CLACKAMAS, Ore.—Oregon and Washington fishery managers have finalized preseason planning for 2025 Columbia River summer and fall recreational salmon and steelhead fisheries.

Forecasts for summer steelhead, sockeye, fall Chinook, and coho will allow opportunity for anglers to target these fish. The planned 2025 fall-season fisheries are primarily limited by the expected harvest of upriver bright fall Chinook which is subject to catch-sharing agreements with the Columbia River treaty tribes under the U.S. v. OR Management Agreement. As has been the case in recent years, added protections are also necessary for ESA-listed Lower Columbia River (LCR) fall Chinook and summer steelhead.

SUMMER SEASON (June 16-July 31)
For the summer season, retention of jack hatchery Chinook and hatchery steelhead will be open starting June 16 from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco, WA. Due to the low summer Chinook forecast of 38,000 adults and allocation guidance, adult Chinook retention will be closed in summer season fisheries downstream of Priest Rapids Dam.

The sockeye return is forecasted to be 350,200 fish, which is down from last year’s record return of more than 760,000 Columbia River sockeye but still provides room for a couple weeks of fishing. Retention of sockeye will be allowed June 22-July 6; all sockeye are considered adults in the bag limit. When open to sockeye retention, the daily adult bag limit is two salmon/steelhead, but only one may be a hatchery steelhead and only one may be a sockeye. When sockeye retention is closed during the summer season, the daily adult bag limit is one hatchery steelhead. Anglers must stop fishing for jack salmon after taking a daily limit of adult salmon or steelhead.

FALL SEASON (Aug. 1-Dec. 31)
This year's adult fall Chinook forecast of 736,200 fish is higher than last year’s actual return of 669,505 fish. The Columbia River coho forecast of 342,100 adults is lower than last year’s return of 603,240 fish. Chinook and coho retention seasons start Aug. 1 and vary by river section, please see the preseason summer/fall Columbia River fishery regulations and the WDFW-ODFW Columbia River summer/fall fishery plan for details. This year's regulations include mark-selective retention rules for Chinook during a portion of the Buoy 10 fishery and salmon/steelhead angling closures upstream of west Puget Island when Chinook retention is prohibited. These additional measures are intended to help manage fishery impacts to ESA-listed stocks and to increase the stability of the planned season structure.

"While fall salmon forecasts are mixed this year, the lower river tule-stock Chinook and upriver bright Chinook forecasts are a bit higher than last year’s actual returns. We have been able to work with our co-managers and the public to craft some excellent fishing opportunities for this fall season including more non-mark-selective days for Chinook in the popular Buoy 10 fishery,” said Jeff Whisler, ODFW's Columbia River Fisheries Manager. “If an in-season review of the upriver bright Chinook stock indicates a return higher than the preseason forecast, we may be able to provide Chinook opportunity beyond the preseason plans."

SUMMER STEELHEAD
While steelhead are challenging to forecast, the 2025 forecast for upriver summer steelhead is very poor and fishery managers are planning for another low return. In recognition of the expected low abundance, anglers will see conservative retention regulations again in 2025, similar to recent years. Even at these low returns, some hatchery fish are still available for harvest; regulations are meant to reduce harvest of hatchery fish and incidental mortalities of wild fish from what would be allowed at typical abundances.

Hatchery steelhead retention will be allowed through July 31 from the Astoria-Megler Bridge upstream to The Dalles Dam and through Aug. 31 from The Dalles Dam upstream to the Highway 395 Bridge in Pasco, WA with a reduced bag limit of one fish.

After retention of summer steelhead closes in each area, it is expected to remain closed through the end of the year. However, winter steelhead retention will open under permanent regulations beginning Nov. 1 downstream of The Dalles Dam.

Protective regulations for steelhead will also include Thermal Angling Sanctuaries in Eagle Creek, Herman Creek, and the Deschutes River as well as in the Columbia River near the mouths of these tributaries (see the website for maps and detailed descriptions of these sanctuary areas). The John Day Arm (lower John Day River, downstream of Tumwater Falls) will also be closed to angling for salmon and steelhead from Sept. 1 through the end of the year.

The low forecast may also impact steelhead fishing on tributaries like the Deschutes, John Day and Grand Ronde. Tributary fishery managers keep a close eye on actual summer steelhead returns over Bonneville Dam starting July 1 and will take appropriate action in keeping with management frameworks if actual returns come in at critically low levels. For more information, visit the Columbia Basin steelhead management page. Anglers are reminded to check for in-season changes to permanent regulations for tributary fisheries at MyODFW.

FIND MORE INFORMATION

Detailed preseason regulations with season dates and bag limits by area are available at https://www.dfw.state.or.us/fish/OSCRP/CRM/index.asp (see 2025 Preseason summer/fall Columbia River recreational fishery regulations (pdf). As always, regulations are subject to change based on in-season information on abundance and fishery performance. Anglers must always check Regulation Updates for their zone before fishing.

For more information about Columbia River fishing seasons, visit ODFW's online fishing reports at https://myodfw.com/recreation-report/fishing-report/columbia-zone . Summer and fall season regulations will also be posted on the regulation updates page before the seasons begin.