Mack Attack Magazine

By Bobby Loomis

August 1, 2025 - 12:01 AM - At first light, the most anticipated salmon season on the West Coast officially begins. The Buoy 10 fishery—stretching from the mouth of the Columbia River upstream to the west end of Puget Island—opens its gates for what promises to be one of the strongest seasons in recent memory.

The Numbers That Matter

Sport anglers have been allocated 16,600 Chinook salmon and 49,860 hatchery coho for harvest—quotas that exceed last year’s guidelines and signal exceptional opportunity. With total mortality allowances (kept plus release mortalities) set at 41,000 Chinook and 34,300 coho for Buoy 10 anglers specifically, fishery managers have crafted a season structure designed to maximize opportunity while ensuring conservation goals.

Season Structure Keeper Rules

Daily Limits: Two salmon per day, no more than one of which may be a Chinook when the king season is open.

August 1-6: Any Chinook (wild or hatchery) and hatchery coho may be retained. This opening week represents the prime opportunity for anglers seeking wild Columbia River kings—some of the most prized salmon on the Pacific Coast.

August 7-25: Only hatchery-marked (adipose fin-clipped) Chinook and hatchery coho may be kept. This selective period allows continued harvest while protecting wild spawning stocks during their peak migration.

August 26-September 6: The regulations return to allowing any Chinook (wild or hatchery) plus hatchery coho. This late-August reopener traditionally produces some of the season’s largest fish as mature kings push upriver.

September 7 onward: Chinook fishing closes, but hatchery coho fishing continues through December 31. The fall coho runs often provide excellent action when king fishing winds down.