No shortage of effort for
Columbia chinook
Initial reports from
Wednesday's spring chinook
reopening upstream of the
Hayden Island powerlines
were mixed, not a bust, but
not great either.
There was a bit of a bite
near the airport tower and
downstream of Interstate 5,
but success near the bridge
was slow.
There were lots of boats as
fishing begins the four-day
a week schedule (Wednesdays
through Saturdays) between
Hayden Island powerlines and
Bonneville Dam.
Fishing downstream of the
Hayden Island powerlines
will be open three days a
week (Thursdays through
Saturdays).
Oregon's aerial count of the
Columbia on Saturday tallied
1,400 boats compared to 900
for the same Saturday in
2008.
Spring chinook still aren't
moving much over Bonneville
Dam. The count through
Tuesday is 82 spring chinook.
That compares with 99 a year
ago and a 10-year average of
1,440.
The gillnet fleet will fish
from 1 to 11 p.m. Sunday
between the Hayden Island
powerlines and Beacon Rock.
They are projected to catch
about 1,000 spring salmon.
Angler checks and other
information from the
Washington Department of
Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) and
Oregon Department of Fish
and Wildlife (ODFW):
Lower Columbia:
Estuary, 183 boaters with 14
spring chinook kept and one
released. (WDFW)
Estuary, 45 boaters with two
spring chinook kept. (ODFW)
Cathlamet, 57 boaters with
three spring chinook and one
steelhead kept plus one
chinook released. (WDFW)
Longview, 273 boaters with
10 spring chinook kept and
two released; 33 bank rods
with no catch; 11 boaters
with no sturgeon. (WDFW)
Longview to Portland, 177
boaters with 15 spring
chinook kept and six
released; 187 Oregon bank
rods with one winter
steelhead kept and one
spring chinook released;
five boats with 12 sublegal
sturgeon released. (ODFW)
Kalama, 89 boaters with one
spring chinook released; 22
bank rods with no spring
chinook or steelhead; 21
boaters with six sublegal
sturgeon released. (WDFW)
Woodland, 66 boaters with
eight spring chinook kept;
32 bank rods with no
steelhead or salmon. (WDFW)
Lewis River mouth to Kelley
Point, 252 boaters with 48
spring chinook kept and 17
released; 82 bank rods with
no catch; two boaters with
15 sublegal sturgeon
released. (WDFW)
|
Steve's Guided
Adventures
Steve's Guided
Adventures
has over 20
years of fishing
experience in
Washington and
Oregon and on
the Columbia
River and can
take you to the
premier fishing
spots and
provide a great
outdoor
experience. Come
ride with us in
our 21 foot
large Willie
Predator power
boat down to the
16 foot drift
boat, all fully
equipped with
everything you
need to catch
that big one.
|
Hooked On
Fishing Guide
Service
Hooked On
Fishing Guide
Service
fishes the
Northwest runs
for Salmon,
Steelhead and
Sturgeon at Buoy
10 (Mouth of the
Columbia), for
Kings and Silver
Salmon, the
Cowlitz and
Lewis Rivers, &
areas
immediately
below Bonneville
Dam for Spring
Chinook. We also
fish from
Bonneville Dam
upstream to the
Priest
Rapids/Hanford
Reach areas,
near Kennewick,
Pasco, &
Richland
Washington. |
|
spring
chinook salmon
spawning
An opportunity
to watch spring
chinook salmon
spawning in the
Cle Elum River
is scheduled for
10:30 a.m.
Saturday.
Conducted by the
Yakima Basin
Environmental
Education
Program, the
viewing also
includes a
presentation by
fisheries
biologist Bob
Tuck about
salmon life
history and
behavior.
The salmon
viewing trail is
handicapped
accessible and
the event is
free.
The site is
northwest of
Ronald in
Kittitas County.
Participants
should drive
through Ronald
on the Salmon La
Sac Highway,
turn left onto
Lake Cle Elum
Dam/Lake Cabins
Road, about two
miles outside
Ronald. Drive
southwest on the
Lake Cle Elum
Dam/Lake Cabins
Road less than a
mile and follow
signs to the
viewing trail.
More information
is available by
calling the
Mid-Columbia
Fisheries
Enhancement
Group at
509-281-1311. |
PAT Abel Guide
Service
PORTLAND, OREGON
Fishing Guide
Pat Abel Fishes
Year 'round On
The Most Popular
Rivers In The
Northwest
From 50-pound
Tillamook Bay
Fall Chinook to
2-pound Columbia
River Shad, Pat
pursues his prey
with enthusiasm
and
determination.
Pat pursues fish
in every coastal
river on
Oregon's North
Coast, such as
the Kilches,
Wilson, Trask
and the
Nestucca. The
Sandy, Clackamas
and Willamette
Rivers are also
home to Pat. You
will be fishing
out of either a
custom 25-foot
Motion Marine
Jet Sled or a
comfortable, and
heated, 17-foot
Willie Drift
Boat, while
using nothing
but the finest
gear and tackle. |
E-Mail
Spring Chinook
Salmon |
Willamette River
Fishing Guides
like Northwest
Hawg Hunters
Fishing
Adventures is
booking trips on
the Upper &
Lower Columbia
River, including
Buoy 10,
Willamette
River, Tillamook
Bay, Nehalem Bay
& Clackamas
River for
Salmon/Steelhead,
Shad & Sturgeon.
We specialize in
Oversize
sturgeon, these
fish range in
size from 6 feet
to ? and often
break the
surface of the
water to make
for an excellent
photo. You’ll be
fishing with
Coast Guard
licensed guide
Bill Gaither in
a 24’ Willie
Raptor open
sled. All the
bait and gear is
provided for the
species of fish
you are going
after, with hot
coffee and lunch
provided. |
LIMIT OUT BAIT
RIG
The Limit Out
bait rig design
produces a tight
spinning action
resulting in
aggressive
strikes by Coho
and Chinook
salmon. Our
first product
trial using our
new Limit Out
Bait Rig was on
an ocean fishing
trip out of
Depoe Bay Oregon
in 2007. We
caught limits of
salmon. The next
day we had over
37 hook ups in 4
hours of
fishing,
finishing with a
boat limit. We
knew the special
design really
catches fish.
The Limit Out
Bait Rig worked
great in salt
water, but we
needed further
testing to see
if it would work
in fresh water.
In August of
2007 we went to
the lower
Columbia,
upstream of the
Oregon
/Washington
Bridge, to give
this new bait
rig a try on
upriver Columbia
Chinook and
Silver Salmon.
The fishing was
slow but we put
on a show. We
had double hook
ups and finished
the day with
Chinook and
Silver limits.
At the dock,
many boats had
fished all day
and only
averaged 2
salmon per boat
while we fished
only a few hours
to catch our 8
salmon.
The Limit Out
Bait Rig will
catch limits of
salmon, hence
the name. There
are two models:
the In-line Bait
Rig and the
Sliding Bait
Rig. It is
available in
four colors:
Red, Blue,
Clear, and
Chartreuse. For
best results use
thawed bait
lightly salted
or brined. For
something
different, try
adding two beads
and a plastic
clevis with a #4
Colorado blade
on the leader to
convert to a
spinner bait
rig.
We hope you have
a great fishing
season with new
Limit Out Bait
Rig and Limit
Out!
Jim Milanowski
President & CEO
Limit Out Inc. |
Oregon Fish And
Wildlife
ODFW
Washington Fish
& Wildlife
WDFW |
Kelley Point to Portland
Airport tower, 762 boaters
with 71 spring chinook and
one steelhead kept plus 22
spring chinook and one
steelhead released; five
bank rods with no catch.
(WDFW)
Portland upstream of Hayden
Island, 616 boaters with 53
spring chinook kept and 13
released. (ODFW)
Troutdale, 251 boaters with
10 spring chinook kept and
two released. (ODFW)
Camas-Washougal, 201 boaters
with 14 spring chinook kept
and one released. (WDFW)
North Bonneville, 10 boaters
with one adult chinook kept;
139 bank rods with four
chinook kept and two chinook
released; five bank rods
with no sturgeon. (WDFW)
Columbia Gorge (downstream
of Bonneville Dam), 26
boaters with two spring
chinook; eight Oregon bank
rods with no salmon or
steelhead.
Mid-Columbia River:
Bonneville pool, 11 boaters
with five legal sturgeon
kept plus two legal, one
oversize and 34 sublegal
sturgeon released; 35 bank
rods with two sublegal
sturgeon released; six
boaters with one legal
walleye kept and one
released. (WDFW)
The Dalles pool, nine
boaters with four legal
sturgeon kept, plus one
oversize and 13 sublegal
sturgeon released; 37 bank
rods with four legal
sturgeon kept plus four
oversize and six sublegal
sturgeon released; eight
boaters with one walleye
kept. (WDFW)
John Day pool, 78 boaters
with eight legal sturgeon
kept plus two oversize and
88 sublegals released; 39
bank rods with eight
sublegal sturgeon released;
10 bank rods with one
steelhead released; 47
boaters with six walleye
kept and one released; nine
boaters with 20 bass
released; two bank rods with
no bass. (WDFW)
Cowlitz River:
Downstream from Olequa, 25
bank rods with five winter
steelhead kept. (WDFW)
Kalama:Seven
bank rods with one wild
steelhead released. (WDFW)
Lewis River:
Twenty-three boaters with
one wild steelhead released;
two boaters with no catch.
(WDFW)
North Fork Lewis
River: Eleven bank
rods with one spring chinook
kept, one boater with one
wild steelhead released.
(WDFW)
