Columbia ocean hatchery coho window closes tonight

The short Columbia River subarea ocean coho add-on is done after tonight. Per the NMFS / ODFW / WDFW in-season action (noticed Aug. 26 and carried on ODFW’s ocean salmon updates), the recreational fishery between Cape Falcon, Oregon, and Leadbetter Point, Washington, reopened at 12:01 a.m. Friday, Sept. 4, and closes at 11:59 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 8, 2026.

Rules for the five-day window: two salmon per day, all coho must be adipose-clipped (healed fin clip), Chinook may not be retained, and Chinook may not be possessed onboard. The Columbia River Control Zone stays closed, and the nearshore box north of 46°15′ N and east of 124°08.667′ W remains closed to salmon fishing to cut Chinook encounters.

Managers reopened after the broader Cape Falcon–U.S./Canada recreational season shut Aug. 24 with about 4,132 marked coho still on the quota (roughly 93% taken). After tonight’s close, possession of salmon onboard is prohibited in the Columbia River Subarea — check ODFW and WDFW before any later reopen talk.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons / Coho salmon (freely licensed image used on The Gillnet).

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: ODFW Ocean Salmon Action Notices — North of Cape Falcon recreational action (Aug. 26, 2026 notice; open Sept. 4–8, 2026).