Sockeye fishing expands on Columbia River

OLYMPIA – Sockeye fishing will open from the Astoria-Megler Bridge on the lower river to the Highway 395 Bridge at Pasco, and daily limits increase from there to Chief Joseph Dam near Bridgeport on the upper river, according to a press release from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

The U.S. v. Oregon Technical Advisory Committee, which forecasts and monitors salmon and steelhead returns to the Columbia River, earlier this week upgraded the 2022 forecast for sockeye returning to the river to 426,000, more than double the preseason forecast of 198,000 fish. As a result, fishery managers determined that sockeye retention could open starting July 1 on many portions of the lower river, and limits could increase in other sections previously scheduled for sockeye retention. Sockeye fishing also opened Friday on the Okanogan and Similkameen rivers in Okanogan County.

Following a one-week opening in mid-June, further allocation is available given the recently updated summer Chinook return expectation of 66,800 to the Columbia River mouth. Anglers will also have an additional 13 days to fish for summer Chinook below Bonneville Dam.

More information can be found at https://bit.ly/3bxt6oQ.