Fishin' Reports

Salmon fishing activity is on the rise as more and more fall Chinook move up the Columbia River and into the Hanford Reach. The numbers over Bonneville are excellent this year, and fish are still coming at a rate of over eight or nine thousand per day. Paul Hoffarth, who is with the Washington Department of Wildlife in the Yakima office, is providing regular updates on the progress of the fishery and monitoring the fishing effort. He reports that the counts are well above the 2017 through 2020 counts. Anglers are always eager to get at these fish and many will start right when it opens in mid-August. They struggle in the early season but do better and better as more and more fish move up the system. For example, Hoffarth reported that through the week of September 7th anglers averaged just one fish for every 26 hours of effort. The most recent report said that anglers were now averaging just over 18 hours of effort per fish. That’s a big improvement, and angler success will continue to increase as the numbers of fall Chinook increase on the Hanford Reach. If you plan on fishing at Vernita this season, get ready. The fish will be there soon.