Recreation Report
Columbia Zone
Recreation Report
March 15, 2023
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Current and upcoming fishing opportunities
- Retention of hatchery steelhead is allowed from Buoy 10 to the Dalles Dam through March 31, 2023.
- Effective March 1 – April 7, 2023, spring Chinook angling is open from Buoy 10 upstream to Beacon Rock (boat and bank) plus bank angling only from Beacon Rock upstream to the Bonneville Dam deadline. See regulation updates for details on open season dates, daily bag limits, and other regulations.
- Effective April 1 - May 6, 2023 spring Chinook angling is open from the Tower Island powerlines upstream to the Oregon/Washington border above McNary, plus bank angling only between Bonneville Dam and Tower Island powerlines. See regulation updates for details on open season dates, daily bag limits, and other regulations.
- Bonneville Pool, The Dalles Pool, and John Day Pool are now closed to the retention of sturgeon. Catch-and-release fishing remains open under permanent regulations.
- All other permanent rules for the Columbia River Zone, as stated in the 2023 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations, remain in effect.
Announcements
No sturgeon retention season planned for lower river
Fishery managers are not planning a sturgeon retention season in the lower river this year due to a decline in the abundance of legal size fish and low survival/recruitment of juvenile sturgeon (see Feb. 7 sturgeon fishery update report.)
2023 spring forecasts
- 2023 Columbia River Adult Salmon Returns: Actual & Forecasted (pdf)
- Columbia River 2022 Fisheries Results and 2023 Expectations (pdf)
2023 fall forecast
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Marine Board’s Opportunities and Access Report incorporates information from federal and state agencies, local facility operators and fellow boaters to provide up-to-date information so boaters can decide where to recreate and what to expect this season. Subscribe to receive email updates.
Find Columbia River regulation updates for salmon, steelhead, shad and sturgeon by clicking the Regulation Updates button.
Salmon, steelhead, and shad
On Saturday’s (3/11) flight, there were 123 salmonid boats and 152 Oregon bank anglers counted from Bonneville Dam to Buoy 10.
Gorge:
No report.
Troutdale:
No report.
Portland to Sauvie Island:
Weekly checking showed no catch for one boat (two anglers); and no catch for six bank anglers.
Sauvie Island to Rainier:
Weekly checking showed no catch for five boats (eight anglers); and one steelhead kept and one steelhead released for 61 bank anglers.
Rainier to Buoy 10:
Weekly checking showed four adult Chinook kept, and one adult Chinook and one steelhead released for 44 boats (93 anglers); and one adult Chinook and six steelhead kept and seven steelhead released for 185 bank anglers.
Bonneville Pool (Bonneville Dam upstream to The Dalles Dam):
No report.
The Dalles Pool (The Dalles Dam upstream to John Day Dam):
No report.
John Day Pool (Columbia River above John Day Dam and John Day Arm):
No report.
Sturgeon
Lower Columbia River (below Bonneville Dam):
Closed for retention. No report.
Bonneville Pool: Closed to retention. No report.
The Dalles Pool: Closed to retention. No report.
John Day Pool: Closed to retention. No report.
Walleye
Bonneville Pool:
No report.
The Dalles Pool:
No report.
John Day Pool:
No report.