Low water keeps Chetco and Winchuck gear restrictions in place through Dec. 31

Salmon anglers on Oregon's far south coast will keep fishing under tight gear rules for a while longer. The Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said Nov. 2 that it has extended the gear restrictions on the Chetco and Winchuck rivers through Dec. 31 because of low water.

Only bobber fishing, or fly fishing with a strike indicator, is allowed. On the Chetco the rule covers River Mile 2.2 up to Nook Creek, and on the Winchuck it runs from the mouth to Wheeler Creek. The restriction normally runs Sept. 1 through Nov. 3. ODFW says this year is an exception, much like 2022, with unusually low flows and no significant rain in the forecast.

The agency says low water keeps salmon bunched up in the lower river, where snagging and other poaching become a problem. It will lift the restriction once flows rise and are expected to stay high enough for Chinook to spread upriver.

Biologists are already seeing good numbers of Chinook returning to the Chetco. The wild adult Chinook limit is one fish a day and five for the season.

This is a The Gillnet news desk summary, not a reprint.

Source: Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (Nov. 2, 2026); also reported by KDRV.

Photo: Port of Brookings Harbor, via KDRV.