Chinook season opens with daily limit of six

Fishing for fall chinook started Saturday with another strong run predicted for the Snake River. Predictions include 919,000 chinooks entering the Columbia system this year with 61,000 wild fall chinook set for the Snake River.

The fishing limits were announced last week by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Anglers will be allowed to catch and keep up to six fall hatchery chinook salmon per day on the Snake River. Fishing will be open seven days a week.

Barbless hooks are required, and any salmon or steelhead not marked as hatchery fish by a clipped adipose fin must be released. Anglers are encouraged to identify each catch before they take it out of the water.

Daily limit, in addition to the six adult hatchery chinook, will also include six hatchery jack chinook under 24 inches. Any chinook under 12 inches must be released.

Anglers can also catch up to three hatchery steelhead, but must stop all fishing once they have the three-fish steelhead limit.

The season for fishing for fall chinook is expected to extend to Oct. 31. The season for steelhead is expected to extend through Feb. 28, 2015.