As the July 1st traditional opener of summer run salmon season approaches, I want to remind anglers that the Columbia River is closed to fishing for Chinook salmon and sockeye. The WDFW sent out a news release on June 12th that stated anglers must release all salmon on the Columbia River from the Astoria Bridge to Priest Rapids Dam. The new pamphlet, which comes into effect on July 1st also indicates that there is no opening for salmon this season on upper Columbia until September 15th. The news release mentioned that the summer run and sockeye returns are expected to be significantly lower than in recent years. When I looked at the dam counts over Bonneville last Saturday the summer run numbers are less than half the ten-year average. The ten-year average for sockeye passing Bonneville for this period is over 84,000. Last year we had over 59,000 on this date, but this year there are just 17,000. So, don’t plan on going out on the Columbia for Chinook or sockeye on July 1st. Be sure you have the new pamphlet to plan your fishing on the Columbia and other waters of the state.