Fall chinook stampeding up Columbia system
SALMON FISHING -- The huge run of fall chinook forecast for the Columbia and Snake rivers got a booming start last week.
In a three-day stretch last week, nearly 85,000 fall chinook moved up over Bonneville, with almost 34,000 of those coming up river on Friday tapering to a rush of 27,000 on Monday.
Steelhead and coho also are in the mix, boosting the counts of quality fishing potential even higher.
Fishing writer Rob Phillips says anglers already have been nailing these fish at the mouth of the Klickitat and the mouth of the Deschutes rivers.
The bulk of the fishery is headed for the Hanford Reach of the Columbia, but Phillips details other hot spots up through the Tri-Cities in the upper Columbia in his Yakima Herald--Republic column.