Smelt are thick in the lower Sandy River, prompting a one-day dipping season Thursday, from noon until 7 p.m.
Dipping (only) will be allowed from the bank (only) from the river’s mouth upriver to the Stark Street Bridge.
Each dipper will be allowed 10 pounds of smelt, must have their own container, use a dip net and have a valid 2023 Oregon fishing license.
A 10-pound limit is approximately one-fourth of a five-gallon bucket or a full five-quart bucket. A scale is recommended for dippers, but is not required.
Tucker Jones, Columbia River program manager for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, said the one-day dipping coincides with both spring break for youths and a window between releases of hatchery salmon.
“We know it’s short notice,” he said. “But the smelt will not be present for long in the Sandy, and we’re already seeing some post-spawn die-offs.”
— Bill Monroe for The Oregonian/OregonLive
