
Oregon Coast Wild Coho Season Proposals Out; More Days On Some Rivers, No Umpqua Fishery
THE FOLLOWING ORIGINATED FROM THE OREGON DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND WILDLIFE
The Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission is expected to adopt regulations for coastal coho this fall at their Aug. 15 meeting in Salem. See a summary of proposals below; more information will be posted on the Commission page closer to the meeting.

Comment on the proposals via the rulemaking page. The proposed fisheries also require federal approval from the National Marine Fisheries Service which is expected before Aug. 15.
The 2025 forecasted ocean abundance of Oregon coast natural coho is 289,000 fish, up from about 232,000 last year and the largest forecast since 2012. Proposed wild coho fisheries for 2025 are similar to 2024, with additional fishing days in some rivers due to the strong forecast.
One exception is the Umpqua River, where no wild coho fishery is being proposed. The Umpqua Basin had a very low coho return in 2022 (the parents of adults returning this year), particularly in the South Umpqua population where no adult coho were observed during ODFW spawning ground surveys.
Juvenile coho abundance in the Umpqua Basin the following summer was the lowest observed since the late 1990s. As a result, ODFW is expecting a low return of adults in 2025, especially in the South Umpqua.
In addition, ODFW is not expecting any adult returns from the South Umpqua hatchery coho program this fall. This is a continuing effect of the Archie Creek fire in 2020, which resulted in the loss of nearly an entire hatchery coho generation which ODFW is still working to restore.
The fish loss in 2020 resulted in severely reduced numbers of hatchery adults returning in 2022, the parent generation of adult coho expected to return to spawning grounds in 2025. Therefore, ODFW proposes to close all salmon angling in the Umpqua River (mainstem) for the remainder of the year once the wild Chinook quota is reached.
Proposed 2025 wild coho regulations:
The coastwide season limit is five (5) wild adult coho salmon across all open areas in the NW and SW zones, regardless of where they are harvested. |
Harvest of one (1) wild jack coho salmon per day is allowed in areas and dates open for wild adult coho harvest. There is no season limit on wild jack coho salmon. |
All other areas and dates remain closed to harvest of wild coho salmon (adult or jack). |
Basin | Dates open | Wild Adult Bag Limit(# per day/ # per season) | Open Area |
Nehalem, N. Fk. Nehalem | 9/10-10/26(Wed., Sat., & Sun. only) | 1 / 3 | Nehalem Bay from the tips of the jetties upstream to the Miami-Foley Road Bridge.North Fork Nehalem River from the mouth upstream to the North Fork Road Bridge at Aldervale. |
Tillamook Bay & River | 9/10-10/26(Wed., Sat., & Sun. only) | 1 / 3 | Tillamook Bay from the tips of the jetties upstream to the HWY 101 bridges on the Miami, Kilchis, Wilson, and Trask rivers, and on the Tillamook River from the mouth upstream to the Burton Bridge. |
Nestucca & Little Nestucca | 9/10-10/26(Wed., Sat., & Sun. only) | 1 / 3 | Nestucca Bay and River from the mouth upstream to the Cloverdale Bridge.Little Nestucca River from the mouth upstream to the HWY 130 Bridge (MP 1.2). |
Siletz, Drift Cr., & Schooner Cr. | 9/13-11/14 | 1 / 3 | Sep.13-Oct.7: Siletz River from the mouth upstream to an ODFW marker sign approximately 1,200 feet upstream of the Ojalla Bridge.Oct.8-Nov.14: Siletz River from the mouth upstream to the Illahee Boat Ramp.Drift Creek from the mouth upstream to the steel bridge entering Mennonite Camp.Schooner Creek from the mouth upstream to the confluence with Erickson Creek. |
Yaquina & Big Elk Creek | 9/13-10/10 | 1 / 3 | Yaquina Bay & River upstream to the confluence with Simpson Creek.Big Elk Creek from the mouth upstream to the confluence with Bear Creek. |
Beaver Creek | 11/1-30 | 1 / 3 | Beaver Creek from the walking bridge at Ona Beach State Park upstream to the confluence with South Fork Beaver Creek. |
Alsea & Drift Creek | 9/13-10/12 and10/25-11/7 | 1 / 3 | Alsea Bay and River from the mouth upstream to the USFS River Edge Boat Landing.Drift Creek from the mouth upstream to the lower Wilderness Boundary. |
Siuslaw, N. Fk. Siuslaw, & Sweet Cr. | 9/13-10/14 | 1 / 3 | Siuslaw River from the mouth upstream to the confluence with Lake Creek.North Fork Siuslaw River from the mouth upstream to Meadows Bridge.Sweet Creek from the mouth upstream to the head of tidewater. |
Umpqua, Smith, & N. Fk. Smith | Closed | Closed to salmon fishing when 500 adult wild Chinook Salmon quota is reached. | |
Coos, S. Coos, & Millicoma R. | 9/13-10/10 | 1 / 3 | Coos Bay and Coos River mainstem from the visible tips of the jetties upstream to head of tidewater or other landmarks (see 2025 permanent regulation exceptions, page 36, for details).South Fork Coos River from the mouth upstream to head of tidewater at Dellwood (RM10).Millicoma River mainstem from the mouth upstream to the confluence of the East Fork and the West Fork Millicoma River. |
Coquille | 9/13-10/15 | 1 / 3 | Coquille River from HWY 101 bridge upstream to the HWY 42S Sturdivant Park Bridge near the town of Coquille. |
Floras Cr. & New River | 11/1-30 | 1 / 3 | From the BLM New River boat ramp at Storm Ranch upstream to the confluence of Floras Creek and the Floras Lake outlet. |
Siltcoos, Tahkenitch, and Tenmile lakes | 10/1-12/31(permanentrules) | 1 / 5(permanentrules) | Permanent rules; see 2025 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations |