Sturgeon AS of Jan. 1, 2009, the new way of measuring sturgeon to keepR will take effect statewide.
Under the new rules, sturgeon will be measured from the tip of the nose to the fork in the tail (rather than the tip of the tail).
The resulting allowed retention measurements are slightly shorter than the old method. As a result, the 2009 slot measurement for sturgeon caught in the Columbia River downstream of The Dalles Dam to the Wauna Power lines, including tributaries, will be 38 to 54 inches FORK LENGTH. Upstream of The Dalles Dam to the Oregon/Washington border, the fork length for sturgeon retention will be 43 to 54 inches beginning on Jan. 1. Below the Wauna power lines, the fork length will likely change to 41-54 inches after April 2009, although those rules have not yet been adopted (see emergency rule changes for exact dates as the season approaches for sturgeon fishing below the Wauna power lines). Remember, all of these figures are simple conversions of the old method of measuring sturgeon. It does not mean you can keep smaller fish, only that the method of measuring “keepers” has changed. So, from Jan. 1 on,
Good luck on the columbia river should be a gteat year.
Look for lot of action with the shad come in on the river.