Snake River to see limited chinook season

Washington anglers will have a limited opportunity to catch and keep spring chinook on the Snake River starting May 7.

According to a news release from the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, fishing will be allowed two days per week on two separate stretches of the river — below Little Goose Dam near Starbuck and below Ice Harbor Dam near the Tri-Cities.

The Little Goose stretch will be open Tuesdays and Fridays. The Ice Harbor area will be open Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Anglers will be able to keep just one adult springer — those measuring at least 24 inches — in their daily bag limit of four fish. Chinook less than 24 inches are known as jacks and return to freshwater after spending one year in the ocean.

No fishing will be allowed in the Snake River near Clarkston. Chris Donley, fish program manager for the department, said the state’s harvest quota on the Snake River, estimated to be 493 adult fish, is small too allow fishing near Clarkston. When conditions are right, he said the Clarkston fishery can burn through the state’s quota in just a day or two.

“Given the volatility of that fishery, it’s really hard to open that one,” he said.