Hanford Reach Fishing Report (9-13-21)

THE FOLLOWING FISHING REPORT WAS FORWARDED BY PAUL HOFFARTH, WDFW

Fishing effort and harvest continues to increase in the Hanford Reach fall salmon fishery. From September 6 through September 12, WDFW staff interviewed anglers from 443 boats (994 anglers) and 113 bank anglers with 360 adult chinook, 26 jacks, and 7 coho. Based on sampling, an estimated 1,249 adult chinook, 85 chinook jacks, and 24 coho were harvested during 3,744 angler trips this past week. Boats averaged 15 angler hours per salmon, just under 1 salmon per boat. Bank anglers averaged 18.5 hours per salmon.

For the season, 1,735 adult chinook, 182 chinook jacks, and 32 coho have been harvested. Fishing should continue to improve as fish numbers into the Reach continue to climb.

Fall chinook counts at Bonneville are holding steady at 7,000-10,000 per day. From August 1 to September 12, 241,148 adult fall chinook have passed Bonneville similar to the 2020 return (2020: 249,932).  Cumulative counts of adult fall chinook through McNary are well above the 2017-2020 counts.

The Yakima River remains closed to fishing for salmon based on the pre-season forecast. Fall chinook and coho counts at Prosser will be monitored in-season.  If the actual return exceeds the forecast the fishery will be opened by emergency regulation.