SW Washington Fishing: Sturgeon: Anglers can catch and keep white sturgeon in the Columbia River estuary for eight days in May and three days in June. The limit is one legal-sized sturgeon per day, and two sturgeon per year and must be recorded on their catch record card. Legal-size sturgeon measure 44-50 inches from their snout to the fork in their tail.The fishery runs Mondays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays: May 13, 15, 18, 20, 22, 25, 27, and 29, plus June 1, 3, and 5. Sturgeon angling including catch and release fishing closes at 2 p.m. on each open day. Anglers can catch-and-release sturgeon on all non-retention days.
The open area includes the Columbia River from the Wauna power lines to the mouth at Buoy 10, including Youngs Bay and all adjacent Washington tributaries. Anglers should closely monitor the emergency regulations as this fishery could be modified as the season progresses.
Salmon/steelhead: The spring chinook fishery on the Columbia River above Bonneville Dam is open through May 5, but salmon fishing below Bonneville Dam closed April 21 after two brief re-openings. Staff are closely monitoring the run and will have a better understanding how the run looks by mid-May to determine if any additional re-openings can occur.
The fishery below Warrior Rock remains closed to conserve chinook returning to the Cowlitz and Lewis rivers.
Anglers fishing the main stem Columbia River in these areas must use barbless hooks, and release all wild chinook and wild steelhead.
Along with new area restrictions in the lower Columbia, fishery managers also reduced initial harvest limits for upriver spring chinook returning to the upper Columbia and Snake rivers. If those fish return as projected, anglers in the Columbia and Snake rivers will be limited to 4,548 fish prior to a run size update in May, compared to 9,052 last year.
"Anglers will still find some good fishing opportunities in the Columbia River Basin this spring, but conservation has to be our first concern with lower abundances," said Ryan Lothrop, WDFW Columbia River Fishery Coordinator said.