Hanford Reach Fishing Report (8-25-20)

THE FOLLOWING FISHING REPORT WAS FORWARDED BY PAUL HOFFARTH, WDFW

Hanford Reach Fall Chinook Fishery Update (Aug 16-23)

The Hanford Reach fall salmon fishery opened August 16 (Hwy 395 Bridge upstream to Priest Rapids Dam). Pre-season forecast for fall chinook to the Hanford Reach is 92,000 adults, 65,000 wild and 27,000 hatchery. Returns are expected to be very similar to last year. Daily limit is 6 salmon but anglers are limited to two adults. Anglers must stop fishing when the adult limit is retained. Anglers can harvest fall chinook and coho, both hatchery and wild. Anglers can use barbed or barbless hooks when fishing or salmon in this area of the Columbia River.


Anglers may fish with two poles for any species except sturgeon with two-pole endorsement. Party fishing is not allowed when fishing for salmon in this section of the Columbia River. The Columbia River upstream of the Highway 395 Bridge is closed to fishing for steelhead.

Fishing was slow this past week. From August 16 through August 23, WDFW staff interviewed anglers from 98 boats (193 anglers) with 22 adult chinook and 2 jacks. Based on the sampling, an estimated 76 adult chinook and 8 chinook jacks were harvested by 724 anglers in the first eight days of the fishery.


In addition, 65 sockeye were caught and released. Boats averaged slightly less than a 1/5 a salmon per boat, 43 hours per fish.

Fall chinook counts at Bonneville and McNary picked up this past week. From August 1 to August 23, 10,784 adult fall chinook have passed McNary compared to 3,587 in 2019. Roughly 1,500-1,800 adult chinook per day are currently passing through McNary.