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Jun-13-2009 20:37printcomments

Oregon Announces Proposed Fall Coastal Chinook and Coho Season

According to one ODFW spokesperson, this year’s coho return “is much larger than anything we’ve had in a long time”. What does this mean to us fishermen?

Oregon Coho
Oregon Coho
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(SALEM, Ore.) - ODFW recently announced their proposed coastal fall chinook and wild coho seasons. These proposals now go to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for final approval, which is expected some time in August. There are some significant changes of note this year.

The first is the fall chinook season. For those of you who remember, 2008 was not a good year for these fish. It appears that 2009 will not be any better. Many rivers will have significant restrictions this year.

In addtion to that, three coastal fisheries will be completely closed to harvest of chinook this fall.

They are the Nehalamem river, the Winchuck river and the Chetco terminal area. For those rivers remaining open, the season will start on August 1st, and go through the end of the year. Here are the restrictions for those coastal rivers:

Rivers with a bag limit of one fish per day, and two per season - Siletz, Yaquina, Yachats, Alsea, Floras, Sixes, Hunter Creek, Pistol and Chetco.

Rivers with a bag limit of one fish per day, and five per season - Necanicum, Tillamook Basin, Tillamook ocean terminal area, Nestucca, Salmon, Siuslaw, Umpqua, Coquille, Elk River and Elk ocean terminal area.

Rivers with a bag limit of two per day and 10 per season - Coos and Rogue.

According to Bob Buckman, mid-coast biologist for ODFW, one potential reason for the poor chinook returns in 2008 and 2009 is ocean conditions. Most chinook returning to Oregon rivers are 4 and 5 year old fish.

He explained that the conditions present when these smolt entered the ocean (2004 & 2005) were poor, resulting in high smolt mortality.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that 2006 marked a significant change in ocean conditions. Since most coho are three year old fish, this year’s run was able to take advantage of this. Because of these circumstances, ODFW is expecting a much larger coho return this fall.

According to one ODFW spokesperson, this year’s coho return “is much larger than anything we’ve had in a long time”. What does this mean to us fishermen?

It means that for the first time since about 1994, four new coastal rivers will be opened up to coho fishing. They are the tidewater sections of the Nehalem, Yaquina, Coos and Coquille rivers.

Each angler may retain one wild adult coho salmon and one jack coho (between 15-20 inches) per day, and a maximum of 5 adults per season.

This season will run from September 1st through November 30th, or until the harvest qouta of 4,000 fish is reached. Each river has it’s own individual qouta as well, and some rivers may close sooner as those numbers are reached.

ODFW has spent considerable resources in a concentrated effort to improve the coho habitat on the coast. It appears from their surveys that this is having a positive impact. This, coupled with favorable ocean conditions, is allowing our coastal fisheries to remain viable.

If ODFW’s theory holds true, perhaps we can look forward to an improved chinook season in 2010. Our continued vigilance in keeping these important coastal fish protected may be the only thing that keeps this fishery sustainable. So alter your fall fishing strategies accordingly, and savor the view of those new coho coming in on the fall tides!


When time allows, Gerrit and his family make the break to the Detroit Lake area and other parts of Oregon where hunting and fishing are the order of the day. Gerrit has a way with words that is drawn from both education and life experience. While Gerrit has a full time career in law enforcement and firefighting before that, he has also taken the time to polish his natural skills at delivering written and visual information. He used to have an outdoor column in the South Salem Post. He has also written regular articles for Oregon Fishing & Hunting News and ESPN.com. Gerrit's experience in life is both awe-inspiring and honorable. Gerrit is likable, uniquely qualified, energetic and down to earth. He helps fill the void when it comes to articles about all of the amazing things Oregon has to offer those who have a connection with nature; be it through hiking, fishing, photography, hunting, or so many other outdoor activities here.




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