PORTLAND, Oregon — This year’s run of Fall Chinook salmon is red hot, especially along the Columbia River where some fishermen said it’s the best they've seen in years. When KGW crews arrived Tuesday morning to the Chinook Landing boat landing near Fairview, there were already several boats who had caught their limit for the day. It’s not just along parts of the Columbia in Northeast, parts of the Bonneville Dam are also seeing a high run of salmon this year.
There aren’t many bad days out on the water fishing, especially lately along the Columbia River. The fishing along Chinook Landing has been some of the best that David Walker says he’s seen in years.
“It’s been phenomenal, it’s been the best run since 2015 and before that it was 2008, every six to ten years we get a nice healthy run,” said Walker.
Along the Bonneville Dam the numbers have been incredible so far this year. According to the Army Corps of Engineers, they have seen more than 630 thousand Chinook Salmon pass through this year.
A spokesperson with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife says this year’s run is coming in over forecasted from what they were expecting. So, what’s behind this year's higher than expected numbers? It’s the ocean conditions out in the Pacific, according to Tucker Jones who’s the Columbia River Program Manager with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.
“We have this upwelling that occurs with these winds and it brings these cold nutrient waters up from the depths of the sea,” said Jones.
While he doesn’t expect this season to turn into a record breaking year, he also admits anything can happen, something many anglers like Walker hope to see. The Fall Chinook Salmon season is scheduled through the end of this week, but Jones said that there’s a chance it could be extended.