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Ecology and salmon related articles

Some Portions of the Snake River Reopening
Soon for Hatchery Spring Chinook Fishing

by Mark Yuasa
Seattle Times, May 31, 2014

Erika Holmes holds a bright spring chinook she caught on the lower Columbia River. (Jeff Holmes) Two areas of the Snake River below Ice Harbor Dam and Lower Granite Dam will reopen spring chinook fishing starting Sunday (June 1), and two other areas below Little Goose Dam and near Clarkston will reopen Thursday (June 5) until further notice.

State Fish and Wildlife transferred some of the catch allocation from the Lower Columbia River to the Snake River leaving more than 600 hatchery-marked spring chinook available to catch in the Snake, which should stay open for several weeks.

The Snaker below Ice Harbor Dam and Lower Granite Dam will be open Sundays through Tuesdays only, and below Little Goose Dam and in the Clarkston area will be open Thursdays through Saturdays only. Daily catch limit for hatchery adult chinook has also been increased from the previous openings, and anglers may keep two hatchery adult chinook and four hatchery jacks measuring less than 24 inches.

Barbless hooks are required in all areas, and anglers must stop fishing for the day when they reach their daily limit of two hatchery adult chinook. All wild chinook and steelhead must be released.

The sections of the Snake River opening Sunday are:

Below Ice Harbor: Snake River from the South Bound Highway 12 Bridge near Pasco upstream about 7 miles to the fishing restriction boundary below Ice Harbor Dam.

Below Lower Granite Dam: Snake River from the Ilia Boat Launch on the south across to the mouth of Almota Creek upstream about four miles to the restricted fishing area below Lower Granite Dam

The sections of the Snake River opening Thursday are:

Below Little Goose: Snake River from Texas Rapids boat launch (on the south side of the river upstream of the mouth of Tucannon River) to the fishing restriction boundary below Little Goose Dam. This zone includes the rock and concrete area between the juvenile bypass return pipe and Little Goose Dam along the south shoreline of the facility. This area includes the walkway area locally known as "the Wall" in front of the juvenile collection facility.

Clarkston: Snake River from the downstream edge of the large power lines crossing the Snake River (just upstream from West Evans Road on the south shore) upstream about 3.5 miles to the Washington state line. (The state line extends from the east levee of the Greenbelt boat launch in Clarkston northwest across the Snake River to the boundary waters marker on the Whitman County shore).


Mark Yuasa
State Fish and Wildlife Snake River Spring Chinook Catch Estimates
Seattle Times, May 31, 2014

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