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Columbia River Regional Fishing Reports by Mark Yuasa Seattle Times, September 5, 2012

Salmon/Steelhead

. . .

Buoy 10 - Coho are catches are improving. Closed for fall Chinook retention until October 1.

Lower Columbia mainstem from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line to Bonneville Dam - During the first 3 days of September we sampled 1,099 salmonid anglers (including 342 boats) with 279 adult and 24 jack fall Chinook, 12 steelhead, and 6 adult coho. 278 (99%) of the adult Chinook, 10 (83%) of the steelhead, and 2 (33%) of the adult coho were kept.

Salmonid boat effort really ramped up over the holiday weekend with over 1,800 boats counted during last Saturday's effort flight count.

Through Sept. 9, the daily limit is six fish per day - including two adult salmon, two adult steelhead or one of each. Only one of the adult salmon may be a chinook. Anglers may keep any chinook, but must release any coho salmon or steelhead that is not marked with a clipped adipose fin.

Starting Sept. 10, rules for adult chinook retention in those waters will change in at least two ways.

Anglers can retain two adult chinook as part of their daily limit from a line from the Warrior Rock lighthouse through Red Buoy #4 to the orange marker atop the dolphin on the Washington shore at Bachelor Island upstream to Bonneville Dam.

Below this line, permanent rules require anglers to release chinook salmon through Sept. 30 - although there may be an exception to this rule. Fishery managers have agreed to allow a pilot mark-selective fishery for chinook Sept. 10-16 from Rocky Point/Tongue Point line to the Warrior Rock line - if all other sport fisheries can meet their management objectives. In any case, anglers will be allowed to retain two adult chinook in that area beginning Oct. 1.