Run to Remember, Summer Salmon & Steelhead

A recent article of mine discussed the start of a very encouraging number of summer steelhead. What hadn’t started yet was the sockeye salmon run, which is brief for the Lower Columbia and almost completely made up of fish headed far above Bonneville Dam to the upper reaches of the Columbia River. Unlike the summer steelhead and summer Chinook runs, the sockeye run in the Columbia is very brief, and as a result, on a good year, it can be mindblowing how many salmon are swimming by the very banks of Oregon and Washington beaches.

At the time of writing (July 16, 2024), more than 742,000 sockeye have crossed over Bonneville Dam. This is far beyond the previous record of 614,179 sockeye that passed over the first Columbia Dam (Bonneville) in 2014. With such an incredible run of what many consider to be the world’s best-tasting salmon, one would think that the fishing season in the Lower Columbia would have liberal limits and lots of opportunity. That is not the case this year, as just a few endangered stocks of sockeye in the Snake River have shown some sign of decreased returns, combined with concerns about spawning-time temperatures, which can have a dramatic affect on sockeye salmon as they are not as hardy as other species. Other stocks of sockeye, however, have far exceeded expectations, resulting in increased limits to allow for more harvest.

By the end of July, the sockeye run usually dwindles to small numbers, even on excellent years like 2024. So although 2024 is the best year on record since Bonneville Dam started counting fish returns, residents looking to fish around cities like Vancouver and Portland were not able to fish at the peak of the season due to an early emergency closure of the fishery. This is a common occurrence with many stocks of fish, especially the prized spring Chinook.

Anglers fishing in the Upper Columbia have been able to enjoy excellent fishing and relatively high harvest limits. No matter what, the number of sockeye salmon, not to mention a strong improvement in summer steelhead returns, point to improved ocean conditions, as salmon and steelhead returns are not only affected by their juvenile development in the river, but, in large part, by ocean conditions and predation as well.

With numbers like this returning to the Columbia River, there is an optimistic outlook as to what is usually the best time for salmon fishing in the Northwest: fall. Chinook and coho are more coastal in their ocean migration, and if this summer is any indication, we could be in for a very “fishy” fall.