Salmon season shorter, but still good

Quotas for catching coho and chinook are lower than last year and there are more restrictions on ocean salmon fishing this year, but there’s still plenty of reason to book a saltwater charterboat fishing trip.

Salmon fishing out of the Westport area opens July 3. The closing dates for coho and chinook depend on fishing success.

“Yes, the seasons will be shorter in the ocean and lower Columbia River than we have witnessed in the last eight years,” said Tony Floor, intrepid salmon angler and former salmon fisheries program staffer with the Washington Fish and Wildlife Department.

“However, there are plenty of bright spots: kings in the lower Columbia in mid-late August, Willapa Bay kings up 35 percent from last year and last year was very good, kings in Grays Harbor during the first two weeks of October, and plenty of chinook and coho opportunity in all ‘inside’ fisheries (east of Sekiu July through September).”

The popular Buoy 10 fishery at the mouth of the Columbia opens Aug. 1.

The Sekiu area has fisheries starting July 1.