Casey Kelly

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!

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!

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!

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!

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.

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!

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!

Hi everybody,

Wow! That’s all I can say about the steelhead fishing for the last week or so! The weather has been warm and the steelhead have been plentiful! This is a great time of year to get out and enjoy what southwest Washington has to offer. For the past week, July 13 – 19 catching steelhead has been no problem, Catching 12 to 20 plus fish a trip is what any Columbia River fishing guide loves about this time of year. Good fishing should remain for quite some time, fortunately followed by some more great fishing for the up coming Fall Chinook.

Hi everybody,

Fishing on the Columbia River has been fantastic this past week! The Columbia has been the main focus for most fishing guides in our area because of the consistency of good fishing. We have been catching them anchored up using spin n glo lures and coon shrimp. Also, flat fish and Yakima Bait mag lip lures have been catching them well too. It’s only going to get better on the Lewis as well in the coming 3 weeks or so. Don’t miss out on these hot fighting steelhead on the Lewis and Columbia Rivers this month!

Hi everybody,

The first week of July has been very good fishing for summer steelhead on the Lewis River and Columbia River and should remain this way for at least a month. We have been catching them side drifting with salmon eggs and bait diving with coon shrimp on the Lewis River for the last week or so and been getting 5-10 steelhead a day. The Columbia River is also starting to get a good amount of steelhead as well. With a large forecast of steelhead this year, things are going to pick up fast out there and it will be red hot within the next couple of weeks.