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Spring Chinook Fishery above Bonneville Dam on the Columbia Extended by Mark Yuasa Seattle Times, June 1, 2011

The spring chinook fishery above Bonneville Dam in the Columbia River mainstem will now remain open through June 15.

The area stretching 163.5 miles above Bonne-D was originally scheduled to close on June 3, but state fisheries managers say enough remained available for sport anglers to catch which means it will stay open until the summer chinook season starts June 16.

The popular spring chinook fishery was already scheduled to run through June 15 below Bonneville Dam.

"We're pleased that we can keep these fisheries open right up to the end of the season," Cindy LeFleur, a state Fish and Wildlife Columbia River policy coordinator said news release. "Fishing conditions due to high water levels haven't been ideal this season, and this extension should give anglers a chance to make up for lost time."

The open area above Bonneville Dam stretches from the Tower Island power lines upriver to the Washington/Oregon state line, 17 miles upriver from McNary Dam. Bank fishing is also allowed from Bonneville Dam upriver to the power lines, located six miles below The Dalles Dam.

Anglers can retain up to two hatchery adult chinook salmon, marked with a clipped adipose fin, as part of their daily catch limit. Sockeye salmon and hatchery-reared steelhead also count toward anglers' adult daily limit. All unmarked chinook and steelhead must be released unharmed.