[fishingtheusaandcanada] New spring salmon rules on Columbia include more bank fishing TheNewsTribune.c

 
The News Tribune Published: March 13th, 2008 01:00 AMSpring chinook salmon sports fishing opens Sunday on portions of the Columbia River. Anglers and fish biologists have high expectations for this year's run.
Pre-season forecasts call for 269,300 upriver chinook to return over the next few months. If accurate, the run would be the third-largest since 1977. Just 86,230 upriver chinook returned last year.
 
Pat Frazier, southwest region fish manager for the state Department of Fish and Wildlife, cautioned anglers about changes in this year's fishery.
 
One major change is that most of this year's fishing opportunities will be directed upriver from Portland to protect a weak run to the Willamette River. The area of the Columbia River opening to spring chinook fishing Sunday stretches from the west power lines on Hayden Island 200 miles upriver to McNary Dam.
 
Fishing is scheduled to run through April 30 from the power lines upstream to Bonneville Dam, with Tuesday closures beginning March 25. Upstream of Bonneville Dam, the fishery is expected to continue through May 10.
 
Anglers also will be able to fish below Hayden Island this year, but that season will be limited to 12 days, from March 24 through April 4.
 
"This year's fishing seasons were designed to give anglers an opportunity to take advantage of strong returns of chinook bound for upriver hatcheries, while protecting weak Willamette River stocks," said Cindy LeFleur, the department's Columbia River policy coordinator. "That required a different approach this year."
 
In addition, catch limits below Bonneville Dam were reduced to one adult chinook salmon a day to extend the length of the sport-fishing season and meet conservation requirements on the lower Columbia River. Anglers will still be allowed to keep two adult salmon per day between Bonneville Dam and McNary Dam.
 
As in previous seasons, anglers fishing anywhere in the Columbia River must release wild chinook salmon, which can be identified by an intact adipose fin.
 
Bank anglers will benefit from a new rule. This year's rules open up an additional 40 miles of bank fishing from Bonneville Dam upriver to the Tower Island power lines. For the first time since the early 1980s, bank anglers will be able to fish the stretch of water from the dam to six miles below The Dalles Dam. Anglers may retain six salmon, including two adult fish, and must release all wild chinook, chum and sockeye salmon. Wild coho must be released from the Hood River Bridge downstream.
 
State fish biologist Joe Hymer asked anglers to follow three rules: don't cross the highway, don't trespass over the railroad tracks and don't interfere with tribal fisheries.
 
Parking is available on the west side of Drano Lake along the road to Little White Salmon National Fish Hatchery, with access to fishing areas beneath the Highway 14 and Burlington Northern Railroad bridges.
 
On the east side of the lake, anglers can park at designated areas along the highway and access the mainstem Columbia from a trail between the highway and railroad bridges.


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