The first known spring chinook salmon catch of the year was reported Feb. 1 in the Columbia River off Davis Bar, west of Vancouver, Wash., according to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife's "Weekender Report."

So began the 2010 spring chinook fishery, which could promise to be one of the best on record. More than 550,000 "springers" are expected to return to the Columbia this year so anglers are already prospecting for early arrivals.

The preseason forecast includes a return of 470,000 "upriver" spring chinook, fish that are bound for hatcheries and tributary spawning grounds above Bonneville Dam in Idaho, Oregon and Washington. Such a return would be highest on a record dating back to 1938.

The 2010 upriver spring chinook forecast includes 272,000 Snake River fish (73,400 wild) and 57,300 upper Columbia spring chinook (5,700 wild), with the remainder of the run comprised of spring chinook returning to mid-Columbia tributaries.

Columbia River anglers may retain hatchery-reared spring chinook under last year's rules until fishery managers from Washington and Oregon meet to establish new fishing seasons for the remainder of 2010. That meeting, which is open to the public, is set to begin at 10 a.m. Feb. 18 in Oregon City, 211 Tumwater Drive.

The bulk of the spring chinook run isn't expected to arrive until mid-March. Only 3 chinook have been counted so far this year passing over Bonneville's fish ladders.

Meanwhile, southwest Washington have other options:

-- Winter steelhead: Anglers fishing The Dalles Pool have been averaging one to 1.5 steelhead per rod, although 70 percent of the fish were wild and had to be released. Meanwhile, late-run winter steelhead are beginning to move toward the hatcheries on the Cowlitz and Kalama rivers where they were raised. The fishery for late-run fish tends to peak in late February and early March, although some late-run steelhead are already beginning to show up in the catch.

-- White sturgeon: Catch rates of legal-size sturgeon have picked up above Bonneville Dam in recent days, likely triggered by warming water temperatures. Sturgeon fishing in the lower river remains slow, but that could change if smelt return to the Cowlitz River in greater numbers than expected. Sturgeon regulations for all areas of the lower Columbia River listed in the Fishing in Washington rule pamphlet will remain in effect through February. New seasons will be set by fishery managers from Washington and Oregon at the Feb. 18 meeting.

Smelt: Another poor return is projected, WDFW is limiting the Cowlitz River sport fishery for smelt to four days this winter. The Cowlitz will be open for smelt dipping Feb. 6, 13, 20 and 27, between 7 a.m. and 3 p.m. with a 10-pound daily limit. Sport fishing for smelt on the mainstem Columbia River opened seven days per week, 24-hours day, starting Jan. 1, although anglers catch very few fish there.

Commercial boats on the Columbia landed about 2,700 pounds of smelt in January, but the catch dropped off during the last few days of fishing. There have been no reports of commercial landings of smelt so far this month.

Fisheries managers say that, as of Jan. 29, conditions were just right for smelt migration with water temperature in the lower river being at/or just over 41 degrees F.

In Oregon, fisheries managers announced this week there will be a sport fishing season for spring chinook salmon on the Deschutes River beginning April 1, 2010.

According to Rod French, district fish biologist with the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, managers are predicting a return of 2,000 wild spring chinook to the Deschutes River this year. This compares to last year's projected return of 400 wild fish, which prompted the cancellation of the 2009 spring sport fishing season.

"When the wild chinook populations are low, we can't afford any incidental catch and release mortality from anglers targeting hatchery fish," French said. "This year, however, we're expecting an excellent return of wild fish along with a strong return of hatchery fish for anglers to keep".

Here is a summary of the temporary rules adopted by ODFW:

The Deschutes River from the mouth at the Interstate 84 Bridge upstream to Sherars Falls is open to angling for trout, steelhead and adipose fin-clipped chinook salmon from April 1 to July 31.

-- The catch limit is two adult adipose fin-clipped salmon per day, and five adipose fin-clipped jack salmon per day.

-- All non-adipose fin-clipped chinook salmon must be released unharmed.

-- It is unlawful to continue angle from Sherars Falls downstream to the upper railroad trestle after taking a daily bag limit of two adult chinook salmon.

The fishery below Sherars Falls is extremely popular because the high catch rates offer a good opportunity to catch a Columbia River spring chinook from the bank. In recent years, an annual average of over 7,000 anglers have participated in the fishery.

In Idaho, the Idaho Fish and Game Commission heard some encouraging news about the coming salmon seasons.

The pre-season spring and summer chinook salmon run forecast predicts about 160,000 adult hatchery fish and almost 30,000 wild fish to cross Lower Granite Dam, Idaho Fish and Game fisheries head Ed Schriever told commissioners.

The forecast predicts the bulk of the fish will head up the Snake and Salmon rivers, enough are expected to run up the Clearwater River to support fisheries there as well. Fish and Game expects to propose chinook salmon seasons on the same waters in Idaho and in the boundary water fished in recent years, Schriever said.

Last year's pre-season forecast predicted about 128,600 hatchery origin and almost 23,000 wild chinook would return to Idaho. Only about 60,000 adults returned, but an unusually high number of almost 55,000 returning jacks suggest good ocean survival of the fish that will be returning to Idaho this year.