FISHING --Starting immediately, anglers can keep any hatchery steelhead on the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River, the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department has just announced.

This action removes the requirement for both an adipose fin clip and ventral fin clip for hatchery steelhead retained prior to Nov. 1. The Lower Hanford Reach will remain open for hatchery steelhead fishing after Oct. 31 under the current permanent regulation listed in the fishing rules pamphlet (Page 74) and is scheduled to run through March 31.

Read on for more details from WDFW.

Location:  Highway 395 upstream to old Hanford townsite wooden powerline towers

Other information:

• Daily limit of two (2) hatchery steelhead.  Hatchery steelhead are identified by a missing adipose fin with a healed scar in its location.  Minimum size is 20 inches.
• Wild steelhead (adipose fin intact) must be immediately released unharmed and cannot be removed from the water prior to release. 

Reason for action:  Steelhead fisheries for hatchery steelhead (adipose clip only) have recently opened in the upper Columbia and tributaries, thus allowing early retention of adipose clip only steelhead in the lower Hanford Reach.