The following is a brief summary of emergency and permanent sport fishing regulations for the lower mainstem Columbia River and its tributaries and proposed razor clam digs.
Rocky Point/Tongue Point line to I-5 Bridge – Open to fishing for hatchery steelhead, hatchery Chinook jacks, sockeye, and shad. Daily limit 6 salmonids of which no more than 2 may be adult salmon or hatchery steelhead or one of each. Release adult Chinook.
On May 26 and May 27, one hatchery adult chinook may be retained as part of the salmonid daily limit from Buoy 10 upstream to Bonneville Dam.
I-5 Bridge to Bonneville Dam – Open to fishing for shad.
On May 26 and May 27, hatchery Chinook, hatchery steelhead, and sockeye may be retained. Daily limit 6 salmonids of which no more than 2 may be adult salmon or hatchery steelhead or one of each. Only one may be a hatchery adult Chinook. Bank fishing only from Beacon Rock to Bonneville Dam.
Bonneville Dam to Oregon/Washington Border – Scheduled to reopen to fishing for hatchery steelhead, hatchery Chinook, and sockeye beginning June 16.
For the mainstem Columbia River salmon and steelhead fishery from the Rocky Point/Tongue Point line upstream to OR/WA border – Through June 15, it is unlawful when fishing from vessels which are less than 30 feet in length (substantiated by Coast Guard documentation or Marine Board registration) to totally remove from the water any salmon or steelhead required to be released.
Entire Mainstem Columbia – Anglers may not possess in the field salmon or steelhead mutilated so that size, species or fin clip cannot be determined until the angler has reached their automobile or principle means of land transportation and has completed their daily angling.
Deep River from mouth to town bridge – Through June 15, the daily limit for salmon may not include more than one hatchery adult Chinook during those days when the adjacent waters of the mainstem Columbia River are open to retention of spring Chinook.
Cowlitz River from boundary markers at mouth to 400 feet or posted markers below the barrier dam – The salmon daily limit is six fish of which no more than 2 may be adults. Only hatchery chinook and hatchery coho may be retained. Upstream from Mill Creek, fishing from the south side of the river is closed through June 15.
Two poles may be used from the Lexington Bridge Drive in Kelso to the Hwy. 505 Bridge in Toledo.
Kalama River from boundary markers at mouth to 1,000 feet below fishway at upper salmon hatchery – The salmon daily limit is 6 hatchery chinook of which 1 may be an adult.
Lewis River (including North Fork) – The salmon daily limit is 6 hatchery chinook of which 1 may be an adult.
Two poles may be used on the mainstem Lewis River from the railroad bridge upstream to the mouth of the east fork and the North Fork upstream to Johnson Creek.
East Fork Lewis from mouth to top boat ramp at Lewisville Park and Washougal River from mouth to Mt. Norway Bridge – Open to fishing for hatchery steelhead. Through the first Friday in June, selective gear rules are in effect; no bait may be used.
Wind River from mouth (boundary line/markers) to 800 yards downstream from Carson National Fish Hatchery and Drano Lake – Open to fishing for Chinook and hatchery steelhead. Daily limit is a total of 2 salmon or hatchery steelhead or 1 of each. Release wild chinook except any Chinook, adipose fin clipped or not, may be retained upstream from Shipherd Falls. Closed waters from 400 feet below to 100 feet above Shipherd Falls and 400 feet below to 100 feet above the coffer dam.
Drano Lake will be closed Wednesdays through June. In addition, bank fishing only west of a line projected from the eastern most pillar of the Hwy. 14 Bridge to a posted marker on the north shore.
Two poles may be used on the Wind from the mouth to the railroad bridge and at Drano Lake.
White Salmon River from mouth upstream to the county bridge below the powerhouse – Open to fishing for hatchery steelhead and salmon. Daily limit is a total of 2 salmon or hatchery steelhead or 1 of each. Release wild Chinook.
The fishing boundary buoys at the mouth are no longer in place; therefore the mouth of the White Salmon River is defined as “outermost uplands not covered by ordinary high water.”
White Salmon River from the county bridge below the powerhouse upstream to Northwestern Lake Road Bridge – Closed waters.
Klickitat River from the mouth to Fisher Hill Bridge – Through May, open to fishing for hatchery spring Chinook and hatchery steelhead Mondays, Wednesdays, Saturdays, and Sundays only.The daily limit is two hatchery Chinook, hatchery steelhead or one of each. When anti-snagging rule is in effect, only fish hooked inside the mouth may be retained
Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement – All anglers 15 or older fishing for salmon or steelhead on the Columbia River or its tributaries must have an endorsement in addition to their fishing license. All other seasons and limits apply. The endorsement is good for the entire license year (through March 31), costs $8.75, and can be purchased at a licensed dealer or online.
Two-Pole Endorsement – This endorsement allows you to use two fishing poles on most freshwater lakes, ponds, a few sections of certain rivers, and a few marine areas. You must have a fishing license in addition to the two pole endorsement.
Mainstem Columbia and its tributaries from Buoy 10 to the Wauna powerlines (including all adjacent Washington tributaries) – White sturgeon may be retained daily through July 8. Daily limit is 1fish, min. size 41” fork length and max. 54” fork length. Catch-and-release fishing is permitted on non-retention days.
Mainstem Columbia River from the Wauna powerlines upstream to Bonneville Dam (including all adjacent Washington tributaries) – White sturgeon may be retained Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays only through July 31 and October 20 through December 31. Daily limit is 1 fish, min. size 38” fork length and max. 54” fork length. Catch-and-release fishing is permitted on non-retention days.
From Bonneville Dam downstream 9 miles to a line crossing the Columbia from Navigation Marker 82 on the Oregon shore through the upstream exposed end of Skamania Island, continuing in a straight line to a boundary marker on the Washington shore – CLOSED to fishing for sturgeon through August.
Bonneville Dam to The Dalles Dam – Retention will be allowed June 15, 16, 22, and 23. The daily limit will be 1 fish, min. size 38” fork length and max. 54” fork length. Catch-and-release fishing is permitted on non-retention days.
The Dalles Dam to John Day Dam – Until further notice, the daily limit is 1 fish, minimum fork length 43 inches and maximum fork length 54 inches. The retention season ending date depends upon when the guideline is met.
From John Day Dam downstream 2.4 miles to the west end of the grain silo at Rufus, Oregon - CLOSED to fishing for sturgeon through July.
John Day Dam to McNary Dam – Through the end of the year, catch-and-release fishing only.
From McNary Dam downstream 1.5 miles to Hwy. 82 (Hwy. 395) Bridge – CLOSED to fishing for sturgeon through July.
