish pass over the dam and we can update the run-size forecast," Norman said. "We want to give lower-river anglers a chance to catch some more fish, but we also have to make sure we can meet our conservation objectives and our obligations to upriver fisheries."
The fishery affected by the extension ranges from Buoy 10 upriver to Rooster Rock for boat and bank anglers, and to the fishing boundary below Bonneville Dam for bank anglers only. When the fishery is open, anglers can retain one marked, hatchery-reared adult Chinook salmon as part of their daily limit.
Anglers may also retain shad and hatchery-reared steelhead when the spring Chinook fishery is open. However, all wild salmon and steelhead not marked as a hatchery fish by a clipped adipose fin must be released unharmed.
The fishing extension does not affect the spring Chinook season above Bonneville Dam, which will be reviewed at a joint-state hearing April 20. That fishery is open seven days a week through April 24 between the Tower Island powerlines below The Dalles Dam and the Washington/Oregon state line, 17 miles upriver from McNary Dam. Bank fishing is also allowed from Bonneville Dam upriver to the powerlines located about 6 miles below The Dalles Dam through April 24.
Anglers fishing above Bonneville Dam can retain up to two marked, hatchery-reared adult Chinook salmon or hatchery steelhead as part of their daily limit.
 

Thanks to The: for this information Huge Columbia River spring Chinook run expected
Posted by Mark Yuasa      The technical committee advising Columbia River fishery managers has released its forecast for the 2010 spring Chinook run. If the fish show up as projected, the forecast of 470,000 spring Chinook would be the largest return to the Columbia since 1938.      The forecasted run is up significantly from last year's final run of 169,300 fish.      Because of challenges in forecasting the spring Chinook returns in recent years, members of the Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) had to reconsider the model they have used in past years to predict the number of returning fish.      According to Stuart Ellis in a news release, current chair of the TAC and fisheries scientist of the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission (CRITFC), committee members were leery of the record number of spring Chinook "jacks" counted at Bonneville Dam in 2009. Jacks are immature, precocious males that return after just one or two years in the ocean. CLICK HERE to read the rest of this story about the Columbia River Spring Chinook.
This year looks to be one of the best return runs of Spring Chinook Salmon to the Columbia River in recorded history. Contact a local area Spring Chinook fishing guide and book a trip now. This season is relatively short and the best guides fill their bookings early. EDITORS' NOTE: It's always a good idea to book a trip with a good Spring Chinook fishing guide early. Once the runs start they will not have any seats available in their boats. There will always be room in the boats of part time guides who are not familiar with this fishery. If you book with them, you could end up being the ones who end up taking photos of the people in other boats landing thee Columbia River Spring Chinook instead of catching the Spring Chinook yourself.

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Columbia River spring Chinook season
reflects projection of strong runs

OLYMPIA - Anglers will be able to fish for spring Chinook Salmon fishing guides from the mouth of the Columbia River to Bonneville Dam through mid-April under initial seasons adopted Wednesday, Feb. 11, by fishery managers from Washington and Oregon.

Anticipating a strong run of spring Chinook to the upper Columbia River and improved returns to the Willamette, the two states agreed to provide significantly more days of fishing - particularly below Hayden Island - than last year.

According to the pre-season forecast, nearly 300,000 upriver spring Chinook fishing are expected to enter the Columbia River this year, which would make this year's return the third highest since 1977.

An additional 37,000 "springers" are also expected to return to the Willamette River, up from 27,000 last year.

Oregon Fishing Guides  -  Columbia River Fishing Guide  -  Spring Chinook Salmon
 

"This is shaping up to be a very good year for spring Chinook fishing in the Columbia River," said Cindy LeFleur, Columbia River policy coordinator for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). "The first fish have just begun to arrive, and we hope to see a lot more of them in the months ahead."

Below Hayden Island, the new season provides 30 days of spring Chinook fishing in March and April, compared to just 12 days last year. During those two months, anglers also will have 39 days - up from 36 days last year - to catch and retain spring Chinook from Hayden Island upriver to Bonneville Dam.

LeFleur noted that the fishery could extend beyond April, but that late-season regulations have not been set because of differences between the fish and wildlife commissions of Washington and Oregon over how to allocate the catch.

In March and April, Columbia River anglers will be able to fish for spring Chinook Salmon at the following locations and times:

West power lines on Hayden Island downstream to Buoy 10: Seven days per week from March 1-15. Beginning March 16 through April 18, fishing will be limited to three days per week, Thursdays through Saturdays.
West power lines on Hayden Island to Bonneville Dam: Seven days per week from March 1-22. Beginning March 23 through April 22, fishing will be limited to four days per week, Wednesday through Saturday.
Tower Island power lines above Bonneville Dam to McNary Dam: Seven days per week from March 16 through April 30. The Washington and Oregon bank fishery will also be open from Bonneville Dam upstream to the Tower Island power lines.
Until March 1, the spring Chinook fishing is open under regulations described in the 2008-09 Fishing in Washington rule pamphlet. Anglers fishing for spring Chinook Salmon may also retain shad and hatchery steelhead, as outlined in the rule pamphlet.

In all areas, anglers are required to release any Chinook Salmon not clearly marked as a hatchery-reared fish, since a portion of the wild upriver spring Chinook run is protected under the federal Endangered Species Act. Unmarked steelhead must also be released. Hatchery fish can be identified by a clipped adipose fin with a healed scar.

Under a new rule approved by the Washington commission, anglers fishing below McNary Dam may retain two hatchery-reared adult Salmon or steelhead (or one of each) per day. However, only one adult Chinook Salmon may be retained per day downstream from Bonneville Dam.

LeFleur noted that standing rules limit incidental mortality of wild spring Chinook intercepted and released in all state fisheries - recreational and commercial - to 2.2 percent of the total run.

"It's essential that anglers observe the rules requiring the release of wild Salmon and steelhead," LeFleur said. "Our ability to continue these fisheries depends on it."