
Columbia Zone
Table of Contents
Recreation Report

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Current and upcoming fishing opportunities:
- Fall salmon fisheries open on Aug. 1, 2022 from Buoy 10 upstream to the Hwy 395 Bridge. See regulation updates for details on open season dates, daily bag limits, and other regulations.
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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 (8/6) flight, there were 170 salmonid boats and 29 salmonid bank anglers counted from Bonneville Dam to Tongue Point.
Gorge:
Weekly checking showed no catch for two boats (two anglers); and one adult Chinook kept, and one jack Chinook and one steelhead released for 39 bank anglers.
Troutdale:
Weekly checking showed 13 adult Chinook kept, and one adult Chinook and one steelhead released for 85 boats (145 anglers).
Portland to Warrior Rock:
Weekly checking showed seven adult Chinook kept and one steelhead released for 11 boats (27 anglers); and no catch for four bank anglers.
Warrior Rock to Rainier:
Weekly checking showed 39 adult Chinook and four jack Chinook kept, and two adult Chinook, three jack Chinook, and 11 steelhead released for 98 boats (229 anglers); and no catch for 15 bank anglers.
Rainier to West Puget Island:
Weekly checking showed no catch for two boats (three anglers); and no catch for six bank anglers.
West Puget Island to Tongue Point:
No report.
Buoy 10:
Weekly checking showed 340 Chinook and 30 coho kept, and 232 Chinook, 16 coho, and four steelhead released for 403 boats (1,345 anglers); and 0.10 Chinook kept per angler and 0.10 coho released per angler for 183 bank anglers.
Bonneville Pool (Bonneville Dam upstream to The Dalles Dam):
Weekly checking showed no catch for one boat (three anglers); and no catch for one bank angler.
The Dalles Pool (The Dalles Dam upstream to John Day Dam):
Weekly checking showed no catch for two boats (three anglers).
John Day Pool (Columbia River above John Day Dam and John Day Arm):
No report.
Sturgeon*
Lower Columbia River:
Closed for retention. Weekly checking showed two sublegal size sturgeon released for two boats (six anglers); and one sublegal size sturgeon released for one bank angler.
Bonneville Pool (Bonneville Dam upstream to The Dalles Dam):
Closed for retention. Weekly checking showed 16 sublegal, five legal, and 16 oversize sturgeon released for two boats (five anglers).
The Dalles Pool (The Dalles Dam upstream to John Day Dam):
Closed for retention. Weekly checking showed one legal size sturgeon released for one boat (four anglers).
John Day Pool (Columbia River above John Day Dam and John Day Arm):
Closed for retention. No report.
* The Oregon Health Authority (OHA) has issued recommendations on the amount of sturgeon that people should eat from the lower Columbia and lower Willamette rivers. While sturgeon retention is not currently open in the Columbia or Willamette, anglers should refer to these guidelines when they are able to retain and consume sturgeon.
Walleye
Lower Columbia River (below Bonneville Dam):
Weekly checking showed one walleye kept for 11 boats (17 anglers).
Bonneville Pool:
Weekly checking showed 13 walleye kept and eight released for two boats (three anglers); and no catch for two bank anglers.
The Dalles Pool:
Weekly checking showed 26 walleye kept and 15 released for nine boats (18 anglers); and no catch for one bank angler.
John Day Pool:
Weekly checking showed 83 walleye kept and 13 released for 19 boats (39 anglers).
Regulation Updates
Regulation Updates as of June 30, 2022.
All regulations may be subject to in-season modification. Please see e-regulations for permanent regulations.
Salmon, steelhead and shad
- Barbless Hooks are required when angling for salmon, steelhead, or trout in the mainstem Columbia River under permanent regulations.
- All other permanent rules for the Columbia River Zone, as stated in the 2022 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations (see e-regulations), remain in effect unless modified below.
Fall Seasons (August 1-December 31)
For all fall-season salmonid fisheries, each legal angler aboard a vessel may continue to deploy angling gear until the daily adult salmonid bag limit for all anglers aboard has been achieved.
Buoy 10 upstream to west Puget Island
Area definition: From the Buoy 10 line upstream to a line at the west end of Puget Island extending from green navigation marker #39 on the Washington shore to green navigation marker #41, then to red navigation marker #42, and terminating at red navigation marker #44A on the Oregon shore.
General regulations during August 1 – December 31: 1) adult Chinook are longer than 24-inches; 2) adult coho are 16-inches and longer if caught downstream of the Tongue Point – Rocky Point line (defined as: a line projected from Rocky Point on the Washington shore through red navigation buoy #44 to the navigation marker at Tongue Point on the Oregon shore), and adult coho are longer than 20-inches if caught upstream of the Tongue Point – Rocky Point line; 3) wild coho must be released; 4) all steelhead must be released August 1 – October 31; and 5) retention of jack salmon prohibited through September 30 downstream of the Tongue Point – Rocky Point line, but is alloweda beginning August 1 upstream of the Tongue Point – Rocky Point line.
- Additional regulations by date period are described below:
- August 1 – 24: Retention of adipose fin-clipped Chinook and hatchery coho allowed. The daily adult bag limit is two salmon, but only one may be a Chinook.
- August 25 – September 7: Retention of Chinook and hatchery coho allowed. The daily adult bag limit is two salmon, but only one may be a Chinook.
- September 8 – 30: Retention of hatchery coho allowed. All Chinook must be released. The daily adult bag limit is three hatchery coho.
- October 1 – 31: Retention of Chinook and hatchery coho allowed. The daily adult bag limit is three salmon, but only one may be a Chinook.
- November 1 – December 31: Retention of Chinook, hatchery coho, and hatchery steelhead allowed. The daily adult bag limit is three salmonids, but only one may be a Chinook and only two may be steelhead.

West Puget Island upstream to Warrior Rock/Bachelor Island
Area definition: From a line at the west end of Puget Island extending from green navigation marker #39 on the Washington shore to green navigation marker #41, then to red navigation marker #42, and terminating at red navigation marker #44A on the Oregon shore upstream to a line projected from the Warrior Rock Lighthouse on the Oregon shore to red navigation buoy #4, then to the piling dolphin on the lower end of Bachelor Island.
General regulations during August 1 – December 31: 1) adult Chinook are longer than 24-inches, 2) adult coho are longer than 20-inches, 3) wild coho must be released, 4) all steelhead must be released August 1 – October 31, 5) retention of jack salmon allowed a, 6) salmonid angling closed when Chinook retention is prohibited.
- Additional regulations by date period are described below:
- August 1 – September 7: Retention of Chinook and hatchery coho allowed. The daily adult bag limit is two salmon, but only one may be a Chinook.
- September 8 – 30: Salmonid angling prohibited.
- October 1 – October 31: Retention of Chinook and hatchery coho allowed. The daily adult bag limit is two salmon, but only one may be a Chinook.
- November 1 – December 31: Retention of Chinook, hatchery coho, and hatchery steelhead allowed. The daily adult bag limit is two salmonids, but only one may be a Chinook.
Warrior Rock/Bachelor Island upstream to Bonneville Dam
Area definition: From a line projected from the Warrior Rock Lighthouse on the Oregon shore to red navigation buoy #4, then to the piling dolphin on the lower end of Bachelor Island upstream to Bonneville Dam.
General regulations during August 1 – December 31: 1) adult Chinook are longer than 24-inches, 2) adult coho are longer than 20-inches, 3) wild coho must be released, 4) all steelhead must be released August 1 – October 31, 5) retention of jack salmon allowed a, 6) salmonid angling closed when Chinook retention is prohibited.
- Additional regulations by date period are described below:
- August 1 – September 13: Retention of Chinook and hatchery coho allowed. The daily adult bag limit is two salmon, but only one may be a Chinook.
- September 14 – 30: Salmonid angling prohibited.
- October 1 – October 31: Retention of Chinook and hatchery coho allowed. The daily adult bag limit is two salmon, but only one may be a Chinook.
- November 1 – December 31: Retention of Chinook, hatchery coho, and hatchery steelhead allowed. The daily adult bag limit is two salmonids, but only one may be a Chinook.
Bonneville Dam upstream to The Dalles Dam b
General regulations during August 1 – December 31: 1) adult Chinook are longer than 24-inches, 2) adult coho are longer than 20-inches, 3) only hatchery coho (adults and jacks) may be retained downstream of the Hood River Bridge, 4) all steelhead must be released August 1 – October 31, and 5) retention of jack salmon allowed a.
- Additional regulations by date period are described below:
- August 1 – October 31: Retention of Chinook and coho allowed. The daily adult bag limit is two salmon, but only one may be a Chinook.
- November 1 – December 31: Retention of Chinook, coho, and hatchery steelhead allowed. The daily adult bag limit is two salmonids, but only one may be a Chinook.
The Dalles Dam upstream to Hwy 395 Bridge (Pasco, WA) b
General regulations during August 1 – December 31: 1) adult Chinook are longer than 24-inches, 2) adult coho are longer than 20-inches, 3) all steelhead must be released September 1 – December 31, and 4) retention of jack salmon allowed a.
- Additional regulations by date period are described below:
- August 1 – 31: Retention of Chinook, coho, and hatchery steelhead allowed. The daily adult bag limit is two salmonids, but only one may be a Chinook and only one may be a hatchery steelhead.
- September 1 – December 31: Retention of Chinook and coho allowed. The daily adult bag limit is two salmonids, but only one may be a Chinook.
a The daily bag limit for jack salmon in Oregon is five fish.
b Temporary rules for Thermal Angling Sanctuaries associated with Eagle Creek, Herman Creek, and the Deschutes River are described below.
Summer/Fall Columbia River Thermal Angling Sanctuaries (Eagle Cr., Herman Cr., Deschutes River) in Columbia Zone
Permanent regulations and/or new temporary rules apply for other sections of these tributaries.
Eagle Creek Mouth (Columbia River Zone)
Area definition: The mainstem Columbia River adjacent to the mouth of Eagle Creek from the mainline railroad bridge northwest to a line projecting from a marker on the Oregon shore approximately 200 feet downstream of Eagle Creek, through red navigation buoy #4, and terminating at a marker on the Oregon shore approximately 325 feet upstream of Eagle Creek.
- June 16 – July 14: See rules for Columbia River mainstem from Bonneville Dam to The Dalles Dam.
- July 15 – September 15: Closed to angling.
- September 16 – December 31: See rules for Columbia River mainstem from Bonneville Dam to The Dalles Dam.

Herman Creek (Columbia River Zone)
Area definition: From the mainline railroad bridge downstream to markers at mouth.
- June 16 – July 14: See rules for Columbia River mainstem from Bonneville Dam to The Dalles Dam.
- July 15 – November 30: Closed to angling.
- December 1–31: See rules for Columbia River mainstem from Bonneville Dam to The Dalles Dam.
Herman Creek Lagoon (Columbia River Zone)
Area definition: Herman Creek Lagoon/Cove east of a line from the northwest tip of the jetty, south to a marker on the Oregon shore.
- June 16 – July 14: See rules for Columbia River mainstem from Bonneville Dam to The Dalles Dam.
- July 15 – September 15: Closed to angling.
- September 16 – December 31: See rules for Columbia River mainstem from Bonneville Dam to The Dalles Dam.

Deschutes River Mouth (Columbia River Zone)
Area definition: The mainstem Columbia River adjacent to the mouth of the Deschutes River from the Interstate 84 Bridge north to a line projecting from the flashing red navigation marker #2 located approximately 1.5 miles downstream of the Deschutes River mouth on the Oregon shore, upstream to the red navigation marker #4, then to the lower South Channel Range “B” marker located on the Oregon shore approximately 0.7 mile upstream of the Deschutes River mouth.
- June 16 – July 14: See rules for Columbia River mainstem from The Dalles Dam upstream to Hwy 395 Bridge (Pasco, WA).
- July 15 – September 15: Closed to angling.
- September 16 – December 31: See rules for Columbia River mainstem from The Dalles Dam upstream to Hwy 395 Bridge (Pasco, WA).

Sturgeon
See 2022 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations for legal size, daily and annual bag limits and sanctuary closure areas.
COLUMBIA RIVER MAINSTEM, Buoy 10 upstream to Bonneville Dam
- Permanent rules for sturgeon are in effect, including closed to the retention of sturgeon (see e-regulations). Catch-and-release fishing is allowed except in sanctuary closure areas during May 1-August 31.
COLUMBIA RIVER RESERVOIRS, between Bonneville Dam and McNary Dam (Bonneville Pool, The Dalles Pool, John Day Pool)
- Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day pools, including adjacent tributaries, are closed to the retention of white sturgeon. Catch-and-release fishing is allowed except in sanctuary closure areas during May 1-August 31.
COLUMBIA RIVER COMPACT ACTION NOTICES