Action:  Opens Chinook salmon fishing season in a section of the Columbia River above the Highway 173 Bridge at Brewster. 

Effective date:  Aug. 1, 2019 until further notice.

Species affected: Chinook salmon.

Location:  Columbia River: From the Highway 173 Bridge at Brewster upstream to the Highway 17 Bridge near Bridgeport.

Reason for action:  Returns of hatchery summer Chinook above Wells Dam are sufficient to allow for recreational harvest.

Additional information:  Min. length 12”.  Daily limit 6 Chinook salmon. No more than 2 hatchery adult Chinook may be retained as part of the daily limit. Release wild adult Chinook, all sockeye, and all coho. Use of barbless hooks is voluntary. Anglers may fish with two poles with a valid Two-pole Endorsement.

WDFW will be monitoring harvest and may close this season early if necessary.  For emergency rule updates, please visit https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/.

Colville Confederated Tribes will be purse seining to collect salmon for broodstock and ceremonial and subsistence purposes.  Anglers are asked to be respectful of these activities conducted by the tribe. The Chief Joseph Hatchery releases millions of Chinook that contribute to recreational fisheries in the Columbia River.

Information contact: Ryan Fortier, District 6 Fish Biologist, (509) 997-0316 or Chad Jackson, Region 2 Fish Program Manager, (509) 754-4624, ext 25