Columbia Springer Season Extended Again

Spring Chinook season will roll into mid-June on the Lower Columbia and reopen in the gorge pools for 25 days starting later this week, state managers decided this afternoon.

True, the bulk of the run will be out of the lower river, but fishing will continue May 23-June 12 below Bonneville, while above the dam on the mainstem, springers will pick back up May 22-June 15.

This is this season’s third extension, with this month’s two coming thanks to runsize updates to the good and commensurate rises in upriver-bound spring Chinook mortalities available for harvest. Earlier this month, managers reopened the Lower Columbia to fishing May 9-22 and the gorge pools May 10 and May 13.

According to the U.S. v. Oregon Technical Advisory Committee, a total of 155,500 above-Bonneville fish are expected to return to the mouth of the Columbia River, up from last week’s update to 152,900 and the preseason forecast of 122,500.

Under the updated runsize, 40 percent of the Lower Columbia allocation of springers – some 3,369 fish – is available, while above the dam, 54 percent, or 852 fish, is.

There are also 659 springers available on Washington’s Snake, but any opportunity there will be solely decided by WDFW.

Columbia River sportfishing advisor Don McBride in Tri-Cities supported the staff recommendations.

“I’m just happy we could have both areas open for the Memorial Day holiday weekend,” said Tucker Jones, ODFW Columbia River manager, in a press release. “Hopefully folks can get out and enjoy themselves on the water.”  

Managers also heard about more tribal commercial research fishery targeting carp in John Day Pool backwaters. A test fishery in Paterson Slough and Willow Creek earlier this year saw one permittee haul in 42 carp as well as 26 suckers, 18 walleye, 12 catfish, nine bass and one northern pikeminnow during 10 net hours across three days.

The tribal proposal agreed to by state managers will allow gillnetting in Railroad Island, Paterson, Sundale, Jones Canyon, Willow Creek and Alderdale Sloughs over 22.5 days from Thursday thorugh June 14.

“There are no harvest limits for non-native fish species, and it is the tribal policy to maximize the removal of these invasive fish to the extent feasible. Non-native fish species are known to prey on native fish including salmon and steelhead and juvenile sturgeon. Non-native fish cause ecological harm by changing predator prey relationships, providing forage for birds that also prey on salmon and steelhead. They can also modify the environment through their spawning and feeding behaviors. Any efforts to reduce numbers of non-native fish should provide benefits to the Columbia River ecosystem,” a fact sheet out today states.