September 17, 2019 10:15 a.m.
Wild fall chinook temporary restrictions begin October 1st on some south coast rivers, while bag limit reductions that began in August, continue for the Coos, Coquille, Elk and Sixes.
A release from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said its important for anglers to note the Elk and Sixes rivers are now included with the Coos and Coquille river basins for the wild fish aggregate bag limit.
Restrictions were set due to poor wild chinook escapement in 2018 and low forecasted returns this year. Poor ocean conditions in recent years is the likely cause for the low wild chinook salmon runs according to the release.
Lower south coast restrictions won’t begin until October 1st to keep trout fishing open as long as possible and so anglers that catch a wild chinook before that date won’t have to count it toward the reduced bag. Anglers can still keep five wild jacks per Zone regulations, according to the release.
Anglers can check the southwest zone regulations by going to:https://myodfw.com/recreation-report/fishing-report/southwest-zone