Two-rod Endorsement In Effect For Willamette Coho; First Fish Over The Falls Already

Anglers will again be allowed to use the two-rod validation to fish for coho above Willamette Falls this season, ODFW announced this afternoon.

The $28 endorsement can be used everywhere coho are open above the cataract between Oregon City and West Linn through the end of the year.

ODFW says it expects a “strong run” again this year, and while it’s anybody’s guess whether it will come anywhere close to 2024’s record return of 53,423, jack counts have been a decent indicator for the next year of late, and last year’s 7,215 was the second most to 2023’s 11,285.

Last year, fishermen kept 2,802 coho in the mainstem Willamette above the falls, about 5 percent of all the fish that were tallied in the ladder and nearly 2,000 more than in 2023. Anglers troll plugs, 3.5 spinners and 360s, and other offerings, or cast spinners, plugs and other lures.

Most of these salmon are of natural origin and can be kept, as can hatchery strays.

Also of note, seven coho have been counted so far this year at the falls, with the first arriving July 29, ODFW reported.

Kids under 12 don’t need the endorsement where use of a second fish pole is allowed.

The two-rod validation on the Willamette below the falls, used primarily for spring Chinook, expires August 15.