First spring chinook of season heads up Columbia River

FISHING —  The first spring chinook of 2015 was recorded passing over Bonneville Dam on Sunday, Feb. 8.

We’re a few months away from “Game on!”  but this is a wake up call for Columbia River anglers.

Much more surprising was last week’s passage of a chrome-bright sockeye salmon.

A counter at Bonneville reported the 20-inch-long sockeye came through the dam at 6:30 p.m. on Feb 3.

Sockeye normally do not arrive until May and peak in June.

This is either the third or fourth year in a row an early-bird sockeye has been noted at Bonneville. A record-breaking run of sockeye was recorded in the Columbia last year.