Columbia River fishing report 07/06/2021

We just wrapped up our Summer Chinook season and what an awesome season it was!  Having the chance to fish the Columbia River two weeks earlier than normal this year made for a beat down on a daily basis!  You want to get ahold of me for next years run early.  It’s not one to miss!

Now it’s time to move on to the next best thing. Summer Steelhead!  We will be targeting Summer Steelhead on the tributaries of the Columbia with light tackle and constant casting throughout the river.  Summer Steelhead are a blast to catch because of their typical acrobatics when they get hooked.  They also fight really hard, especially on our light gear we will be using.

Typically, Summer Steelhead fishing is best from the 10th of July- the 30th. I have dates available still for this fishery so contact me asap to get in on the action.

Next up will be our favorite time of year. Fall Chinook and Coho Salmon!  I’m so excited about this years runs because they were both forecasted to be gigantic!  With over a half a million chinook and over a million Coho forecasted, this is going to be one of those years to remember! Judging by the number of fish that have returned already in all of out other species, I think this forecast is on track and we are in for a real treat!

I have a few days left for the fall, but not a whole lot. Right now I have Aug 3-7 15,18, and the 31st available. September I have some days on the beginning but not much for the end.  Either way, get ahold of me and we’ll go over dates. I also have afternoon’s available on certain days, so don’t be afraid to call even if you think you’re too late.  Looking forward to seeing old faces and meeting new ones!

Columbia River fishing report 5/18/2021

Fishing for Spring Chinook has been very good on the Willamette River and Drano Lake these past few weeks!   We will still target these magnificent fish for just a couple more weeks before we finally switch gears to Summer Chinook and Kokanee.

There was very exciting news regarding the Summer Chinook season announced today from the Washington and Oregon department of fish and wildlife.   The original season was June 16th through July 1st, but now it has been extended to June 1st -July 1st!  This is huge news!  We will get to fish for summer chinook during the bulk of the migration through the lower Columbia River this year!

Summer Chinook are locally called “June hogs” for their large in size stature and very hard fighting.  Summer Chinook are also an incredibly good eating fish and definitely one of my favorites to fish for!

We target Summer Chinook using lures that anger these fish when swimming by, which makes the take downs very hard and an exciting fight to say the least.  Chinook attack these lures in such a way that the rods pound down and line screams off the reel in a matter of no time!

On June 16th, we will also be able to keep Sockeye Salmon and Summer Steelhead which sweetens the trip even more!  In one day, the three best eating fish on the Columbia River will be available to harvest!

We will also be starting fish for the delicious and feisty Kokanee salmon on our local lakes of SW Washington.  From now through early July, Kokanee fishing will be awesome with limits obtained daily!  Kokanee are a really great fish to take the kids out due to the constant action they throughout the day!  The daily limit on Kokanee is 10 per person which also makes for great amount of meat to take home.

There’s lots more to look forward to this year including a very large Fall Chinook run and a record breaking Coho salmon run in the fall!  We will also be doing bottom fishing trips for rock fish and lingcod through Sept as well.  Contact me asap to get the best dates or talk fishing anytime. Looking forward to seeing you on the water!

 

Columbia River fishing report 4/20/2021

Fishing for Spring Chinook continues on the tributaries  of the Columbia River.  The past few days, fishing has started to finally get good again on the Willamette River especially.

The Willamette River Spring Chinook season is one of our longest of the year, spanning from the beginning of April through mid June.  Some of our best fishing is actual mid May till mid June..  We will be also be targeting Kokanee salmon during these months as well which is definitely one of my favorite fisheries!

Both Spring Chinook and Kokanee, are of the top eating fish the NW has to offer.. Fishing season is upon us and the weather has  been great so far! There’s lots of things to do this summer and all of our fish runs are looking great for 2021!  Let’s get out and get some!

Columbia River fishing report 3/5/2021

The time has come! Spring time!  The fishing season begins now, and from what the season forecasts look like for every species,  it’s going to be an awesome fishing in 2021!  Starting off we’ve been doing fishing trips for hatchery and wild steelhead on the tributaries of the Columbia and have been having a blast! Now we are gearing up for the most prized salmon of the Northwest. Spring Chinook.

This years Spring Chinook season is looking much better than last years as we are allowed to fish a little lower in the Columbia than the past couple years.  Being able to fish lower in the Columbia puts us below the Willamette River which is expected to get 50,000 + springers this season!  Not only will we be fishing for Columbia bound Spring Chinook, we will have our chances double by getting in front of Willemette springers as well.

After the Columbia River season shuts down on April 4th, we will move directly into the Willamette the remainder of the season.  Fishing on the Willamette can be red hot until early June.  This years spring chinook season is looking very exciting so don’t miss out.

I’d like to thank everyone who came out last season and every season before. This has been a challenging year for all of us and I’m so thankful for being able to keep my sanity in check and go fishing!  We are finally on the upswing of our fishing runs across the board and I feel like it’s going to be an epic season this year!  Looking forward to seeing old faces and meeting new ones. See you on the water!

Columbia River fishing report 9/15/2020

Fall Chinook fishing has been nothing short of phenomenal this year!  We started our season in Astoria Oregon for the world class fishery known as “Buoy 10” and it started off with fantastic fishing from start to finish.  Our season projections for fall chinook and coho salmon were just decent, but dam counts and fishing success has proved to be above the original predictions.

Many Columbia fishing guides agree that catch rates, and Bonneville Dam counts are proving the fact that we are in for a big season for catching our prized Fall Chinook.  Fishery managers have been very cautious this year with season setting, but now they are seeing the light that this is truly a big run of fall fish!  Tomorrow a compact meeting is set to take place discussing reopening the Columbia River till the end of the year.

Due to dam counts, I predict the Columbia will most likely reopen this Friday the 17th.  Despite what happens on the compact meeting though, the season on the Columbia is set to reopen on September 23rd.  Being able to fish on the Columbia for Chinook and Coho is always a real treat anytime  during mid September- Mid October.  Historically, fishing has always been best out there from September 12 onward, and with the dam couns remaining strong, we all predict a major beat down when the Columbia reopens.

This has definitely been the best fishing we have seen since 2014 when 1.2 million Fall Chinook passed over Bonneville Dam!  We are so excited to get have the opportunity to fish on these Fall Chinook during the peak of the season!  The good news also is we are still early in our season as it will be good through early November.

When fishing on the Columbia slows down, fishing on the tributaries of the Columbia heats up!  We will target Fall Chinook and Coho salmon on Sw Washington’s small rivers with great success every day!

This is a season of fishing you don’t want to miss! With the fires getting put out and the smoke clearing from SW Washington, now is the time to get out and catch some Chinook.  We still have a great season ahead of us, but don’t wait to long to book. See you on the water! Continue Reading

Columbia River Fishing Report 9/1/2020

This year’s Fall Chinook season started out with a bang!  The first day of the season through the last day in Astoria Oregon was lights out fishing!  Fishing got a little tougher on the bigger tides, but we always found them and got our fish!

The original run forcast set by the Washington department of fish and wildlife was slightly below the ten year average.  Now, numbers are showing that they were wrong.  We already have 15-18 thousand fish crossing over Bonneville dam as of the 1st of September, which usually doesn’t happen until around the 12th!

This years season was set to go through the 6th of September, Fri Sat and Sun only, but we are all fairly confident that the when the run update happens It will reopen through the end of the year! The Chinook season plans to reopen regardless on the 23rd of Sept.  This is very exciting news to NW anglers as it stays good on the Columbia River through mid October.

In the meantime,  there are plenty of opportunities to catch Chinook Salmon on the tributaries of the Columbia as we wait for the reopening on the 23rd of September or sooner.  On Oct 1st the salmon limit goes to 2 adult Chinook.  Hatchery or wild may be retained on some of the tributaries of the Columbia that we fish!

We have a very exciting Fall Chinook and Coho season ahead of us and it’s far from over.  It’s not too late to get out and do some catching, so book your seats asap for the best dates. See you on the water!

 

Columbia River fishing report 7/19/2020

Fishing on the Columbia River has been pretty darn good the past couple weeks for Summer Steelhead and Summer Chinook! Luckily the Summer Chinook and Summer Steelhead season reopened after it was closed for a period of time, but after enough fish went over Bonneville Dam, they opened the season for us and it’s been game on!

Recently, we’ve been switching back and forth between Chinook/Steelhead and Kokanee. Finally,  after a short hiatus, Lake Merwin is kicking out limits of the nicest Kokanee we will see all year!  The Fish we’ve been seeing have been 14 -18 inches and are super fat!  There’s still time to get out and  do some catching, but my Kokanee  season will officially end Aug 6th when it’s time to hit the ocean for Fall Chinook and Coho salmon.

On August 15, our Buoy 10 season out of Astoria Oregon will begin, and from there through mid November, it will be non stop fish killing action everyday!  I just had a cancellation for Aug 26th which is a day before that season ends and it WILL be fantastic fishing.  If inquiring for that date, just know that the boat will be full very soon so you’ll need a group of 6 to secure the boat for yourselves.

Immediately after the 27th, we will be heading back to our home port of Woodland Washington which is where the Fall Chinook fishing headquarters will be for the remainder of the year.  I still have some great dates left for September and October and fishing will be great then too!

Fishing season is in full swing and I’m so glad that we are able to get out and enjoy our PNW fisheries to the fullest.   After being in covid lockdown I can safely say that there’s no better way to soothe the soul than a great day on the water!  Looking forward to fishing with you all! Continue Reading

Columbia River fishing report 6/27/20

Fishing on the Columbia for sockeye and steelhead was an absolute blast this year!  Water conditions, and a large run of sockeye gave us the best sockeye fishing we’ve seen in years!  Everyday, we would get 20-30 bites, but hooking them was the tricky part.  Sockeye are very voracious biters that bite hard, but not for long so the trick was getting to the rods as quick as we could. After figuring that out it was game on!

The Columbia River has now since closed for sockeye and steelhead because we cought our  quota, but steelhead fishing in the tributaries of the Columbia will pick up very soon. So for now we are back to Kokanee Salmon for couple more weeks on Lake Merwin and Yale reservoir.

Kokanee are land locked sockeye salmon that are planted in SW Washington lakes by the tens of thousands each year.  Natural production in these lakes also yield high numbers of fish for anglers to catch year after year. Kokanee fishing is one of the hottest action, and best table fare fishing the northwest has to offer.

Soon, we will start targeting Summer Steelhead in the tributaries of the Columbia River.  Steelhead are one of the hardest fighting and exciting fish that we fish for.  Many people ask me what my favorite type of fishing is and I always answer “summer steelheading”.  We use light tackle while fishing from spot to spot casting at certain spots on the river hunting steelhead with some pretty great days of catching!  Summer steelhead will last through the month of July and into early August so get in on this fishery while you can.

Fall Chinook and Coho Salmon fishing will fall in line shortly after steelhead fishing.  We will target these fish in the ocean until Aug 15th when our buoy 10 season starts and then it’s all gravy from there.  With a good run forecasted this year I am looking forward to some really good days on the water!

Seats are available for both our Summer Steelhead seasons and Fall Chinook/Coho so dont miss out this year. See you on the water!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Columbia River fishing report 6/7/2020

Great news! We are finally back into full operation to take out clients to the best fishing destinations in the lower 48!  Fishing has been very good for Kokanee salmon the past few weeks! Merwin Lake, and Yale Lake have been consistently producing limits of Kokanee on a daily basis and will continue for the next few weeks.

Kokanee are a landlocked Sockeye Salmon that range from 12-18 inches and are very delicious!  Kokanee fishing is one of the best ways to get the younger generation into fishing due to its constant action throughout day.  We have been taking lots of kids fishing for Kokanee lately and we always appreciate how much they enjoy this fishery as much as adults.

We will start to change things up a bit throughout the month of June as we are starting to see Sockeye and  Summer Steelhead start to enter the Columbia River.  This years forcast for Sockeye Salmon is very good and in the next few weeks I forsee some really good opportunities to catch Sockeye  on the Columbia River. As June comes to an end,  we will start hooking more and more Summer Steelhead and finally in July it’s full on Summer Steelhead hunting season.

The entire month of July provides Steelhead in the Columbia River and its tributaries.  Once we enter the tributaries towards the middle of the month our tactics change on how we fish for Summer Steelhead.  While targeting Summer Steelhead in the tributaries of the Columbia, we begin using lighter tackle and drift the whole river casting at specific spots using salmon eggs to entice the steelhead to bite.  This method is known as sidedrifting.

Sidedrifting is without a doubt my favorite way to fish!  The feeling of the fishing rod in your hand when steelhead bite is exhilarating to say the least! Steelhead are known for their hard fights and often acrobatic maneuvers when they get hooked.  Many times after setting the hook on one, the will come screaming at the boat and then jump through the air shaking their head!  You just never know what a steelhead will do after you hook them, and that’s why they are so much fun to fish for!

As we enter into fall, we will have what we call the super bowl of the fishing season.  Buoy 10 in Astoria Oregon and upstream on the Columbia and its tributaries provides the hottest fishing of the year. We will talk more about this fishery in future posts but for now it’s a good time to contact me and get on the books before the dates are gone.

We are very excited to be back in full operation now that covid has passed for the most part. Looking forward to seeing you all in the near future to catch some fish and have a really good time doing it!

 

 

 

Columbia River fishing report 5/20/20

Great news! Washington has given fishing guides the green light to take customers fishing!  I’m so very excited to get back on the water with all of you and get back to catching some fish after a long hiatus.  Right now we are in full blown Kokanee salmon beat down mode on a daily basis.

Kokanee are landlocked sockeye salmon that reside in many Washington and Oregon lakes that are both stocked and naturally produced.   Two of the best lakes in either state are right in my backyard. Lake Merwin, and Yale Lake.  Limits of kokanee are caught on both these lakes on a daily basis and we are so fortunate to have them.

  Both lakes have beautiful scenery, and Yale has a great view of Mt. St. Helens!  The daily limit of kokanee are 10 per person, which adds up to quite a bit of delicious fatty sockeye salmon meat.  If you’ve ever eaten a kokanee, you know that they are some of the richest, oily and hearty fish for their size.  Kokanee on merwin average 12 inches, but in late spring we find fish that are pushing 15-17 inches daily.

  It’s tough to contemplate going fishing for such a small fish, but what they lack in size, they make up for in flavor and constant action.  Kokanee fishing is a great fishery for kids as well.  Kokanee fishing is definitely one of the best ways to get those kids out to enjoy fishing without getting bored.

  After we’re done kokanee fishing, it will be time to start targeting sockeye salmon and steelhead on the Columbia River.  Sockeye fishing will start heating up in the first week of June and will last through the end of the month.  Their will be a ton of fishing opportunities coming  this summer so get ahold of me asap to discuss what else there will be to do this year and when.  Fishing season is finally in full swing, let’s go catch some!