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Spring Chinook Boat Fishing on Columbia Extended to June 15 by Staff Statesman Journal, May 27, 2011

CLACKAMAS -- Columbia River fishery managers have announced a fourth continuation of the spring chinook fishery.

Below Bonneville Dam, the river from the Beacon Rock line upstream to the fishing deadline at Bonneville Dam will open to boat fishing today through June 15. Previously, the area has been open to bank fishing only.

Above Bonneville Dam, the river between Bonneville Dam and the Oregon/Washington border will be open from Saturday through June 2.

According to Chris Kern, assistant manager of ODFW's Columbia River Fisheries program, managers estimate there are 2,700 upriver spring chinook remaining in the lower river recreational harvest quota.

Because of poor fishing conditions in the lower river, managers don't expect the entire harvest quota to be met, Kern said. They have assigned some of the available fish to the fisheries above Bonneville, where anglers already have exceeded the original quota for those areas.

Anglers above and below Bonneville will be allowed to retain sockeye, adipose fin-clipped chinook salmon and adipose fin-clipped steelhead. The daily bag limit is two adult salmon or steelhead in combination, and an additional five fin-clipped jack chinook. Downstream of Bonneville Dam, the daily bag limit can only include one adult chinook. Sockeye salmon count towards the adult limit regardless of size.