Lower Yakima salmon retention opens Sept. 15 from Richland to Prosser

Fall salmon stay on the lower Yakima starting Tuesday. A Sept. 11 WDFW-style action notice (carried by FishingWA) opens Chinook and coho retention Sept. 15 through Oct. 31, 2026, from the Highway 240 bridge in Richland (river mile 2.1) to the Grant Avenue Bridge in Prosser (river mile 47.0).

Rules: 12-inch minimum, daily limit one adult, no jack limit, release all other salmon, night closure, barbless hooks. Stop fishing salmon once you keep your adult. The water from 200 feet below to 200 feet above the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation Chandler Powerhouse/Spillway stays closed. Anglers 15 and older need a Columbia River Salmon and Steelhead Endorsement.

Managers say Prosser Diversion Dam passage shows enough fall Chinook to offer the sport fishery. Contact: Todd Miller, South Central Region, Todd.Miller@dfw.wa.gov. Confirm the live WDFW emergency-rule page before you wet a line.

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

Source: FishingWA — Yakima River fall salmon fishery to open (Sept. 11, 2026).