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Surge of Fall Chinook Smashes Daily Record over Bonneville Dam by Rich Landers Spokesman-Review, September 10, 2013

SALMON FISHING -- In case you haven't been paying attention, a huge run of fall chinook is heading up the Columbia and Snake Rivers.

If you need more evidence, here it is: 63,870 adult fall chinook were counted at Bonneville Dam Monday, smashing the record of 48,710 set just last Saturday.

The record before that was 45,884 fish on Sept. 11, 2003.

"As far as I can tell going back through the annual counts since 1938, the 63,870 adult chinook counted yesterday at Bonneville Dam may be a RECORD DAILY COUNT FOR ALL SALMONIDS, not just fall chinook," said Joe Hymper, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife fisheries biologist in Vancouver.

"The 475,000 adult fall chinook counted at Bonneville Dam to date is the 3rd highest on record for the entire run (August through December). Only 2003 (610,000) and 2004 (584,000) are larger."

Watch today's parade of fish.

They'll be showing up on the hooks of anglers in the Handford Reach of the Columbia and the Clearwater River in Idaho soon.