Fishing Reports

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!

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 Everyone.

The Summer Chinook and Sockeye Salmon run on the Columbia River was fantastic this month! Catching limits of Sockeye was very common for nearly all of June and as well as the Summer Chinook! The Summer Chinook also known as “ June hogs” started out a little slower and then turned in to a very good fishery for nearly 3 solid weeks! Looking forward to next year’s June fishery, it’s definitely one of the best months in the year for fishing. Summer Steelhead fishing has been picking up on the North Fork of the Lewis River in the last week or so also. So far these steelhead have been on average quite a bit larger than normal averaging 12 pounds or so. I will keep posting fishing reports throughout the month.

Fishing for Sockeye Salmon and Summer Chinook Salmon has been dynamite for the last two weeks. With a record setting Sockeye run it has been some of the best Sockeye fishing in the lower 48 ever! We are starting to catch some Steelhead also and with a run of 1.5 million heading up the Columbia River it is for sure to be a blood bath for at least two months! In august the Fall Chinook will start making their way from the Pacific Ocean up through the Columbia River in also record breaking numbers, so make sure to plan a trip with us to catch some of those big boys.

Hello everyone.  Fishing on the Columbia River is starting to pick up nicely for oversize and keeper sturgeon!  Also the shad are running in huge numbers right now making for a fun day on the water catching them one after another.  Summer Chinook will be open on the 16th of June and it is anticipated to be a great opener for the “June hogs” and also Sockeye Salmon.  The Summer Chinook are a fantastic tasting fish much like the Spring Chinook that come in just before them. Sockeye Salmon are also one of the best table fare fish their are,  Sockeye Salmon are not a very large fish but they make up for it in taste and healthy fish oils they contain. This is my favorite time of year to be a Columbia River fishing guide, because there are several different species of fish for and catch in great numbers!  The Columbia River Summer Steelhead will start to mix in with the catch of the Summer Chinook and Sockeye as well, and in late June, early July it will be full-fledged hot Summer Steelhead fishing!  This is a popular time to fish so seats will fill fairly fast, book your trip ASAP for the best dates.   I will also be spending quite a bit of time on the North Fork of the Lewis River and Cowlitz River during the month of July, These fishery’s are much more of a hands on approach to catching fish because everyone has a fishing pole in their hands, casting constantly into areas where fish hold.   So if that’s what you like to do make sure to let me know that you want to experience a much more pro-active way to fish.  Hope to hear from you soon!

Hi everybody.  Fishing is phenomenol right now at the Wind River and Drano Lake!  On the 10th of May we landed 11 fish 10 of them were keepers, limiting out the boat!  With high numbers of chinook passing through Bonneville Dam it should only get better and better for a few weeks!  These Fish are all Columbia River Spring Chinook that are either heading up stream to eastern Washington or entering the Wind River and Drano Lake itself, and  these are the best table fare fish there are. With the limit set at two fish per person, and Spring Chinook prices set at $26.00 a pound, you are for sure to get your money’s worth of these awsome eating fish!  Summer Steelhead will be right behind these springers in July, and we are forcasted to have another dynamite run into the Columbia River and its tributaries.   In June, Sockeye Salmon are also expected to return to the Columbia River in huge numbers!  A run of 450,000 Sockeye are expected to come back to the Columbia this year which is a gigantic run of these also fantastic table fare fish.  Fishing will be great from now until November, this is the time of the year fishing guides and fisherman alike all wait for. Book your trip with your Columbia river fishing guide today, and be prepared to have a ball catching alot of  fish in the Pacific Northwest.

Hello!  Fishing on the Willemette river is really heating up!  With multiple fish days already, it will only get better and better through the end of May.  The Columbia river has finally been closed for the season for Spring Chinook, and it was a great year despite the high water conditions.  Fishing is also picking up on the Lewis River, Drano Lake, Wind River and Cowlitz River  right now and will remain good till about middle May. There is alot of opportunity to have epic days on the water throughout the month of May for Spring Chinook.  Summer Steelhead will be right on the heels of the Springers on the Columbia, Lewis, and Cowlitz rivers begining in middle June. This is one of my favorite fishery’s that we have!