Idaho Fish Report

Due to very poor predicated returns, retention of steelhead on the Umatilla River between the Hwy 730 bridge and Three Mile Falls Dam will be closed Sept. 1 through April 30, 2022.

From Three Mile Falls Dam to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation boundary and from the upper border of the reservation boundary to the Umatilla headwaters, including all tributaries except for McKay Creek, is open for fishing and retention of steelhead.

Trout fishing on the Umatilla River remains open until Oct. 31, with bass and other warm water species all year.

The fall Chinook and coho fishery currently remains open through Nov. 30 if returns permit. The bag limit being 3 adults, in aggregate, and 5 jack salmon per day. A return run of 6381 (+/- 1,960) Coho is predicated to return to the Umatilla River. A total of 248 coho, with an average of 50 per day have been counted at Three Mile Falls Dam in the past week. A total of 34 Fall Chinook adults, with an average of 7 adults per day have been counted at Three Mile Falls Dam in the past week.

For the past five days, the average number of hours spent to harvest a fish has been 9.5 hours. Anglers have been having decent success near the mouth of the Umatilla on coho and Chinook, with most being fish caught in the early morning hours. Anglers have been using a variety of methods to catch coho, however an egg rig bounced off the bottom, and pink or purple spinners have been the best producers. As water temps start to cool and flows start to increase, the fishing should pick up on the lower Umatilla.