Columbia Zone
Table of Contents
Recreation Report
May 1, 2024
If there’s not a photo, it didn’t happen
Submit your fishing photo to ODFW and we might use it here or elsewhere on MyODFW.com.
Current and upcoming fishing opportunities
- Walleye fishing is really picking up in The Dalles and John Day Pools.
- All permanent rules for the Columbia River Zone, as stated in the 2024 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations remain in effect.
Announcements
2024 spring-summer forecast
Fish consumption advisories
The Oregon Health Authority has issued consumption guidelines for parts of the Columbia River due to high levels of mercury and/or PCBs. Fish with these chemicals look, act, smell and taste like any other fish, so caution is important.
E-tagging tips for anglers
It's important for anglers to tag their salmon and steelhead immediately, which means you'll need to know how to navigate the MyODFW app outside of cell phone range. Here are some tips for e-tagging in the field.
Sign up for the latest information on boater access
Marine Board's Opportunities and Access Report incorporates information from federal and state agencies, local facility operators and fellow boaters to provide up-to-date information so boaters can decide where to recreate and what to expect this season. Subscribe to receive email updates.
Find Columbia River regulation updates for salmon, steelhead, shad and sturgeon by clicking the Regulation Updates button.
Salmon, steelhead and shad
Lower Columbia River (below Bonneville Dam):
Closed for salmon and steelhead angling. No Report.
Bonneville Pool (Bonneville Dam upstream to The Dalles Dam):
Closed for salmon and steelhead angling. Weekly checking showed one steelhead released for one boat (one angler); and 70 Chinook kept, and five Chinook released for 191 bank anglers.
The Dalles Pool (The Dalles Dam upstream to John Day Dam):
Closed for salmon and steelhead angling. Weekly checking showed 57 Chinook and two jack Chinook kept, and six Chinook released for 47 boats (128 anglers).
John Day Pool (Columbia River above John Day Dam and John Day Arm):
Closed for salmon and steelhead angling. Weekly checking showed 12 Chinook and one jack Chinook kept, and one Chinook released for 18 boats (45 anglers).
Sturgeon
Lower Columbia River (below Bonneville Dam):
Closed for retention. No report.
Bonneville Pool:
Closed for retention. Weekly checking showed no catch for one boat (one angler); and three sublegal-size sturgeon released for four bank anglers.
The Dalles Pool:
Closed for retention. No report.
John Day Pool:
Closed to retention. Weekly checking showed two sublegal-size, two legal-size, and two over-size sturgeon released for one boat (three anglers).
Walleye
Lower Columbia River (below Bonneville Dam):
No report.
Bonneville Pool:
Weekly checking showed one walleye kept for one boat (two anglers).
The Dalles Pool:
Weekly checking showed 58 walleye kept and five walleye released for nine boats (35 anglers); and no catch for seven bank anglers.
John Day Pool:
Weekly checking showed 21 walleye kept and eight walleye released for two boats (seven anglers); and no catch for two bank anglers.
Regulation Updates
Regulation updates as of April 29, 2024.
The following regulations reflect changes or additions to the permanent regulations listed in the 2024 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations. All other permanent regulations remain in effect. Please see e-regulations.
Salmon, steelhead, and shad
Buoy 10 upstream to Bonneville Dam
- Effective March 1 – April 11, 2024: the following area, retention, and daily bag limits apply:
- Area definition: Buoy 10 line upstream to Beacon Rock (boat and bank) plus only bank angling from Beacon Rock upstream to the Bonneville Dam deadline.
- Legal upstream boat boundary defined as: A deadline marker on the Oregon bank (approximately four miles downstream from Bonneville Dam Powerhouse One) in a straight line through the western tip of Pierce Island to a deadline marker on the Washington bank at Beacon Rock.
- Retention allowed: open for hatchery Chinook and hatchery steelhead. Shad may also be retained.
- Daily bag limit: two adult hatchery salmonids (Chinook or steelhead) per day, but only one may be a Chinook.
- All other permanent regulations apply.
- Area definition: Buoy 10 line upstream to Beacon Rock (boat and bank) plus only bank angling from Beacon Rock upstream to the Bonneville Dam deadline.
Bonneville Dam upstream to the Oregon/Washington State Line (upstream of McNary Dam)
- Effective April 1 – April 29, 2024: the following area, retention, and daily bag limits apply:
- Area definition: Tower Island power lines (approximately six miles downstream of The Dalles Dam) upstream to Oregon/Washington state line, plus the Oregon and Washington banks between Bonneville Dam and the Tower Island power lines.
- Retention allowed: open for hatchery Chinook and hatchery steelhead.
- Daily bag limit: two adult hatchery salmonids (Chinook or steelhead) per day, but only one may be a Chinook.
- All other permanent regulations apply.
Select Area Recreational Fisheries
- Effective March 1 – June 15, 2024: On days when the mainstem Columbia River recreational fishery below Bonneville Dam is open to retention of Chinook, the salmonid daily bag limit in Oregon and Washington Select Areas will be the same as mainstem Columbia River bag limits. On days when the mainstem Columbia River recreational fishery below Bonneville Dam is closed to Chinook retention, the permanent salmonid bag limit regulations for Select Areas apply.
Sturgeon
See 2024 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations for legal size, daily and annual bag limits and sanctuary closure areas.
Columbia River Mainstem and Reservoirs, Buoy 10 to McNary Dam
- Except as listed below, retention of sturgeon is closed. Catch-and-release fishing is allowed except in the sanctuary areas downstream from Bonneville, The Dalles, John Day, and McNary dams during May 1 – August 31.
- The annual statewide bag limit is two fish, applicable to any/all 2024 retention fisheries.
Retention fisheries for sturgeon in Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day pools are closed for the remainder of 2024.
COLUMBIA RIVER COMPACT ACTION NOTICES