Opportunities on the upswing for Oregon’s fall salmon anglers

Chinook Outlook

Chinook salmon are called kings for a reason. They are Oregon's biggest, hardest-fighting salmon and catching one is beyond memorable.

Daily and season bag limits vary on rivers, so be sure to check the regulations. Chances are there's a great opportunity to bag more than one king on your favorite salmon river.

Even in the southwest coastal rivers where salmon runs have faced challenges of late, there is good news to share. The salmon bag limit in the Coos Basin was increased from two to three fish in aggregate, with another hatchery salmon allowed as ODFW biologists expect good returns of fall Chinook hatchery fish this year.

Chinook salmon season on the Coquille River may also be open for the first time since 2021, thanks to collaboration between ODFW, the Coquille Tribe and STEP program volunteers. The salmon runs had been reduced severely by warm river temperatures, unfavorable ocean conditions and predation by illegally introduced non-native fish. A focus on hatchery performance and other factors have improved hatchery returns on this river.

If the season proposal is adopted by the Fish and Wildlife Commission at their Sept. 12 meeting in Ontario, both hatchery Chinook and wild coho would be open Sept. 13-Oct. 15, see regulations for Coquille fishing boundaries.

Or perhaps you're the type of angler who prefers the excitement of combat fishing on the largest river on the West Coast, the mighty Columbia. In that case, it doesn't get better than Buoy 10, the famous salmon fishery at the river's mouth, with reports of a great fishery this year. This year, the pre-season plan offered even more days of wild Chinook retention at Buoy 10 (Aug 1-6 and Aug. 26-Sept. 6) and extended hatchery steelhead retention through Aug. 31 after better than expected returns to Bonneville Dam.

It's not just the fishing that's fast-paced on the Columbia River. Fishery management is intense this time of year, always adapting to the latest information on fish abundance and fishery performance. Fishery managers work hard to strike the right balance of providing opportunity and staying within catch-sharing agreements and impacts to ESA-listed fish. Last year, significant in-season additions extended Chinook retention in several areas of the mainstem Columbia all the way until the end of the year in what turned out to be one of the best fall seasons for recreational harvest and effort in several years.

As always on the Columbia River, fishery managers are monitoring catches and abundance and will recommend more fishing opportunity if appropriate. Stay informed on Columbia River fishing by subscribing  Action Notices and Fact Sheets and of course always check the regulation updates before fishing.

Wild Chinook will continue to face challenges related to drought, climate change, passage and habitat. ODFW and many partners are doing what they can to help. Even with the region's conservative approach to managing this iconic fish, Chinook fisheries are open in many rivers large and small.

Coastal Coho

Check the regulations on your favorite coastal river because fishing opportunities for wild coho have increased. This year, find additional fishing days and an across-the-board season bag limit of 3 wild coho in rivers that are open due to the strong forecast this year. It's possible additional fishing days for wild coho will be added later in the season (November) in the Siletz, Yaquina and Alsea Rivers.

The rebound of Oregon coastal coho continues, thanks to an ongoing collaborative effort that has emphasized habitat restoration and other conservation measures. In fact, this year's estimate of 289,000 returning "silvers" is the best since 2012.

Coho restoration efforts have been successful because they include so many concerned Oregonians, Tribes, volunteers, partners and agencies working together to address issues with habitat degradation. Over generations, the naturally braided and meandering channels of coastal waterways were straightened, scoured, riprapped and diked to facilitate development. The natural vegetative buffers along river and stream corridors that keep water clean and cold were degraded. The results were devastating for Oregon coastal coho, who need natural stream and wetland habitat to survive.

Thanks to the commitment of these partners, many of these issues are being addressed with remarkable results. In fact, the Oregon coastal coho is within striking distance of being the first salmon to be delisted under the Endangered Species Act.

Willamette Coho

In 2024, a record number of coho returned to the upper Willamette, sparking increased fishing opportunity. This year, ODFW expects another great return. In recent years, coho have been observed in the mainstem, its forks and tributaries well upstream of historical observations.

This has led fishery managers to allow the use of two rods upstream of Willamette Falls (with appropriate validation). While coho is only open from Willamette Falls to the Hwy 20 bridge in Albany under permanent regulations, more opportunity may be added this season as the run takes shape.  

Fish are plentiful but spread out and are generally somewhat difficult to target, so the angler who figures out how to consistently take them is sitting on a "silver" mine. And it's worth figuring out, as coho seasons in the upper Willamette Basin could be made permanent starting with 2026 regulations, thanks to consistent returns above Willamette Falls.

Whether you opt for the intensity of Buoy 10 or the tranquility of small coastal rivers, Oregon offers a lot of salmon opportunity for everyone in the fall. Thanks to collaboration among partners improving habitat and hatchery performance, plus Mother Nature's favor with better ocean conditions in recent years, those opportunities appear to be on the upswing in several areas. Get out there!

by Jay Remy