snake river fishing guides

WDFW NEWS RELEASE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
600 Capitol Way North, Olympia, WA 98501-1091
http://wdfw.wa.gov/ 
April 13, 2011
Contact: John Whalen, 509-892-7861
Three sections of Snake River open for
spring chinook fishing this month
SPOKANE - Three sections of the Snake River will open to fishing for spring chinook salmon this month, starting April 20 with the stretch below Ice Harbor Dam.
Two other sections of the river - one near Little Goose Dam, the other near Clarkston - will open April 25.
The daily catch limit for most of these areas is two hatchery-reared chinook marked with a clipped adipose fin and four hatchery jacks, measuring less than 24 inches.
The exception is the area along the south shoreline of Little Goose Dam upstream to the juvenile-bypass return pipe, where anglers may retain only one adult chinook and one jack per day. Anglers fishing in that area must stop fishing for the day once they catch and keep one adult chinook salmon.
In all areas of the river, anglers must use barbless hooks and release, unharmed, all steelhead and all chinook salmon with an intact adipose fin.
According to the pre-season forecast, some 198,400 spring chinook salmon will return to the Snake River in southeast Washington, including 66,000 hatchery fish.
That forecast is strong enough to open three areas of the river to chinook fishing, but not the area near Lower Granite Dam that was open last year, said John Whalen, manager of the eastern region fish program for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).
"The return estimate isn't quite as robust as last year," Whalen said. "As a result, only three of the four sections of the Snake will be open for hatchery chinook fishing this year."
Those fisheries are scheduled to run through May 31, but could be closed earlier if catch monitoring shows too much impact on wild stocks, Whalen said. He added that the fishery would not have opened at all this year without revenue available from the Columbia River Salmon/Steelhead Endorsement.
"The federal permit for this fishery requires close monitoring of impacts on wild fish," Whalen said. "Without the $8.75 anglers pay for the endorsement, the department could not afford the necessary level of monitoring."
The three sections of the Snake River opening to chinook fishing this month are defined as follows:
• The section below Ice Harbor Dam, which opens April 20, extends from the Highway 12 Bridge at Pasco upstream about seven miles to a point approximately 400 feet below the dam.
• The section near Little Goose Dam , which opens April 25, extends about nine miles upriver from the railroad bridge (about a half-mile downstream from the mouth of the Tucannon River) to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers boat launch on the south shore about a mile upstream of the dam. The open area includes waters between the juvenile bypass return pipe and Little Goose Dam along the south shoreline, including the walkway area known as "The Wall" in front of the juvenile collection facility.
• The section near Clarkston , which opens April 25, from the intersection of Steptoe Canyon Road with Highway 193 in Whitman County, upriver about 12 miles to the Idaho state line, from the north termination of the rock levee on the east side of the Greenbelt boat launch (near the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office) northwest across the Snake River to the Idaho/Washington marker on the north shore.
Additional information about the fishery is included in the Fishing Rule Change notice, available on WDFW's rules website at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/ . Whalen also encourages anglers to review the 2010/2011 Fishing in Washington rules pamphlet, in effect through April 30, 2011, and the new 2011/2012 sport fishing rules pamphlet, which will posted on the rules website and available from license dealers later this month.

WDFW FISHING RULE CHANGE
Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife
wdfw.wa.gov
April 13, 2010
Snake River spring chinook fishery expands for Snake river fishing guides
Action: Expands the area open for spring/summer chinook fishing on the Snake River and increases the daily limits.
Species affected: Spring chinook
Locations:
A) Snake River from the South Bound Highway 12 Bridge upstream about 7 miles to the fishing restriction boundary approximately 400 feet below Ice Harbor Dam.
B) From Railroad Bridge, about 0.5 miles downstream of the Tucannon River mouth, up about 9 miles to the Corps of Engineers boat launch (approximately 1 mile upstream of Little Goose Dam along the south shore). This zone includes the area between the juvenile bypass return pipe and Little Goose Dam along the south shoreline of the facility (includes the walkway area locally known as "the Wall" in front of the juvenile collection facility).

C) From Casey Creek upstream about 6 miles to the fishery restriction area below Lower Granite Dam.
D) From Blyton Landing Boat Launch along the Snake River Road in Whitman County (about 12 miles upstream of Lower Granite Dam) upstream about 19 miles to the boat dock behind the Quality Inn in Clarkston. (The boundary line is from the white sign for Hells Canyon Tours approximately 100 ft upstream of the boat dock that has the small green roofed shed on the south shore) across to the culvert with tanks and trailers on the north shore.
Dates: April 20, 2010 through June 30, 2010 below Ice Harbor Dam (Area A);
April 24, 2010 through June 30, 2010 for areas B, C and D.
Reason for action: The predicted return of 470,000 upriver spring chinook allows for expanded fishing opportunities in the Snake River within Washington. Expectations are for nearly 200,000 hatchery chinook to return to the Snake River.
Other Information: Only adipose-clipped spring chinook adults or jacks can be retained in these fisheries. The minimum size of any retained chinook is 12 inches. Jacks are less than 24 inches long. The adipose fin-clipped fish must have a healed scar at the location of the missing fin. Fishing must cease as soon as the adult chinook daily limit is retained. All chinook with the adipose fin intact, and all steelhead, must be immediately released unharmed. chinook harvest or retention is limited to 2 adults and 4 jacks per day.
EXCEPTION: The area between the juvenile bypass return pipe and Little Goose Dam along the south shoreline of the facility, which includes the walkway area locally known as "the Wall" in front of the juvenile collection facility. The daily bag limit for this limited area is one jack and one adult, but an angler must cease fishing when the 1 adipose-clipped adult is retained.
In addition: The following rules will be in effect for anglers fishing for all species in these areas of the Snake River during the salmon fishery: Barbless hooks only, night closure in effect, and it shall be unlawful to use any hook larger than 5/8 inch (point of hook to shank). Anglers cannot remove any chinook or steelhead from the water unless it is retained as part of the daily bag limit. Anglers are reminded to refer to the 2009/2010 Fishing in Washington Sport Fishing Rules pamphlet (in effect through April 30, 2010), and the new 2010-2011 sport fishing rules pamphlet (in effect May 1, 2010) for other regulations, including safety closures, etc. Angler catch rates will be monitored closely and Snake River salmon fisheries may be closed prior to June 30 based upon conservation needs.
Information contact: John Whalen (509) 892-7861

Snake River fishing guides

• On November 20, six respected orca scientists asked the government to remove the lower Snake River dams. A lack of food is a major reason why Puget Sound killer whales - which once ate once-abundant Columbia and Snake River salmon in the winter - have been added to the list of endangered species. Snake River dam removal is a key to the survival of both salmon and orcas.
• On November 29, more than 100 chefs in Washington State asked their members of Congress to do the same - to help restore the same healthy sustainable food source, in this case for people.
• And, in the week between, Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) endorsed lower Snake River dam removal in a letter to her constituents who have asked for her help.

The Snake River is near Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington where Oregon, Idaho and Washington meet. It flows into the Columbia River near the tri-cities of Kennewick, Pasco and Richland Washington. It runs through Hells Canyon provides recreation and fishing opportunities. Fish for

• Steelhead
• Salmon
• Sturgeon: keeper Sturgeon and Trophy Sturgeon
• Smallmouth Bass
• Channel Catfish
• Trout