CLALLAM COUNTY, Wash. — The Quillayute River reopened to fishing Tuesday with reduced salmon retention limits and a bait ban, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said.
The new rules took effect Oct. 6 and will remain in place until further notice. They apply to the Quillayute River from the Olympic National Park boundary upstream to the confluence of the Sol Duc and Bogachiel rivers.
Under the rules, anglers may keep two salmon per day, including no more than one wild adult. Salmon must be at least 12 inches long, and sockeye must be released.
Bait is prohibited for salmon and all game fish.
WDFW said recent rainfall has improved conditions for salmon returning upstream, allowing the river to reopen. However, the agency said more rainfall is needed to sustain river flows.
The reduced salmon limits and bait restrictions are intended to reduce impacts to salmon traveling to spawning grounds while allowing fishing opportunities to continue later into the fall, according to WDFW.
The changes were made in coordination with Quillayute River tribal co-managers.
The Sol Duc, Bogachiel, Calawah and Dickey rivers remain open under the state’s permanent fishing rules.
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