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February 2014

Columbia River fishing report for Feb 28th 2014

The time we’ve all been waiting for all year is nearly here! Columbia River Spring Chinook! In 2014, the upriver Columbia River spring chinook prediction is 308,000 fish! Last years forecast of 141,400 and an actual return of 123,100 still produced a lot of great fishing. If it all pans out it will be the fifth-largest return since 1980! If you like to eat one of the best eating fish in the world, these are your fish. Spring Chinook do not spawn for up to 8 months after they arrive to their home rivers, which makes their body’s fat content much higher due to the fact that they use that fat for their long journey and as they begin to spawn. That fat is what makes these fish so soft, delicious, and loaded in healthy omega 3! If you can find Spring Chinook in a specialty seafood market, you will be paying $33 to $36 a pound for it. Makes you want to go out and catch a 30 pounder doesn’t it? 🙂 I still have some very prime dates available for this awesome fishery, don’t wait too long, the best two weeks will start to fill up very soon. In other exciting news, the Summer Chinook forecast is the same as last years at 75,000 fish. That doesn’t sound like a whole lot, but these fish tend to bite better because of the warmer water in June. Oh if you haven’t heard there is a forecast of 980,000 Coho salmon, and 1.6 million Fall Chinook to return to the Columbia River this year! That is insanity! Fishing at Buoy 10 this year in the month of Aug and Sep will be the best fishing anyone has seen under the age of about 80! I cannot begin to tell you how good fishing will be this fall! Let’s get out and catch some fish! Hope to hear from you soon.