By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews
The salmon should be there, it’s just a matter of whether the rains will cooperate this fall to allow for another reasonable fishing season on central coast streams.
The Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife is forecasting “pretty good” fishing for fall Chinook on streams in Lincoln County as the season officially opened Thursday.
Fishing for coho salmon does not open until Sept. 14, but stronger returns will allow the season bag limits to increase from two to three for all central coast streams except the Alsea River.
The number of salmon is good this season because of improved ocean conditions for fish returning to the Siletz, Alsea, Yaquina and Salmon rivers. But, fall Chinook returns to the Siuslaw River are still low enough to restrict catches on that stream to one per day and two for the season.
“Outside of the Siuslaw, it should be a pretty good year for salmon,” said John Spangler, the ODFW’s central coast biologist. “Lots of opportunities and plenty of fish.”
Just like last year for most mid-coast streams, the season limit for Chinook salmon is 10 fish this summer and fall. That’s half of what it was in 2021 and 2022 but double what it was in 2019 and 2020.
Spangler told YachatsNews that it’s still a mystery to biologists why some salmon stocks on coast rivers are rebounding and others struggle.
Except for some hatchery salmon that return to the Salmon River in north Lincoln County, the fall Chinook that enter coastal bays and streams are wild fish that depend on a natural spawning cycle before leaving rivers each spring to spend 3-5 years in the ocean.
Fishermen sometimes link ocean fishing for Chinook with how runs will be in coastal streams. But the Chinook that return to coastal streams are different. Chinook being caught now in the ocean are headed north to the Columbia River or south to the Klamath and Sacramento rivers.
Chinook headed to coastal rivers originate in water off Alaska and Canada.
ODFW biologists say a statewide drought in 2015 and 2021 and a warmer ocean from 2014-19 harmed salmon smolts leaving Oregon streams in the spring and hampered their survival when they reached the sea.
“We’re still not sure why some of the basins are doing well while others are not,” Spangler said of Oregon coast fall Chinook. “They go to the same place.”
But ocean conditions have improved the last two years, Spangler said.
“Right now the ocean is looking really good,” he said. “It’s been really cold with a lot of upwelling. It looks like the ocean is turning around and being nice to these fish.
The conditions have especially helped returns of wild coho salmon. That means – except for the Alsea River — people can catch a total of three coho this season.
In addition to a lower bag limit to allow more fish to reach upriver, for the first time the Alsea will also see a split season for coho. The coho season in the Alsea River basin is open for a month starting Sept. 14 then closes Oct. 14-25 before reopening Oct. 26 to Nov. 10.
Spangler said the split season is to allow more coho to reach the upper Alsea but also stay within projected catch limits for the fish, which is listed as threatened by federal agencies. But ODFW is also extending the coho season for several weeks longer than other coastal streams.
“We haven’t split the season before,” Spangler said. “But in the end, there will be more days to fish.”
There were just over 900 coho reported caught in the Alsea bay and river system in 2023.
Rivers and rules
Alsea River and bay/Drift Creek:
Fall Chinook: Aug. 1 to Dec. 31: Two per day and 10 for the season; 2023 season catch total: 3,322;
Wild coho: Sept. 14 to Oct. 13 and Oct. 26 to Nov. 10. Closed Oct. 14-25; one per day and two for the season; 2023 season catch total: 902
Salmon River:
Fall Chinook: Aug. 1 to Dec. 31: Two per day and 10 for the season; 2023 catch total: 806.
Siletz River and Drift Creek:
Fall Chinook: Aug. 1 to Dec. 31: Two per day and 10 for the season; 2023 catch total: 3,468;
Wild coho: Sept. 14 to Oct. 6 upstream to ODFW sign east of Ojalla Bridge; Oct. 7 to Nov. 15 upstream of Illahee boat ramp; one per day and three for the season; 2023 catch total: 707.
Siuslaw River/North Fork Siuslaw and Sweet Creek:
Aug. 1 to Dec. 31: One per day and two for the season; 2023 catch total: 2,012;
Wild coho: Sept. 14 to Oct. 15: One fish per day and three for the season; 2023 catch total: 2,358.
Yachats River:
Fall Chinook: Aug. 1 to Dec. 31: One fish per day and two for the season; 2023 catch total: 39;
Wild coho: closed.
Yaquina River and Big Elk Creek:
Fall Chinook: Aug. 1 to Dec. 31: Two per day and 10 for the season; 2023 catch total: 434;
Wild coho: Sept. 14 to Oct. 15; one per day and three for the season; 2023 catch total: 594.
