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Fall Chinook Advisory Committee Meets Again In Grants Pass
ROSEBURG, Ore. -(FishNLand.com)–

The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife and the advisory committee working on a conservation plan for naturally produced fall chinook salmon in southern Oregon are meeting in Grants Pass on April 27.

The meeting will be held from 6:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. in the Marie Hill Conference Room, 510 NW 4th Street, Grants Pass. The public is invited and will have 10 minutes to submit comments at the end of the agenda.

Four populations of fall chinook in the Rogue River Basin are the focus of the meeting. The advisory committee will form a draft statement for desired status of fall chinook and begin working on a conservation status statement.

The committee represents conservation and angling groups, commercial fishers, fishing guides and local government and has been meeting since January. They expect to continue meeting monthly through June, providing input to ODFW over the course of plan development.

The conservation plan covers populations of native fall chinook salmon that inhabit Oregon streams in the area between Euchre Creek and the California border and the Rogue River Basin. Using guidelines established in ODFW’s Native Fish Conservation Policy, the plan will identify desired and conservation status and will describe management strategies to reach these goals.

The mission of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is to protect and enhance Oregon’s fish and wildlife and their habitats for use and enjoyment by present and future generations. The agency consists of the Oregon Fish and Wildlife Commission, a commission-appointed director and a statewide staff of approximately 950 permanent employees. Headquartered in Salem, ODFW has regional offices in Clackamas, Roseburg, Bend, and La Grande with ten district offices located throughout the state. For additional information, please visit www.dfw.state.or.us.

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Oregon Fishery Managers Update Spring Salmon Catch Estimates
“So far the spring chinook catch is tracking very closely with what we expected,” said Chris Kern, assistant fisheries manager for ODFW’s Ocean Salmon and Columbia River Program.

CLACKAMAS Ore -(FishNLand.com)– Spring chinook sportfishing on the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam is projected to continue through April 22 as planned, based on preliminary in-season catch estimates updated this week by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The estimate shows that through April 11 anglers caught (kept and released combined) a total of 14,200 spring chinook, compared to a preseason estimate of 15,400 fish through the same date.

“So far the spring chinook catch is tracking very closely with what we expected,” said Chris Kern, assistant fisheries manager for ODFW’s Ocean Salmon and Columbia River Program.

Fishery managers are projecting that by season’s end Columbia River salmon anglers will have caught a total of at least 22,100 spring chinook, which would be 95 percent or more of the quota available prior to a run update. Quotas are based on impact limits established to protect salmon listed under the federal Endangered Species Act.

The average catch rate this year is about the same as most years over the past decade, with about one fishing trip in eight producing a spring chinook. That is down from last year’s record catch rate of one chinook for about every five trips.

Since the beginning of the season anglers have made a total of 111,000 trips. ODFW is projecting that by the end of the season effort will exceed 141,000 trips, which represents a 37 percent increase over 2008. On April 4, ODFW survey crews counted 3,275 boats on the river, which broke the existing record of 3,260 boats counted on April 14, 2001.

So far, the run of spring chinook to Bonneville Dam appears to be running late, which has become common in recent years. In February fishery managers set the season based on a preseason run forecast of 300,000 upriver spring chinook, but reserved some of the allowable catch until after the run size can be updated. As of April 13, 1,186 spring chinook had passed through the ladders at Bonneville Dam, compared to 5,600 during the same period in 2008.

Kern noted that a reliable run update likely won’t be available until the first or second week in May. In the meantime, biologists expect fish to start crossing the dam in increasing numbers this week.

The spring chinook season is currently scheduled to be open on the Columbia below the Hayden Island power lines April 16-18. From the Hayden Island power lines to Bonneville, the season is scheduled to be open April 15-18 and again on Wednesday, April 22. Spring chinook fishing is currently scheduled to continue on the Willamette Thursday, Friday and Saturday through April 30.

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Lake Chelan Opens Soon for Chinook Fishing
Seattle, WA -(FishNLand.com)-

At Lake Chelan not only are the huge lake trout (aka Mr. Mackinaw) fair game, but anglers can soon add landlocked chinook salmon to their spring and summer catch.

The huge watershed east of the Cascades will open April 15, and remain open until further notice. All parts of the lake are open to fishing, except within 400 feet of the mouths of all tributaries.

State Fish and Wildlife stocks the lake with a relatively small number of triploid, sterile chinook. It also includes some naturally reproducing chinook that spawn in the Stehekin River at the north end of the lake.

The fish average 10 to 12 pounds with some pushing the 20 pound mark. The chinook feed on school of abundatnt freshwater shrimp.

Downriggers are a must in this fishery as you start off fishing the morning hours in the top 50 feet of water, but as the day goes on they can go down as deep as 200 feet.

Like their saltwater brothers, a whole or plug-cut herring works behind a flasher. Also plugs and spoons catch their share of fish.

The minimum size limit is 15 inches with a daily limit of one salmon. No catch record card is needed.

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