ODFW News: Ocean Chinook - March 15 opener

[Pete]

For Immediate Release Monday, March 11, 2003

Ocean sport chinook season to open Saturday, March 15
Earliest opener for ocean salmon since 1955

PORTLAND - The early recreational ocean salmon season between Cape Falcon and Humbug Mountain opens this weekend for anglers willing to brave the unpredictable spring weather to target chinook benefiting from good ocean conditions.

"We're expecting a fair number of fish out there. It may not be as good as last year's great year, but it will be very good," said Eric Schindler, an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist who leads the ocean salmon monitoring project in Newport.

Schindler said with good ocean conditions, anglers can expect to see the large chinook of last fall show up again. Many of the adult fish off the Oregon coast have spent the majority of their ocean life phase with good ocean productivity and feed availability.

But, he cautioned, pay attention to the weather.

"Things can turn very quickly in the spring and in the fall. It's hit or miss. Last year, we had great weather in March," Schindler said. "We're going to have an ocean season that lasts well into October, so anglers can pick their days to go fishing."

The early salmon season was set earlier this year to last from March 15 to April 30, 2003. Additional sport seasons for chinook and coho salmon will be set in mid-April by the Pacific Fishery Management Council and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife. Current proposals call for ocean sport salmon seasons to be open through Oct. 31, 2003. If adopted, the 2003 season will be the longest ocean salmon season since 1955. In 2002, the season was open April 1 - Oct 31.

Schindler said many of the chinook swimming off Oregon's coast come from California rivers, the Klamath Basin and southern Oregon basins. California fish managers predict the California rivers will produce high fish numbers similar to last year, with the exception of the Klamath Basin which is slightly down. Oregon biologists expect Oregon's rivers to produce an above-average number of fish.

The early ocean salmon season opens Saturday, March 15, for all salmon except coho between Cape Falcon, near Manzanita, and Humbug Mountain near Port Orford. The daily bag limit is two salmon and requires retained chinook and the occasional steelhead to be at least 20 inches long. No more than two single point, single shank, barbless hooks may be used. Anglers are advised that chinook harvested in the Tillamook Triangular Control Zone March 15 - July 31 must have a healed fin clip. This regulation is to protect the wild Tillamook spring chinook population that is depressed.

Anglers are reminded that sport fishing rules may change from those printed in the 2003 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations. Changes to the printed pamphlet may be found are posted to the ODFW Web site at: http://www.dfw.state.or.us/ODFWhtml/...eg_changes.htm .

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Information and Education Division
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
(503) 872-5264 ext 5528

[Pete]

OK, who's going? :grin:

[finclipped]

Can you catch salmon in March? Probably nobody knows.

[Flatfish]

According to my greedy vermin scumbag commercial friend( actually he is an ex commercial, but once a greedy vermin always a greedy vermin...right?) this fishery is targeting the Kalamath spring chinook fish. And why yes, they do bite and are fairly easy to catch. At least thats what my sources say.

Mark and the greedy duck killing never fetch enough dog.

[Fishplay]

Yes there are Chinook present and yes they do bite. Whole or cut plug herring trolled on downriggers is the top choice. Stonewall Banks is the most productive area.
I caught Kings in the ocean from March thru September last year.

[OceanBlue]

The ocean conditions might have been good for the salmon, but I don't think they're going to be good to us this weekend!
:depressed: :depressed: :depressed: