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Spring Chinook Salmon Fishing Ends June 3 on Snake River in Hells Canyon by Jayson Jacoby Baker City Herald, June 3, 2026

ENTERPRISE -- Tuesday, June 3, will be the final day of fishing for spring chinook salmon on the Snake River in Hells Canyon, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced

The season opened April 22, but with fewer salmon returning to the river than biologists expected, the fishing harvest quota has been reached and the season will not continue to Aug. 17 as planned.

Oregon and Idaho officials are coordinating on the closure.

"We understand how important this opportunity is to local anglers, and early closures are never easy," said Kyle Bratcher, ODFW's district fish biologist in Enterprise. "But with returns lagging, lower mainstem migratory success, and a reduction in harvest allowances, closure of the fishery is the responsible step to protect the run moving forward."

The closure applies to the Snake River from the Dug Bar boat ramp upstream to Hells Canyon Dam.

The Snake River season is one of two in Northeastern Oregon for spring chinook.

Fishing on Lookingglass Creek, north of Elgin, will continue until June 13 unless quotas are reached earlier, Bratcher said.

In an email on Tuesday, June 2, Bratcher wrote that he's not expecting a spring chinook season on either the Imnaha or Wallowa rivers.

Fishing has been "very good" for kokanee in Wallowa Lake, Bratcher wrote.