CLACKAMAS, Ore. – Recreational fishermen will have two days in September to get out on the Columbia River to catch and retain white sturgeon under rules approved by the Oregon and Washington departments of fish and wildlife. The two-day recreational fishery will take place on consecutive Saturdays – Sept. 21 and Sept. 28.

Recreational fishermen will head to the water this year with an overall harvest guideline of 1,230 fish for the two days. The white sturgeon fishery is guideline-driven, meaning managers may close the season early if the harvest guideline is expected to be exceeded.

The effective area is the Columbia River from the Wauna power lines, which cross the Columbia River about 40 miles from the river mouth, upstream to the fishing deadlines at Bonneville Dam. The Cowlitz River will be open for retention of white sturgeon on the same two days under rules adopted by the State of Washington. The lower Willamette River remains closed to sturgeon retention at this time.

The bag limit is one legal-sized white sturgeon per day and up to two for the year; anglers are reminded that the annual limit applies to any/all 2019 retention fisheries. A legal-sized sturgeon is defined as one measuring 44-50 inches fork length. Anglers are cautioned to pay close attention to the instructions for measuring sturgeon. Fork length is measured in a straight line from the tip of the nose to the fork in the tail fin with the fish laying on its side on a flat surface and the ruler positioned flat under the fish. (See page 12 of the 2019 Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations.)

For more information and regulation updates, please see ODFW’s Columbia River Zone online.