Rains and increased temperatures have significantly increased flows on the Umatilla River and fishing conditions are poor for the moment. The predicated flows don’t look to be very fishable for the next week or more unfortunately. The steelhead fishery on the Umatilla closed April 30 and trout fishing does not open until May 22.  

The spring Chinook fishery on the Umatilla River opened on April 16. The bag limit is 2 adult and 5 jack hatchery spring Chinook per day. There are an estimated 5,854 spring Chinook predicted to return to the Umatilla River this year, so the Umatilla River a great opportunity for anglers to harvest a spring Chinook.

Most spring Chinook start entering the Umatilla in May, however with the cold temps and higher run off this year the fish could be delayed from normal run timing. The fishing picked up last week with lower flows and less turbid waters.

Not a lot of fish have been caught yet in the season with an average of 4 fish per day in the past two days, but quite a few anglers have been trying. As of this update, there have been 900 spring Chinook counted at TMFD for the season as of 5/19/23.