Lower Deschutes fall chinook season opens Aug. 1

The lower Deschutes River will open for fall chinook salmon fishing on Aug. 1.

The river will be open from the mouth at the I-84 bridge upstream to Sherars Falls. The daily bag limit is two adult chinook and five jacks. (Jack chinook salmon are 15-24 inches long.)

According to Rod French, ODFW fish biologist, the Deschutes boasts one of the healthiest wild fall chinook populations in the Columbia Basin.

“We experienced the second largest return on record last year, with over 18,000 fish returning to the Deschutes, and expect another large return again this year,” he said.

The chinook salmon season will close Oct. 31.

Anglers are reminded that all wild (non adipose fin-clipped) steelhead must be released unharmed and that the use of bait is restricted to the section of the river from Sherars Falls downstream to the upper railroad trestle. All other regulations listed in the 2013 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations remain unchanged.