BY ANDY WALGAMOTT, NORTHWEST SPORTSMAN MAGAZINE
The sockeye season opener on the Columbia River from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge in Tri-Cities was moved back four days, the Hanford Reach season will close early and the Upper Columbia fishery won’t open July 1.
That’s according to a rule change notice and press releases from the DFWs out this afternoon as this year’s run looks to be coming in well below an already low forecast. WDFW says it will keep an eye on counts and may consider fisheries at the Brewster Pool as well as Lake Wenatchee if enough eventually come in.
Concerns have been growing in recent days as counts at Bonneville Dam lagged against the 2025 run and 10-year average. This year’s preseason forecast was for 274,900; so far only 8,932 have been tallied, about 29 percent of average through yesterday, though the run continues well into July and managers say there’s still “significant uncertainty” in the 2026 return, including timing.
Still, with the info on hand, they’re moving to act conservatively.
“Sockeye returns are tracking well-below what fishery managers forecasted before the season, which means fewer fish are available to support fisheries throughout the Columbia River system,” said Quinten Daugherty, acting WDFW Columbia River fisheries manager in a press release. “These closures and reductions reflect a precautionary, in-season adjustment designed to align fisheries with current return data while preserving flexibility if conditions change as the run develops.”
ACCORDING TO THE DFWs, the start of sockeye season on the Columbia River between the Astoria-Megler Bridge and Highway 395 Bridge in Tri-Cities will now begin Saturday, June 27, rather than Wednesday, June 23. It is still currently scheduled to run through July 5, “but further modifications may be necessary as staff continue to monitor the run.”
An ODFW press release says that the delayed start “will reduce the expected harvest by about 40 percent and help maintain management flexibility for future in-season adjustments.”
Upstream, the Hanford Reach, which just opened on the 16th, will now close on June 20.
“Based on current run size information, recreational sockeye fisheries in the Upper Columbia River will not open July 1,” WDFW’s press release adds.
AN ODFW PRESS RELEASE NOTES that Columbia sockeye fisheries are managed in part so as to protect the ESA-listed Snake River component.
“Given the uncertainty in the run size at this point and recognizing the potential for challenging migration conditions this summer, we are taking a precautionary in-season approach to this year’s sockeye fishery,” said Jeff Whisler, ODFW’s Columbia River manager. “Anglers planning to fish for sockeye should keep a close eye on our fishery action notices and the in-season regulation updates page. The season could change further as the run becomes clearer, and we balance fishing opportunity with conservation objectives.”
For its part, WDFW says that if there are enough sockeye returning beyond spawning and conservation goals, it may consider fisheries in the Upper Columbia.
“We understand anglers in the Upper Columbia are disappointed by these closures,” said Chad Jackson, WDFW North Central Region Fish Program manager, in his agency’s release. “A cautious approach gives us the best chance to preserve future fishing opportunity while we learn more about the size of the sockeye return. If the run develops at harvestable levels, we expect most additional opportunity would occur in the Upper Columbia River above the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco.”
Not long after today’s season changes, organizers of the Brewster Salmon Derby announced their planned July 31-August 2 event was “cancelled” but that they’d be back next year.
The 10-year average sockeye return to Bonneville is 309,404; the record is 2024’s 755,909. Work on the BC side of the Okanogan River as well as improved production at Lake Wenatchee have really boosted returns since 2008.
