Name: Bill Monroe: Oregon fishing, hunting to return almost to normal next week
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Bill Monroe: Oregon fishing, hunting to return almost to normal next week

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NEW!2,503sharesFishing and hunting in Oregon will return to nearly normal on Tuesday.Oregon and Washington met by telephone Friday afternoon and authorized reopening of limited salmon and steelhead fishing seasons on the Columbia River beginning Tuesday, May 5.Oregon also announced it will resume allowing non-residents to fish in state waters and hunt on the same day.However, the non-resident ban in Oregon will continue for shellfish, including crabbing and clam digging.The May 5 date matches Tuesday of fishing, hunting and most boating.Columbia managers in both states said while the spring chinook salmon run is well below normal, it will allow for some fishing.Managers set Tuesday (May 5), Thursday ( May 7), Saturday (May 9) and Wednesday (May 13) as spring chinook fishing days. The limit will be a single hatchery fish per day. The area will be from Warrior Rock upriver to the Oregon/Washington state line.There will be no summer chinook fishing season, but the states approved steelhead and sockeye fishing riverwide (from Tongue Point upriver), beginning May 16.With the reopening of Washington's freshwater fishing, officials in both states said reciprocity will return for angling on the jointly shared waters of the Columbia River. It will apply to all fisheries except crabbing.Several caveats accompany fishing and hunting in both states:• Neither state will limit the numbers of anglers per boat, but will rely on operators for safe practices.• Check access. Not all boat ramps are open.• Stay close to home. Very little overnight lodging may be available.• Restrooms in most locations are limited or closed. Bring your own soap, sanitizer, toilet paper, food, etc.• STAY HOME if you’re sick.• Avoid crowds.• Social distancing is still important.• Wash your hands often.• Pack out what you pack in.MAYDAY – tag deadline ahead! As of Friday, a potential train wreck approaches on the May 15 deadline to apply for fall hunting tags in Oregon looms.With more than 120,000 available tags, applications are lagging 2019.As of Thursday, only 19,693 applications had been sold, compared with 22,534 in the same period last year.Last-minute tag sales typically result in long lines at license outlets.However, there's nothing typical about 2020.Some outlets are no longer available, and offices of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife are closed. Those outlets that are open require social distancing, which extends lines exponentially farther than usual with at least six-foot spacing.Department officials are suggesting entire parties avoid the lines and just send the party leader if visiting a terminal is necessary.The ideal answer is to go online and use a relatively simple electronic process. An account, which is necessary both online and at a terminal anyway, offers a tab called “catalog.” That leads to the long list of tags up for grabs.Non-residents are welcome to apply for fall hunts in Oregon.The department will restore preference points to anyone who's unable to make a hunt this fall due to coronavirus fallout, conditions or serious illness.“What’s happened with the COVID-19 pandemic is unprecedented,” said Curt Melcher, department director. “We cannot predict what the situation will look like in the fall, so we understand some hunters have reservations about hunting this year. Others may have lost their jobs and income due to the virus.”Sea lion hiatus: The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife has temporarily suspended the trapping and euthanasia of California sea lions at both Willamette Falls and Bonneville Dam.Department officials said there are several California and Steller sea lions at Willamette Falls. Even more Steller sea lions are working below Bonneville Dam.However, until the department can work out methods of trapping and euthanasia that work around COVID-19 restrictions, the hiatus will continue.They're hopeful of resuming before the end of May.Meanwhile, wild winter steelhead numbers were well-above last year and spring chinook numbers at Willamette Falls are higher than last year.— Bill Monroe for The Oregonian/OregonLiveNote to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.

NEW!2,503sharesFishing and hunting in Oregon will return to nearly normal on Tuesday.Oregon and Washington met by telephone Friday afternoon and authorized reopening of limited salmon and steelhead fishing seasons on the Columbia River beginning Tuesday, May 5.Oregon also announced it will resume allowing non-residents to fish in state waters and hunt on the same day.However, the non-resident ban in Oregon will continue for shellfish, including crabbing and clam digging.The May 5 date matches Tuesday of fishing, hunting and most boating.Columbia managers in both states said while the spring...

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Bill Monroe: Oregon fishing, hunting to return almost to normal next week

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