ODFW OKs 2-rod Angling On Lower Willamette Starting 3-1

THE FOLLOWING IS A PRESS RELEASE FROM THE OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE

Anglers with the two-rod validation will be able to use two rods in the lower Willamette River beginning on March 1, under a temporary rule adopted by ODFW.

ANGLERS TROLL FOR SPRING CHINOOK ON THE LOWER WILLAMETTE LAST SEASON. THE 2022 FORECAST CALLS FOR 51,200 OF THE EARLY-SEASON SALMON BACK TO THE COLUMBIA MOUTH, ABOUT 10,000 ADULTS MORE THAN ACTUALLY DID IN 2021 AND 1,200 MORE THAN THAT YEAR’S PRESEASON PREDICTION. (ANDY WALGAMOTT)

Effective March 1 through Aug. 15 for anglers with the validation, two rods can be used while fishing the lower Willamette River for all game and non-game species, except sturgeon. The area includes the lower Willamette River downstream of Willamette Falls (including Multnomah Channel), and that portion of the Clackamas River downstream of the Highway 99 Bridge (just upstream of the confluence with the Willamette). Anglers above Willamette Falls are still limited to a single rod.

Fishing for sturgeon remains restricted to the use of one rod per angler.

Two-rod validations cost $28 for both residents and non-residents. Licensed anglers who purchase the validation can use two rods wherever regulations allow them, which is primarily in ponds and lakes. When possible, ODFW extends the validations to specific streams like it did under this temporary rule.

Kids under the age of 12 do not need a validation to use a second rod in areas where two rods are authorized.

For the latest fishing regulations, see the Fishing Report for your Angling Zone in ODFW’s Recreation Report, https://myodfw.com/recreation-report/fishing-report/