David Johnson
05-24-2001, 07:10 PM
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
Northeast Region
Contact: Norm Hesseldahl or Bruce Eddy, 541-963-2138
Internet: Norm.L.Hesseldahl@state.or.us
For Immediate Release May 22, 2001
Hatchery Spring Chinook Season Opens on Lookingglass Creek
LA GRANDE - For the first time in more than a decade anglers will be able to fish for hatchery spring chinook in Lookingglass Creek, starting this weekend.
Lookingglass is a tributary to the Grande Ronde River. The chinook are returning to a hatchery located about two miles upstream of the mouth.
"As is the case with many other salmon runs in the northwest this spring, we're experiencing a surplus of hatchery fish in Lookingglass Creek," said Jeff Zakel, La Grande Fisheries Biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. "Working in cooperation with the Nez Perce and Umatilla tribes, we're able to open a fishery that will harvest some of these fish, while not posing a threat to wild bull trout."
The season opens Saturday, May 26 and closes an hour after sunset on Sunday, July 1. The bag limit during this season is two chinook per day that are missing both their adipose fin and right ventral fin. Salmon are born with two ventral fins, located on the belly of the fish, and an adipose fin, located between the dorsal fin and tail.
All other bull trout, and steelhead caught must be released carefully unharmed.
"A tribal fishery will be taking place concurrently on Lookingglass Creek, so sport anglers should be prepared to share the stream with Indian fishermen," Zakel said. "They will be using traditional fishing methods including nets, clubs, spears, gaffs, or regular sport gear, as allowed under tribal regulations. We're asking each group to extend full courtesy to the other, so that both may enjoy this unique fishing opportunity."
Lookingglass Creek has been closed to salmon fishing for so long that there is no harvest card location code for it, and one had to be created.
"241," Zakel said. "That's the number anglers should enter as the location code on their angling harvest tag for salmon caught in Lookingglass Creek."
As with the trout fishery that also opens on Lookingglass Creek on May 26, anglers are restricted to artificial flies and lures while fishing for salmon - no bait.
"There are bull trout in Lookingglass Creek, and bait fishing could pose a threat to them, so all angling is restricted to artificial flies and lures in the creek," Zakel said.
During the chinook season, angling is allowed from the highway bridge just above the mouth of Lookingglass Creek upstream to the cable crossing above Jarboe Creek. The quarter-inch maximum hook size limit is removed for the duration of the salmon fishery. When the salmon season ends, trout anglers must once again observe the normal closure from a point 300 feet downstream from Jarboe Creek to a point a quarter-mile upstream, which is located 200 feet upstream from the hatchery water intake.
"There are closure signs along the creek, and we will move them to correspond to the appropriate closure," Zakel said.
Salmon angling is not allowed upstream from the hatchery, but trout angling is permitted.
"Lookingglass steelhead and bull trout are protected under provisions of the federal Endangered Species Act. Our ability to provide future opportunities like this will be possible only if anglers protect these fish," Zakel says.
Northeast Region
Contact: Norm Hesseldahl or Bruce Eddy, 541-963-2138
Internet: Norm.L.Hesseldahl@state.or.us
For Immediate Release May 22, 2001
Hatchery Spring Chinook Season Opens on Lookingglass Creek
LA GRANDE - For the first time in more than a decade anglers will be able to fish for hatchery spring chinook in Lookingglass Creek, starting this weekend.
Lookingglass is a tributary to the Grande Ronde River. The chinook are returning to a hatchery located about two miles upstream of the mouth.
"As is the case with many other salmon runs in the northwest this spring, we're experiencing a surplus of hatchery fish in Lookingglass Creek," said Jeff Zakel, La Grande Fisheries Biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. "Working in cooperation with the Nez Perce and Umatilla tribes, we're able to open a fishery that will harvest some of these fish, while not posing a threat to wild bull trout."
The season opens Saturday, May 26 and closes an hour after sunset on Sunday, July 1. The bag limit during this season is two chinook per day that are missing both their adipose fin and right ventral fin. Salmon are born with two ventral fins, located on the belly of the fish, and an adipose fin, located between the dorsal fin and tail.
All other bull trout, and steelhead caught must be released carefully unharmed.
"A tribal fishery will be taking place concurrently on Lookingglass Creek, so sport anglers should be prepared to share the stream with Indian fishermen," Zakel said. "They will be using traditional fishing methods including nets, clubs, spears, gaffs, or regular sport gear, as allowed under tribal regulations. We're asking each group to extend full courtesy to the other, so that both may enjoy this unique fishing opportunity."
Lookingglass Creek has been closed to salmon fishing for so long that there is no harvest card location code for it, and one had to be created.
"241," Zakel said. "That's the number anglers should enter as the location code on their angling harvest tag for salmon caught in Lookingglass Creek."
As with the trout fishery that also opens on Lookingglass Creek on May 26, anglers are restricted to artificial flies and lures while fishing for salmon - no bait.
"There are bull trout in Lookingglass Creek, and bait fishing could pose a threat to them, so all angling is restricted to artificial flies and lures in the creek," Zakel said.
During the chinook season, angling is allowed from the highway bridge just above the mouth of Lookingglass Creek upstream to the cable crossing above Jarboe Creek. The quarter-inch maximum hook size limit is removed for the duration of the salmon fishery. When the salmon season ends, trout anglers must once again observe the normal closure from a point 300 feet downstream from Jarboe Creek to a point a quarter-mile upstream, which is located 200 feet upstream from the hatchery water intake.
"There are closure signs along the creek, and we will move them to correspond to the appropriate closure," Zakel said.
Salmon angling is not allowed upstream from the hatchery, but trout angling is permitted.
"Lookingglass steelhead and bull trout are protected under provisions of the federal Endangered Species Act. Our ability to provide future opportunities like this will be possible only if anglers protect these fish," Zakel says.