Columbia Spring Chinook is Game On!

Spring Chinook season on the Columbia River is like a football game with a low-scoring start to the game. Although there is tremendous anticipation and excitement related to reports of the first springer of the year being caught, that's just the kickoff. As the game continues, both teams (fish and anglers) get warmed up and start putting bigger numbers on the board.

"Once the season gets really rolling in a year with a good run, you can easily have over a thousand fishing boats on a single day on the lower Columbia," said Jimmy Watts, Columbia River recreational fishery biologist for ODFW. "But when the season first opens, very few people are out fishing. The abundance of fish and the intensity of angler effort usually builds as we progress through March, and spring Chinook fishing in early April can be really good."

This year, the excitement may tip toward late in the game when fish numbers and water conditions should be better than earlier. "I bet a lot of people are already planning to take time off work during the first eight days of April this year for salmon fishing," he predicted. Spring break is usually an excellent time to fish for early springers on the lower Columbia (though it's also dependent on water conditions).

In late February, fishery managers from Oregon and Washington adopted initial recreational spring Chinook fisheries on the Columbia River during a joint state hearing.

Effective March 1 (downstream of Bonneville Dam) and April 1 (upstream of Bonneville Dam), the regulations listed below will take the place of permanent rules for the mainstem Columbia River between Buoy 10 and the Oregon/Washington border upstream of McNary Dam.

Fishery performance and Chinook abundance will be monitored in season. Additional fishing days may be added depending on in-season run size updates and fishery performance. The upriver spring Chinook run size is typically updated in mid to late May.

Downstream of Bonneville Dam
Dates: Sunday, March 1 through Wednesday, April 8 retention of hatchery Chinook (adults and jacks) and hatchery steelhead is allowed
Daily adult bag limit: Two adult hatchery salmonids (Chinook or steelhead) per day, but only one may be a Chinook. Shad may also be retained.
Open area: Buoy 10 line upstream to Beacon Rock (boat and bank) plus only bank angling from Beacon Rock upstream to the Bonneville Dam deadline. Legal upstream boat boundary defined as: a deadline marker on the Oregon bank (approximately four miles downstream from Bonneville Dam Powerhouse One) in a straight line through the western tip of Pierce Island to a deadline marker on the Washington bank at Beacon Rock.

Bonneville Dam to Oregon/Washington State Line (upstream of McNary Dam)
Dates: Wednesday, April 1 through Sunday April 26 and Saturday, May 2 retention of hatchery Chinook (adults and jacks) and hatchery steelhead is allowed

Daily adult bag limit: Two adult hatchery salmonids (Chinook or steelhead) per day, but only one may be a Chinook.
Open area: Tower Island power lines (approximately six miles downstream of The Dalles Dam) upstream to Oregon/Washington state line, plus only bank angling between Bonneville Dam and the Tower Island power lines.

Anglers are reminded that from March 1 through June 15, on days when the mainstem Columbia River recreational fishery downstream of Bonneville Dam is open to retention of Chinook, the salmonid daily bag limit in Oregon and Washington Select Areas will be the same as mainstem Columbia River bag limits. On days when the mainstem Columbia River recreational fishery downstream of Bonneville Dam is closed to Chinook retention, the permanent salmonid bag limit regulations for Select Areas apply.

Fishing regulations can change in-season, and anglers should check the updates page for their zone before fishing, https://myodfw.com/articles/regulation-updates

Columbia River spring Chinook salmon fisheries are managed according to the management agreement between the states and the Columbia River Treaty tribes and by Endangered Species Act limitations.

"We are taking a conservative approach to these initial spring Chinook fisheries to protect ESA-listed upriver Chinook and stay within our conservation constraints," said Tucker Jones, ODFW's Ocean Salmon and Columbia River Program Manager. "We closely track actual performance of the fishery and will add additional opportunity if possible."

For veteran springer anglers, Watts says you can expect a similar run to what we saw last year, which he characterized as good but not exceptional. "A lot of fish are going to be caught later in the season as the fish begin to show up in larger numbers."

For spring Chinook fishing rookies, the gameday surprise may be the high quality of the fish meat more than any techniques or gear. "These fish are highly prized for the table because they have fat reserves that allow them to survive until they spawn this coming fall since they do not actively feed after leaving the ocean," Watts adds.

Your game plan should include a wide variety of bait and lures. Bank anglers usually plunk spin-n-glos tipped with a variety of offerings. Boaters like to troll with flashers and bait or anchor and fish with lures. As with every fishery, the people in the know have their own preferred lure colors, scents and sizes, so be open to adding to your playbook.

Whatever your game plan, with a little effort, you may score a beautiful fish and do your own touchdown dance by the grill.