Anglers have more time to catch and keep white sturgeon in the Columbia River estuary and in the Bonneville Pool.

Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon Thursday made the decisions after assessing catch data for both fisheries.

Anglers now will be allowed to catch and retain legal-size white sturgeon between the mouth of the Columbia River and the Wauna powerlines near Cathlamet through July 31, or until the harvest guideline is reached.

The fishery, which opened in May, was originally scheduled to close Monday and then re-open for four more days of fishing from July 1-4, the news …

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Fishery managers from Washington and Oregon this afternoon announced the fishing seasons for Columbia River spring chinook salmon and white sturgeon. The fisheries are expected to draw nearly 200,000 anglers to the river this year.

Most of the new rules take effect March 1, when fishing for spring chinook and sturgeon starts to heat up on the Columbia River. Sport fishing is currently open for both species on various sections of the river under rules adopted last year.

Cindy LeFleur, Columbia River policy coordinator for Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife, said fishing seasons for both species reflect …

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The state is opening the Columbia River downstream of the Lewis River for chinook retention. The opening runs from Friday through Dec. 31.

The opening covers the mainstem of the Columbia from the Buoy 10 line upstream to a line from the Warrior Rock Lighthouse, through Red Buoy No. 4, to the orange marker atop the dolphin on the Washington shore.

The state Department of Fish and Wildlife said lower river chinook stocks have moved out of the mainstem and there are harvestable numbers of upriver fall chinook available for harvest based on the current run-size projection.

Effective …

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The state has announced it will close the smelt fishery in the mainstem Columbia River on Thursday, prior to the scheduled closing date of March 31.

This should come as no surprise to dippers who tried their luck in the Columbia or the Cowlitz River. There were just a few folks who found any smelt this season.

The 2010 mainstem fisheries were developed to act as a test fishery in an effort to gauge the abundance of the 2010 return, said a news release from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. The 2010 smelt run appears to be …

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