State opens river for another chance at spring Chinook

Published 4:56 am Thursday, May 24, 2018

Anglers will have another chance to land spring Chinook salmon in the Columbia River starting Friday.

An updated run forecast shows 116,500 upriver spring Chinook are expected to return to the river mouth. The daily bag limit is two adult salmon — Chinook, coho or steelhead. Only one of the fish may be a Chinook, and only hatchery fish may be kept.

Oregon and Washington state fishery managers will open the river below Bonneville Dam from Friday through June 6. The open area runs from the Tongue Point/Rocky Point line upstream to Beacon Rock for fishermen in boats. Bank angling only will be allowed from Beach Rock upstream to the Bonneville Dam deadline.

High river conditions are predicted to continue for some time, according to the state, and boaters should be cautious when navigating and anchoring. The river current is faster than normal and there is the potential of floating debris.

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