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Two Sections of Snake River to Close for Spring Chinook, and One Will Remain Open by Staff Seattle Times, May 16, 2013

The lowered spring chinook forecast has affected the Snake River fishery in two sections that will close immediately while another will remain open.

State Fish and Wildlife officials reduced the spring chinook forecast from 141,400 to 107,500. The updated run size means anglers were nearing the total catch allocation.

In the two closed sections, sport anglers have caught more than 130 hatchery adult chinook.

The two areas closing are below Ice Harbor from the South Bound Highway 12 Bridge at Pasco upstream about seven miles to the fishing restriction boundary below Ice Harbor Dam; and below Little Goose from Texas Rapids boat launch (south side of the river upstream of the mouth of Tucannon River) to Little Goose Dam.

The closure also includes an area between the juvenile bypass return pipe and Little Goose Dam along the south shoreline of the facility (includes the walkway area locally known as "the Wall" in front of the juvenile collection facility).

The Clarkston area will remain open Sundays and Mondays of each week only for spring chinook fishing as it had no catch allocation limit.

This area is from the intersection of Steptoe Canyon Road with the Wawawai River Road on the Whitman County shore up approximately 12 miles to the Washington state line (from the east levee of the Greenbelt boat launch in Clarkston northwest across the Snake River to the Washington/Idaho boundary waters marker on the Whitman County shore).

Daily limit is five hatchery-marked chinook and no more than one may be an adult chinook. Anglers must also stop fishing once they keep their catch limit. Minimum size of chinook is 12 inches. Barbless hooks are required, and only single point barbless hooks are allowed when fishing for sturgeon. There is a night closure. Hooks cannot be larger than 5/8 inch (point of hook to shank) when fishing for all species except sturgeon.