Hoh opens to sport angling June 1 with adult salmon release required

OLYMPIA-- The Hoh River is closed to sport fishing for adult spring/summer chinook this year and remains closed to all recreational fishing through May 31, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife announced.

Summer sport fishing for trout (steelhead and cutthroat), other gamefish and chinook jack salmon reopens June 1. Anglers must release all adult salmon hooked incidently from June 1 through Aug. 31.

This years' forecast for the spring/summer chinook run is primarily based on the poor showing of three and four year old chinook returning in 1998 and is expected to be just slightly above the required 900 adults needed for spawning escapement. The sport fishery will be limited to incidental mortalities resulting from hook and release of salmon while a reduced tribal net fishery will target a harvest of 62 Hoh River spring/summer chinook and provide important biological data such as run timing and age structure.

WDFW biologists said that a complete closure of the river may be necessary if anglers fail to release the adult salmon when fishing from June 1-Aug. 31.