OFFICIAL 2023 Columbia River Spring Chinook Thread

turquoisesequim said:

Google sent me this read. So glad I'm not fishing that cluster any longer. Everyone is an expert. Watched it get worse for 50 years, fewer fish, more people, you can have it! Rather enjoy fishing the Peninsula without all the people. View attachment 1004943

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eyeFISH said:

My hardcore hook-rotting game didn't pay off til last May's springer extension.

But wait... can a guy still call it "rotting on the hook" if he doesn't use an anchor anymore?

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darth baiter said:

The perception is that forecasts for many runs, stocks of salmon have become less reliable both on the positive and negative side. In-season management has likewise been more challenging. For spring Chinook, there is a long window of opportunity to catch em in the lower Columbia. We often hear "why don't they wait until the run has been counted at the dam (or gotten to the hatchery) before you open it. It's common sense". Cautious approach is to fish a little on the front and back side and not in the volatile middle.

This year the run appears to be late..it better be ...but there is about a month and a half left in the run to catch fish. Opening the fishery in mid-May can still easily catch the allowable amount based on the updated run size determined from the mid-May updates.

Bottom line, there's plenty of time left to get em throughout the lower Columbia. And the weather will be nicer too.

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