News: Summer steelhead season opens Wednesday on lower Columbia River

By Bill Monroe For The Oregonian/OregonLive

Oregon and Washington will open summer steelhead fishing Wednesday on the Columbia River from the Interstate 5 bridge downriver to Buoy 10.

While that portion of the river is also open to shad and hatchery jack chinook, it remains closed to adult hatchery chinook retention until further notice.

From the Interstate 5 bridge upriver to the Oregon/Washington border, all salmon and steelhead fishing is closed until further notice, although shad, walleye, bass, etc. are legal to catch.

Biologists are carefully watching the spring chinook salmon count at Bonneville Dam and may update the run forecast this week or next.

They've predicted a summer steelhead run of more than 190,000 fish will enter the Columbia River this year, a bit higher than last year's prediction.

High water from interior basin flooding in Eastern Washington may impede fish passage at the dam.