Coho season extended on Clackamas, Sandy, Eagle Creek

The Clackamas Review, Oct 8, 2009, Updated Oct 30, 2009

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The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife announced this week that it is extending the coho season on the Clackamas and Sandy rivers and Eagle Creek through the remainder of the year. The seasons were previously set to expire Oct. 31 on the Clackamas and Sandy and Nov. 30 on Eagle Creek.

“With the large coho run this year area hatcheries will easily meet brood stock needs and there will be plenty of fish for anglers to take advantage of,” Todd Alsbury, district fish biologist for ODFW’s North Willamette Watershed said in a release. “This is a good year to get out and try to catch a coho.”

The larger run, coupled with the late arrival of fall rains means the coho will be holed up in the watershed longer than usual this year, according to Alsbury, who noted that in most years the coho migration winds down by the end of October. This year biologists believe the run may last well into November.

Coho in the Sandy River are reared at ODFW’s Sandy fish hatchery on Cedar Creek near the town of Sandy. Coho are also reared by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service at the Eagle Creek National Fish Hatchery east of Estacada.

The decision to extend the coho season comes on top of an earlier decision by ODFW to increase the bag limit. On Sept. 1, the department adopted a daily “bonus bag” limit, allowing anglers to retain a third salmon, provided the extra fish is a fin-clipped hatchery coho. Under permanent rules anglers were already allowed to keep a total of two fin-clipped salmon or fin-clipped steelhead per day in any combination. Adipose fin-clipped chinook salmon and steelhead may be retained through the end of the year on the Clackamas River and Eagle Creek. Adipose fin-flipped steelhead may be kept through the end of the year on the Sandy as well, although retention of chinook closes Oct. 31 to protect late spawning fall chinook.

For additional details, seasons and gear restrictions, anglers are advised to consult the 2009 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations or visit the ODFW Web site at www.dfw.state.or.us.