Fishing effort was down starting with Friday’s reopener and catches were a chinook per 10.5 boat rods. That’s the worst for this time frame since the main Columbia resumed spring fishing in April 2001.
Compare the 10.5 number to past years for this time:
2010 — 2.9 boat rods per salmon
2009 — 5.9 boat rods per salmon
2008 — 2.5 boat rods per salmon
2007 — 4.1 boat rods per salmon
2006 — 7.2 boat rods per salmon
2005 — 6.4 boat rods per salmon
2004 — 3.0 boat rods per salmon
2003 — 5.6 boat rods per salmon
2002 — 4.9 boat rods per salmon
2001 — 4.6 boat rods per salmon.
The river has dropped to 300,000 cubic feet per second and the visibility has increased to 2 feet. Still, the flow needs to get into the 180,000 cfs range the clarity needs to improve to about 3.5 to 4 feet.
Sunday’s count at Bonneville Dam was 72 chinook, bringing the year’s total to 659. Last year, the number for the date was 7,148 and the 10-year average is 16,764.
Washington and Oregon officials will meet by teleconference at 2 p.m. Thursday to review catches and consider an extension. Check back at this web location after about 4 p.m. Thursday to learn the decision.
