Lookingglass Creek opens May 15 for hatchery spring Chinook fishing 

LA GRANDE, Ore. – Lookingglass Creek, a tributary to the Grande Ronde River at Palmer Junction, will open to fishing for hatchery spring Chinook on Friday, May 15.

The open area is from the mouth upstream to the confluence of Jarboe Creek. Depending on which happens first, the fishing season will remain open through June 14 or until harvest and handling quotas are met. 

"It's great that we can provide a Chinook salmon fishery in Union County and open this fishery for a fifth year in a row," said Mike Lance, ODFW Assistant District Fish Biologist for the Grande Ronde Watershed. 

During the open Chinook salmon season, anglers may retain two adipose fin-clipped Chinook salmon adults and five adipose fin-clipped jacks per day. Jack salmon are less than 24 inches in length. Anglers do not need to record jack salmon catch on their combined angling tags, but cannot continue fishing for jack Chinook once the adult bag limit is met. Unmarked (wild) Chinook salmon and bull trout must be released carefully and unharmed. 

For the first time, this year Lookingglass Creek anglers are allowed to use bait while fishing for salmon. Additionally, the 3/8 inch hook gap rule that is typically in place on Lookingglass Creek does not apply when fishing for Chinook salmon. Instead, the statewide rule is in effect, which states:  

• Single-point hooks larger than 1-inch gap and multiple point hooks larger than 9/16 inch gap are prohibited.  

Anglers should be aware that private timberlands border the area open to sport fishing. Anglers do not need a permit to access Lookingglass Creek within Manulife property; however, all other recreational activities require a permit for Manulife lands in Northeast Oregon as of June 1. Visit the Manulife Investment Management Land Use website at manulifeimlanduse.com for more information.

Anglers will also need permission to access other private timberlands that border the area open to sport fishing. Private residences downstream of the Moses Creek Lane Bridge are not open to public access. Anglers are reminded to respect all private property by picking up trash when leaving and respecting the privacy of nearby residents.  

For in-season fishing regulation updates for Northeast Oregon and the Snake River, visit the following pages.

Northeast Zone updates: https://myodfw.com/articles/regulation-updates#northeast-zone

Snake River Zone updates: https://myodfw.com/articles/regulation-updates#snake-zone