CLACKAMAS, Ore.—Fishery managers from Oregon and Washington added additional Chinook fishing opportunity for the popular Buoy 10 fishery on the Columbia River during a joint-state hearing today. The Buoy 10 season has been adjusted as follows and now includes retention of any Chinook along with hatchery coho. Season: Sept. 8-Dec. 31 Area: Mainstem Columbia River from the Buoy 10 line upstream to the west Puget Island line Species: Chinook and hatchery coho Daily adult bag limit: Three salmon, of which only one may be a Chinook. All other relevant previously adopted and permanent regula ..read more

SALEM, Ore. — ODFW is seeking applicants for three positions on the Salmon and Trout Enhancement Program (STEP) Advisory Committee to represent the North Coast, Umpqua, and Roque regions. Interested individuals should apply by March 15, 2022. For more information and link to application visit https://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/STEP/STAC.asp or see the “How to Apply” webpage http://www.oregon.gov/gov/admin/Pages/How_To_Apply.aspx Desired applicants will have experience working with volunteers, community service organizations, or involvement in natural resource or angling educa ..read more

CLACKAMAS, Ore.—Anglers will be able to retain sturgeon in The Dalles Pool (Columbia River from The Dalles Dam to John Day Dam) only on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays starting Jan. 1 when the new season kicks off at the start of the year. A 12-day recreational season will run three days a week until Jan. 26 or the quota of 190 sturgeon is met. Managers are adjusting the season due to early closures that have occurred the last few years. Under permanent regulations, sturgeon retention opens in The Dalles, Bonneville and John Day pools Jan. 1 and is open every day until the quota is met. But ..read more

In an age when mass produced fishing lures have become nothing less than blasé, we have found the one true hided gem of the industry. However, for the sake of knowledge, let us provide a little background history. For generation anglers have come to know the power for fishing beads. Without a doubt fishing beads is among one of the most effective methods of fishing artificial baits ever, period. Why? It’s fairly simple actually, you see beads imitate a natural salmon egg. Salmon roe is one of the primary food sources of several species of fresh water fish thus extremely effective when used as ..read more

Photo Courtesy of Columbia River Fishing Guides Nichols Guided Fishing Hatchery salmon fishing mostly unchanged from permanent regulations ALEM, Ore. — ODFW is enacting temporary restrictions on coastal wild adult Chinook salmon harvest in the Southwest Zone due to low forecasted returns. Chinook salmon returns have been below average the past few years associated with very poor ocean conditions beginning in 2014. Although the ocean has improved recently and overall returns may be somewhat higher, the forecasted returns in Southwest Zone coastal rivers remain low in 2021. The temporary ch ..read more

NEWPORT, Ore – Effective Monday, May 10 the general marine bag limit is reduced to five fish (from six) per angler per day for sport bottomfish. The sub-bag limit of one China, copper, or quillback rockfish remains in place. This change reduces the risk of early closure or more severe restrictions later this summer in the sport bottomfish season. Sport bottomfish effort this spring is higher than in any prior year, continuing a trend from last summer. In 2020, following a spring slowing in some areas due to the pandemic, coastwide sport bottomfish effort climbed to one of the highest leve ..read more

CLACKAMAS, Ore.—Sturgeon retention fishing will close in the John Day Pool of the Columbia River (John Day Dam upstream to McNary Dam) as of 11:59 p.m. Thursday, March 18. The decision was made by fishery managers from Oregon and Washington after reviewing catch data that confirms the 105 fish guideline will likely be met later this week on Thursday.  Retention sturgeon fishing closed in Bonneville and The Dalles pools in January. Retention sturgeon fishing is closed below Bonneville Dam and below Willamette Falls under permanent sport fishing regulations. Except for specific sanctua ..read more

TILLAMOOK, Ore.—Following conservation measures adopted last week to reduce catch limits in the Nehalem Basin itself, ODFW has implemented a temporary rule modifying catch limits for adult wild Chinook salmon in the ocean immediately off the mouth of Nehalem Bay. Effective July 1, ocean anglers fishing inside the special ocean management area (defined below) will be required to abide by the same catch limits as anglers fishing inside the Nehalem River basin. Under these new temporary rules, take of adult wild Chinook salmon in this ocean area and the Nehalem Basin combined is restric ..read more

SALEM, Ore.— Following poor Chinook salmon returns last fall and forecasted low 2020 returns in certain coastal rivers, ODFW is implementing some restrictions on coastal wild adult Chinook salmon harvest. The changes to wild Chinook salmon harvest are consistent with existing ODFW management plans, which specify increases or decreases to harvest levels in response to changing stock status for wild Chinook salmon in various groupings of neighboring rivers. There are no changes to permanent regulations for North Coast streams from the Necanicum River south to the Salmon River, or for the Ro ..read more

CLACKAMAS, Ore. – The departments of fish and wildlife from Oregon and Washington declined to set additional spring Chinook salmon fishing on the mainstem Columbia River. In a public hearing on May 20, fisheries managers from the two states were presented information on the current status of upriver spring Chinook and fisheries to date. Although sufficient ESA impacts to wild spring Chinook were available to allow for the consideration of additional mainstem recreational and commercial spring Chinook fishing opportunity, there were also concerns about hatcheries throughout the interior basin b ..read more