After a “lights out” early season for the Buoy 10 fishery at the mouth of the Columbia River, fishery managers from Oregon and Washington are adjusting regulations to manage Chinook harvest in this fishery and to ensure fisheries further upriver can continue as originally planned.
Effective Aug. 25 through Sept. 2 (after which Chinook retention is scheduled to close), the fishery at Buoy 10 will remain mark selective for Chinook. With this in-season modification, only hatchery Chinook and hatchery coho may be retained in the Buoy 10 fishery for the duration of the season. The pre-season plan was to have a second any-Chinook period during this timeframe. Fishery managers will continue to monitor catches and will be prepared to make additional modifications if necessary.
Chinook catch was more than double what was anticipated during the first nine days of the season when any adult Chinook could be retained, according to Jeff Whisler, ODFW’s Columbia River Fisheries Manager.
“It’s no secret that Buoy 10 has been on fire since it opened Aug. 1,” Whisler said. “Similar to the adjacent ocean fisheries, Buoy 10 is running hot this year and if nothing is done to adjust, we will exceed planned Chinook harvest for this fishery, which could cause other in-river fisheries to close early.”
2026 catch rates have surpassed the large fall Chinook years of 2013-15 for the same timeframe and have been sustained day after day. Anglers showed up in numbers, leading to an exciting fishery with plenty of success and many smiles and photos at boat ramps.
Upriver fisheries are also just starting and to make sure those fisheries have the best chance of staying open as currently planned, fishery managers need to enact this in-season action.
“Buoy 10 is the largest and most productive fall recreational salmon fishery in the Columbia River and Chinook fishing has been phenomenal this year which has been very exciting to see,” Whisler noted. “However, we have recreational fisheries in the mainstem up to the Highway 395 bridge in Pasco, WA and I want to make sure those fisheries have the opportunity we planned for them.”
With this in-season action, retention regulations are as follows:
Area: Buoy 10 upstream to west Puget Island
- August 25 – September 2: Retention of hatchery Chinook and hatchery coho allowed. The daily adult bag limit is two salmon, but only one may be a Chinook.
- September 3 – October 31: Retention of hatchery coho allowed; all Chinook must be released. The daily adult bag limit is two hatchery coho.
- November 1 – December 31: Retention of hatchery coho and hatchery steelhead allowed; all Chinook must be released. The daily adult bag limit is two hatchery salmon/steelhead (coho and steelhead only).
Anglers are reminded to always check for in-season regulation changes before fishing as more actions may be necessary to stay within allowed harvest levels.
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Salmon fishing at Buoy 10 reverting to hatchery retention only following “Lights out” season |
