FISHING -- "The number of anglers fishing for salmon in the Hanford Reach continues to slowly decline but the fishing remains excellent with 2.7 fall chinook landed per boat," says Paul Hoffarth, Washington Fish and Wildlife Department Columbia River biologist in the Tri-Cities. 

An estimated 1,576 boats fished for salmon in the Hanford Reach this past week.  WDFW staff interviewed anglers from 481boats (1,251 anglers:8,066 pole hours) and 93 bank anglers (333 hours).  An estimated 4,311 salmon (3,767 adult chinook, 534 jacks & 10 coho) were harvested.   Bank anglers didn’t fare as well only averaging one chinook for each 31 anglers but the good news is that the bank anglers are starting to pick up a few steelhead.   There were an estimated 4,297 angler trips for fall Chinook in the Tri-cities this past week. 

For the fall salmon season that started August 1, there have been over 42,000 angler trips harvesting 25,596 adult Chinook, 2,290 jacks, and 171 coho.

The lower Hanford Reach (Hwy 395 to the wooden powerline towers at the old Hanford townsite) will remain open to fishing for salmon through October 31. The last day of fishing in the area upstream of the old Hanford townsite wooden powerline towers is October 22. 

The Yakima River fall chinook fishery has provided a decent number of fish. The Yakima closes on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

This past week WDFW staff interviewed 211 anglers fishing for salmon in the lower Yakima River with 49 adult chinook, 1 Chinook jacks, and 4 coho harvested. Anglers averaged a salmon for every 11 hours of fishing.

An estimated 275 salmon were caught this past week (247 adult fall Chinook, 5 jacks, and 23 coho) bringing the season total to 1,152 salmon.