The 2019 fall and summer Columbia River salmon seasons have been set by state fisheries managers from Oregon and Washington, and they reflect concern for expected poor returns of Chinook and steelhead. However, they do allow more retention days for what is expected to be an excellent fall run of coho salmon.
Nearly a million coho adults are expected to return to the Columbia River this year, but the fishery will be constrained if too many Chinook are caught. Therefore the Chinook seasons are very limited. Also, the Columbia River and its tributaries will once again see rolling closures to protect poor returns of summer steelhead.
The projected return of about 39,000 summer Chinook is too low to allow retention, as is the sockeye run, and the summer season, (June 16-July 31), will be for steelhead only.
Buoy Ten
The season for Chinook retention in the Buoy Ten fishery will run from August 1-20 below Tongue Point. Steelhead retention is not allowed from August 1-31. There will be a two salmon limit, which may include one Chinook and one hatchery coho, or two hatchery coho.
The projected Chinook return is 20 percent higher than last year’s actual return.
“The projected fall Chinook run is slightly higher than last year’s return,” said Ryan Lothrop, the Columbia River fishery manager for the WDFW. “it’s a little better than we anticipated.”
According to Lothrop there are two reasons for the short Chinook retention season. The department does not want to enact a complete closure like last year, and they want to give anglers lots of chances to catch the plentiful coho.
“We are allowing fewer Chinook fewer retention days because of those two factors,” said Lothrop. “That was what we gathered from our public process. There was pretty clear support for that.”
The steelhead closure is in response to projected poor run of summer steelhead returning to the upper Columbia and Snake River basins.
“That is based on the B run forecast and the A run forecast, which are in a sense identical to two years ago,” said Lothrop.
The A run fish are mostly 1-salts, which means they only spend one year in the salt water before returning. Those fish were not exposed to the awful ocean conditions that affected runs of longer-lived species. It is possible that these fish may return in stronger numbers than expected.
However, that is pure speculation.
“We do not have an indicator to go off of for those fish.” said Lothrop.
In past years when there was a strong Chinook return, many fishing guides would chase the schools of Chinook as they moved upriver. However, with the low returns, that may not be the case this year.
Guide Brandon Glass of Team Hook-up Guide Service reports that he will target the coho more.
“I am going to stay down at Astoria through the 25th of September,” said Glass. “I’m not going to chase those Chinook up the river. I am going to stay with those coho the whole time.”
Glass is really looking forward to intercepting the coho in the ocean just off the Columbia.
“Fishing for those coho in the ocean is going to be real good,” he said. “It will be like 2014 all over again.”
Glass will be targeting coho by fishing higher in the water column, and running small spinners and bait. He will avoid the 360 Pro-trolls and fish straight flashers instead.
“I will probably not be fishing the pro-trolls much because that targets Chinook,” he said.
While the coho limit will initially be two adults, Glass said there is a possibility that managers will allow a three-coho limit, but they must first assess the run and see if it comes in as strong as expected.
Not all guides will chase the big coho run. TJ Hester of Hester’s Sportfishing will be following his usual fall plan, with no changes.
“I start in the Woodland fishery and follow the fish up to the Hanford reach and stay up there until it closes,” said Hester.
He will focus on the Chinook, and he expects a good season up at Hanford.
Good news, finally
It has been a long time since salmon anglers have heard any good news, but the strong expected return of coho salmon coming this fall definitely fits the bill as such. Prospects are also good that this year may be the last year of the ocean conditions hangover effecting fisheries in the Northwest for the last five years.
Given the complicated nature of the seasons this year, anglers are strongly advised to check the regulations before fishing.
Retention season summary
Coho: Aug. 1 through Dec. 31 for all sections of the Columbia River, with a two-adult limit.
Summer Steelhead: The steelhead limit from Buoy Ten to the Oregon/Washington border will be two hatchery adults until July 1, when it will be reduced to one hatchery steelhead, with a night closure. Rolling steelhead retention closures will begin Aug. 1 on sections of the Columbia.
Fall Chinook
Buoy Ten and Tongue Point to west Puget Island: Aug. 1-20, one Chinook allowed a day, as part of a two-salmonid limit
Puget Island to Warrior Rock: Aug. 1-27, one Chinook a day as part of a two-salmonid limit.
Warrior Rock to Bonneville Dam: Aug. 1 to Sept. 8, one Chinook allowed within a two-salmonid limit.
For complete regulations, visit the WDFW website at: https://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations
