Spring Chinook fishing to open on Umatilla River April 16

OR Department of Fish & Wildlife Staff

Report Date:

http://www.dfw.state.or.us

Pendleton, Ore.—Spring Chinook fishing will open under normal permanent regulations on the Umatilla River this year for the first time since 2018.

Due to poor returns, the fishery was closed entirely in 2020 and 2019, and did not open until May 25 last year. Fishery managers are predicting a good return of approximately 3,000 spring Chinook for the Umatilla River this year, which is almost double last year's actual return.

Regulations for the fishery are as follows:

  • Open for adult hatchery Chinook from April 16 to June 10 from the Hwy 730 bridge to Three Mile Falls Dam and from April 16 to June 30 from Three Mile Falls Dam to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation boundary (approximately 0.7 mi above Hwy 11 bridge).
  • The catch limit is two adult hatchery salmon per day, and five hatchery jack salmon per day.
  • All wild Chinook salmon must be released unharmed.
  • One the harvest quota has been reached, the fishery will be closed.

According to Taylor McCroskey, ODFW fish biologist, the Umatilla fishery provides anglers opportunities of catching a spring Chinook both on the bank and also via boat in the first three quarters of a river mile above the Hwy 730 bridge. McCroskey said the run usually peaks in mid to late May due to the warmer water temperatures in the Umatilla River. Anglers have multiple spots they can access the river and should check landownership prior to fishing to make sure they are allowed access at that location.

Remember to always check for the latest regulations before fishing by visiting the Recreation Report for the Northeast Fishing Zone visit https://myodfw.com/recreation-report/fishing-report/northeast-zone

More Reports


OR Department of Fish & Wildlife Reports
for Thursday, April 7th, 2022
: ODFW Recreation Report
Gerber Reservoir: The reservoir remains at 12 percent full
John C Boyle Reservoir: Fishing is improving for warmwater fish as they move into the shallows
Upper Klamath Lake: ishing is slow but will improve in late April
Klamath River - Upper - OR: Klamath River Fishing Report
Lake Of The Woods: The lake is mostly ice-free but with a very thin layer of ice in some areas
Pilcher Reservoir: The reservoir is now ice-free
North Fork Sprague River: Flows are high at 187 cfs
Wolf Creek Reservoir: The ice is gone from Wolf Creek Reservoir
Wood River: Fishing for brown trout should be good on opening day
Agate Lake: The reservoir has a good concrete boat launch and is 97 percent full
Applegate Reservoir: The lake elevation is now high enough that Copper boat ramp is now usable
Ben Irving Reservoir: Ben Irving was stocked with trout a couple weeks ago
Cooper Creek Reservoir: Cooper was stocked two weeks ago, meaning there should be lots of trout available
Coos River: The winter steelhead fishing season is still officially open
Coquille River: The winter steelhead fishing season is still officially open
Diamond Lake: With a mix bag of weather its hard to say how the fishing will be at Diamond
Emigrant Reservoir: The reservoir is currently at 12 percent
Expo Pond: Expo pond received another 1,500 legal rainbow trout the week of April 4
Fish Lake : The reservoir is slowly filling
Floras Lake: Recently stocked, anglers could potentially pick up some nice-size rainbows or native resident cutthroat trout
Garrison Lake: Just last week, 500 trophy rainbow trout went in
Howard Prairie Reservoir: The lake has no ice, but access is limited
Hyatt Lake: Open water is available but the reservoir still extremely low
Illinois River: The Illinois is closed to trout and steelhead
Lake Selmac: Weed growth is down and all boat ramps are accessible
Lemolo Lake: Lemolo is starting to fill, but the boat ramps are currently closed
Rogue River- Lower: Fishing conditions are low and clear
Rogue River - Middle:  Anglers are still catching spawned out “kelt” or down-runners
Rogue River- Upper: Winter steelhead are being caught in the upper Rogue on a regular basis
Tenmile Lakes: The winter steelhead fishing season is still officially open, but most anglers have called it quits for the season
Umpqua River: Anglers seem to be finding a decent number of striped bass in the lower section of the river
North Umpqua River: Anglers are still doing fairly well with winter steelhead
Willow Lake: Willow Lake received another 4,000 legal rainbow trout on April 4
Alsea River: Winter steelhead fishing is winding down on the Alsea
Kilchis River: The Kilchis River is still a little on the low side but has good color
Nehalem River: Mainstem is still a little off color following last weekend’s rain but is on the drop
Nehalem River- North Fork: The North Fork Nehalem blew out on Monday but has already dropped back into shape
Nestucca River: The Nestucca is in prime condition
Salmon River: Winter steelhead fishing closed on the Salmon on March 31
Siletz River: Winter steelhead fishing is starting to slow down for the season on the Siletz
Trask River: The Trask is in prime condition following last weekend’s rain
Wilson River: The Wilson blew out on Monday but dropped quickly and is back in shape
Blue River Reservoir: Will be stocked this week with 1,200 rainbow trout
Clear Lake: Stocking will resume later this spring
Dexter Reservoir: Will be stocked again this week
Foster Reservoir: The water level in the reservoir is currently low in order to provide flood storage
Hills Creek Reservoir: Hills Creek Reservoir will be stocked again this week
Junction City Pond: The pond will be stocked this week
Leaburg Lake: Leaburg Lake is open to fishing all year
Quartzville Creek: Quartzville Creek Fishing Report
Santiam River ( North Fork) : Trout season will start back up again on May 22
Santiam River (South Fork): Fishing with bait is only allowed between April 22 and Oct 31
Timber Linn Lake: It will be stocked this week with about 1,000 hatchery trout
Pine Hollow Reservoir: Pine Hallow Rainbow Trout
Imnaha River: Imnaha River Fishing Report
Willow Creek Reservoir: Willow Creek provides a great early season opportunity for anglers
Brownlee Reservoir: Anglers in the Powder River arm have recently had good catches of bass
Oxbow Reservoir: Anglers have been successful catching bass in Oxbow Reservoir
Hells Canyon Reservoir: Fishing pressure has been light on Hells Canyon Reservoir
Detroit Reservoir Fishing Report
Detroit Reservoir

OR Department of Fish & Wildlife Staff

Report Date:

The reservoir is stocked regularly in the spring and summer with tens of thousands of one-pound hatchery trout. Storage season......

Read More


ABOUT US

Fly Fishing Reports is the newest member of the SportfishingReportsTM Network of fish reports, boats, landings, guides, locations and more. We open our doors to the Fly Fishing outdoor enthusiasts who have a passion for the sport.