Columbia River Fishing Guide

Columbia River fishing report for May 5th 2013

Casey — Tue, 07 May 2013 06:46:24 +0000

Fishing on the Columbia River above Bonneville Dam is in full swing! Dam counts over Bonneville have been a steady 4,000 to 9,000 fish a day and fishing is starting to get good. When counts stay high like they have been, there is awesome opportunity to catch some of these Idaho bound Spring Chinook. These fish have the famous dark red meat and are packed with tons of healthy fish oils. With only 20,000 fish over the dam we are only a fraction into the predicted 150,000 to 200,000 to go over. There will be plenty of time for some really hot fishing coming up within the next three weeks up in the beautiful Columbia River Gorge. I do have seats open for the duration of the month, so feel free to call or email to go catch some of these great fish. Next up will be the Summer Chinook and sockeye fishery coming up in June. The Columbia River season has been set this year from June 16th to July 1st. I still have days open for that as well and those dates are prime time to catch both species of these fish.

Columbia River fishing report for April 4th 2013

Casey — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 04:43:44 +0000

Fishing on the Columbia River for Spring Chinook has finally kicked in high gear! The Columbia River was scheduled to close on April 5th, but the WDFW has extended the season to Fri, April 12th! We are now getting multiple hookups per day so this week through next Fri should be some dynamite fishing! Also, I am starting to book Summer Chinook and Sockeye dates. The Summer Chinook run looks promising to have some great fishing come June. These fish are just as tasty as their close relatives, the Spring Chinook. Sockeye Salmon also arrive in full force in June as well. Although not large in size, they are many, and they are delicious eating fish also! Due to the assumption of closure of the season on Spring Chinook on the 5th, I have all of next week free. Call or email me for info or to book a trip for the upcoming summer fishing season.

Columbia River fishing report for Mar 18th 2013.

Casey — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 06:28:26 +0000

After a slow start to Spring Chinook fishing on the Columbia River in Feb, and the beginning of March, things are starting to pick up quickly on the big river. The season is set to end on the 6th of April, and I still have some seats open. I suspect the quota will not be met by that date so I’m looking forward to a few days in April to fish the Columbia. The Cowlitz River is also picking up nicely for Winter Steelhead and should be great fishing till mid April. Get out and enjoy some spring weather and great fishing with us on our local rivers!

Columbia River fishing report for Feb 1-10

Casey — Thu, 14 Feb 2013 07:58:28 +0000

It’s that time of year again when Columbia River Fishing guides and sportsman alike get ants in their pants and start to get the jitters because Spring Chinook fishing is only a few weeks away! The Spring Chinook gives a buzz amongst fisherman that cannot be described. Perhaps it’s the strength these fish have when you catch one? Or just the fact that there is nothing that compares to the taste of the Columbia River Spring Chinook? Either or, there is something that drives fisherman nuts in pursuit of these Chinook! There already has been a few caught out there so it’s only a matter of time before fishing will get good. While we wait for these Chinook to enter the Columbia there is another fishery that keeps Columbia River fishing guides busy, and that is the Cowlitz River Winter Steelhead. Fishing on the Cowlitz River will be getting better and better each day, and when the beginning of March rolls around, it will be consistent catching for the whole month of March. I do have a few dates remaining for the Cowlitz River Winter Steelhead, and also Spring Chinook fishing on the Columbia, so book your seats while their available. This year the Columbia River Spring Chinook season is set for all of March until the 5th of April. If a Columbia River Spring Chinook is what your after, don’t miss out, this is not a long season on the Columbia River this year. Not to worry though there will be plenty of opportunity on the Willamette River and Cowlitz River for the Spring Chinook as well. Hope to see you soon to catch some fish!

Columbia River fishing report for 12-12-12

Casey — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 20:31:50 +0000

Fishing for Salmon was fantastic all through October and November! Now with the Winter Chinook coming to an end it is time to start concentrating on the up coming Winter Steelhead fishery! At this time there are a few Winter Steelhead around on the Lewis and Cowlitz Rivers, but things will not really heat up until Christmas time and all through the month of January. On the Cowlitz River there are Steelhead in decent numbers through December, but steelhead smolt plants have been redesigned for a later arrival of steelhead in March and April. There will be three times the amount of steelhead in March and April then in December and January for the Cowlitz River beginning this year and continuing into the future. Come March it’s full-fledged chrome steelhead slaying on the Cowlitz! There is another exciting fishery to discuss that is right around the corner. Beginning on Jan 1st sturgeon retention becomes available above Bonneville Dam. Sturgeon is on a major decline below the dam and WDFW officials have made a yearly limit of five sturgeons to one sturgeon per person below the dam. Close management from state officials above the dam ensures that there is plenty of sturgeon to catch in that area. This fishery is action packed with 30 to 70 fish days and full boats of keeper sturgeon is the norm. Don’t miss out on this one if you like to catch sturgeon because it doesn’t take long for anglers to reach the quota set by WDFW officials. Sadly, sturgeon have been on the decline for nearly two decades in the lower Columbia River due to many factors, but without these factors present above the dam, there are still great numbers of sturgeon in the Columbia River Gorge. Christmas is right around the corner and if you don’t know what to get your loved ones, a fishing trip is a fantastic gift idea. I would like to thank all my customers that joined me for a great year of fishing! It was fantastic to meet a lot of new people and catch up with past customers as well! Your business means the world to me and I will strive to make every fishing adventure your best ever! I would also like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Please be safe over the Holidays. See you on the river soon!

Columbia River fishing report for 10/09/2012

Casey — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 04:51:36 +0000

Fishing for salmon continues to be fantastic into the month of Oct! Most Columbia River fishing guides will tell you that the fall Chinook fishery is their favorite time of the year. Because of high catch rates, and nice sized fish that get caught on a daily basis, it’s easy to see why the fall is a fishing guide’s best season for catching their client’s fish. Now that the Columbia River has slowed down the tributaries of the “big river” have prevailed for the last month or so. The Cowlitz River and Lewis River along with Tillamook Bay and other famous Oregon rivers have been the go to for about a month now. Just as Tillamook is at its peak fishing for salmon in Nov, Winter Chinook start to come in on other tributaries of the Columbia. Just because old man winter is coming to the northwest doesn’t mean that fishing goes cold too, there is plenty of opportunity to catch dandy Chinook all through Oct, Nov, and Dec. Winter Steelhead on the Cowlitz River and Lewis River will shortly follow, and I’ll tell you those fish are a kick in the pants to catch! Prime dates are still open in Nov and Dec, don’t miss out on some awesome salmon and steelhead fishing to come!

Columbia River fishing report for Sep 30, 2012

Casey — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 04:50:08 +0000

What a September it has been on the Columbia River and Lewis River for Fall Chinook! 2012 has been a well above average year for the Chinook on the Columbia River, Lewis River, and Cowlitz River so far! With thousands of Fall Chinook still to come in through October, and November, the Lewis typically remains a strong fishery for another month and a half! With a very short break between Winter Chinook and Winter Steelhead, colder (but not to cold) weather returns to the Pacific North West but the fishing will start heating up for the Winter Steelhead on the tributaries of the Columbia River. By late December Winter steelheading is in full swing and lasts through most of March on the Lewis and Cowlitz Rivers. Don’t get cabin fever this fall and winter, come join us on some dynamite fishing to come!

Columbia River fishing report for 8/26/2012

Casey — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 04:20:55 +0000

Hi Everyone,
Fishing for fall Chinook (King Salmon) is starting to heat up on the Columbia River! We have been averaging 4 to 6 salmon a day this week, and it will start getting really good as we move into September. Washington fishing guides and Oregon fishing guides flocked to buoy 10 this month and it has been very good out there on the coast, but now the fish are entering the Columbia River in great numbers and even into the tributaries like the Lewis and Cowlitz Rivers. These chinook have been averging about 20 pounds but we have landed a couple in the mid 30′s. We are also still catching summer run steelhead as well, and as the month rolls on there will be the B run steelhead starting to show up in the catches. The B run steelhead are a bigger fish than the A run, so we will start seeing some dandy’s coming to the boat. It is not uncommon to get steelhead in the mid teens to the twenty pound range in September. I still have plenty of seats left for this up coming fishery so go to the rates and booking page and reserve your seats before there gone.

Columbia River fishing report for July 27th – Aug 2nd

Casey — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 08:03:30 +0000

Hi everybody,

What a stellar year for Summer Steelhead so far on the Columbia River and Lewis River. Especially the Columbia! The steelhead that have to go all the way to Idaho to spawn have so much fat content in them for their long journey it makes them so much more moist and delicious tasting. In my opinion they are the very best the Columbia River has to offer. Fishing remains dynamite out there for the week of the 27th of July through the 2nd of August. Columbia river fishing guides and Washington state fishing guides have been gearing up for the up coming Fall Chinook Buoy 10 fishery that will be starting in the middle of the month. The Buoy 10 fishery is the most popular of any other in Oregon and Washington, Fishing Charters by the hundreds will all be down at the coast working hard for the 3 latter weeks of August and a few days in September as well. I myself will not be participating in this fishery this year, as I see no need to go there. Fishing for steelhead and sturgeon remains so good all the way through August, there is very little time between the Chinook being at the coast and not in the river. Usually when things start to heat up at the coast they are already pretty good numbers in the Columbia River. Hope to see you for the upcoming Fall Chinook run, it is forecasted to be one for the record books!

Columbia River fishing report for July 20th – 26th

Casey — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 07:59:34 +0000

Hi everybody,

Holy smokes’ fishing is good right now! The 20th through 26th has been red-hot fishing! During this week we fished four days and had tremendous success! Catching 15 to 20 Summer Steelhead has been the norm this week and should remain the norm until about the first week of Aug. Yee Haw! Keep them coming!