Perfect Spring Day

This past Saturday, which will now be referred to in future story telling as "the perfect spring fishing day" started with a thick fog covering the Columbia River - the type of fog that makes one thankful for every penny spent on GPS and river charts.  At 6:30am, with a fresh cup of coffee in hand, EP and I dropped two plug cut green label herring into the river for the first down hill troll of the morning.  By 6:37am, we had our first fish and 15lbs of chrome bright spring Chinook bleeding in the fish box... The first fish in what turned out to be a limit for the day!

EP with a 15lb Columbia River Spring Chinook

With an early morning high tide at 6:38am, our objective was to start the morning lower in the river and follow the slack up river.  Fortunately, the tide wasn't the only thing on the rise as the outside temperature made it's way to the low 70's and the hot morning coffee was quickly replaced with an ice cold beverage.

12lb Cookie Cutter Springer

Every day of salmon fishing ultimately comes down to one last pass.  Most of the time it's that last chance to get the skunk off the boat for the day.  Rarely, the last pass is a chance to fill the boat with a limit.   With one fish to go for our limit, my nitrile bait gloves off, and the boat all washed down, I gave EP the last call; do we call it a day or take one more pass?  One more pass!!!

As we motored up river for one last troll down river, I baited both rods with fresh herring along with a hint of garlic.  About 3/4 the way down our last troll, my rod folded over - Fish on!!!  What an experience to not only get my first boat limit of salmon but to hook into and land fish on both the first and last troll of the day.  I was especially proud when the ODW fish checker at Chinook Landing had only counted 20 fish for 50 boats that day.

Once again, it's been a slow start to springer fishing with high water and weather conditions similar to 2011.  The river was originally supposed to close on April 6th but was extended to the 13th and then again to the 22nd.  Sadly, the Columbia officially closed Sunday just as the Bonneville Dam fish counts are really starting to take off.  The run should materialize as predicted and I am hopeful ODFW and WDFW will open the river back up soon.  Until then, you'll see my boat on the Willamette.  

Skunk off my back

Getting that first fish of the year and getting the skunk off my back is a great feeling and relief.  In 2011, I got skunked a lot and went much deeper into the year than I'd like to admit before picking up that first fish.  Although the water conditions in 2012 are turning out to be comparable to 2011, I was blessed with putting blood in the boat a little bit earlier this year.

17lb Willamette River Spring Chinook

"Friday the 13th"; what better day to sneak out of work, take some conference calls from the boat and get some spring salmon fishing in under sunny, blue sky's?

Last Friday was my first trip out on the Willamette this year and having some success made it extra special.  Historically, I haven't spent much time on the Willamette targeting salmon, only bass fishing later in the spring and summer.  In fact, my two trips out last year is my only previous experience targeting salmon on these waters.  Adding to the new found excitement of this fishery is it's location relative to my home - this 17lb hen was caught just 2.5 miles away as the crow flies.

Secret Fishing Hole

Well, it's not much of a secret to share here on the world wide web as the stretch of the Columbia River I fish for spring salmon is 40+ river miles. Actually, it's really hard to call it a secret at all given the increasing size of the aluminum boat hatch that occurs on these waters every spring.  The variables that drive salmon to strike change daily, so the real secret is putting the right combo together in order to have the best opportunity.  It's less about a single secret location that produces day after day.

As I make preparations for fishing in 2012, I am excited about the number of people that are making plans to take a trip (or several) with me.  Living in Oregon, there are literally thousands of places to fish so the question of where we're fishing is a frequent conversation topic.  Here is some general information and maps pertaining to where I'll fish the Columbia in spring.


View Larger Map
Fishing out of Scappoose Bay is probably my favorite for spring salmon.  Although it's a 30+ minute boat ride in the dark out to the Columbia, it provides the opportunity to fish for both Willamette River and Columbia River fish.  This location is down river from the mouth of the Willamette so there is a larger number of fish that pass through the area than the stretch of water above the Willamette.

On the flip side, fishing downriver from the Willamette comes with some challenges.  When the valley gets too much rain, the Willamette will "blow out", turning as brown as chocolate milk before it dumps into the Columbia.  The extreme off color makes if very challenging to attract and catch fish.  This area also has a decent tidal impact so it can be tough to time the besting fishing tides.



View Larger Map
Fishing the Portland airport area is probably the most popular area for spring salmon as it's the closest to both Portland and Vancouver.  It has a nice long stretch of good fishing water which makes it perfect for taking people new to salmon fishing.  We often start fishing up by the I-205 Bridge and troll all the way down past the rail road bridge before running up and doing it again.



View Larger Map
Chinook Landing is a large, beautiful launch further upriver near Troutdale.  Also very popular, this is where I go when I want to keep all my options open.  This launch is a good central location for fishing the airport all the way up-river to Rooster Rock - the best for fishing both near the city as well as getting away from it all.

2012 Spring Salmon Season Set!

It's mid-February and the springer juices are finally starting to flow.  I recently read that this year's Columbia River spring salmon run is expected to be the 4th largest ever and the Willamette River is expected to have a strong run as well with a forecast above its 10 year average.  To help fuel the anticipation, rumor has it that a large percentage of the run this year is expected to be larger, 5yr. old fish in the 20 to 30lb range.  (a "normal" springer is in the low/mid teens)

Although I haven't posted anything new since November, I have done a few preparations for 2012 fishing this winter.  My bait supplier was worried about a herring shortage late last year so I actually stocked up with a case of green label, Puget Sound herring in early December instead of January.

That's 420 herring ready to spin like a drill bit!

Oregon and Washington partnered earlier than usual this year and set the spring salmon fishing season in late January.  Generally, they don't get around to it until February.  Here's a snapshot of what we're looking at for 2012:

• Columbia River - 1 fish per person limit - March 1st through April 6th
• Willamette River - 2 fish per person limit - open all year round

Generally, the peak of the run doesn't occur until around the start of April so I expect to start my 2012 campaign in mid-March... more to follow - Happy 2012!

Sugar, Spice & Smoke

One of the most enjoyable aspects of being a fisherman is sharing fish stories, especially with those who don't fish regularly.  Not because I can get away with telling "a whopper of a story" but because they're always marveled at the thought of catching even the smallest of salmon.  It's fun to try and recall the details pertaining to the catch as they ask the most unexpected and interesting questions.  A sure way to ignite these adventures conversations is through the sharing of smoked salmon.... of course with salmon that I've both caught and smoked myself.

Although it was a tough year for salmon fishing, I was blessed to have enough fish in the freezer for two days worth of smoking.  I spent two Saturday's in October with a full smoker, resulting in some of the most flavorful smoked salmon.

With a dry brine blend of brown sugar, salt, garlic salt, celery salt, lemon pepper, dill weed, hot mustard, and just the right amount of time over smoke, I believe I've found a near perfect recipe for both salmon and trout.

1st batch ready to go in the smoker!

The trick is to coat the salmon with honey and finish it off in the oven at low heat for about 20min.  The end result is salmon candy you can eat warm or cool/freeze for gifting.

Migrating Up River

Each year, as salmon make their way up the mighty Columbia River to their spawning grounds (or hatchery), I make an annual trip northeast in pursuit of "just a few more".  The early October trip generally serves as a way to cap off my fishing for the year... for salmon anyway.

The Hanford Reach area of the Columbia is the last free flowing section of the big river.  Launching from Vernita Bridge near Mattawa, WA and fishing upriver 5+ river miles as well as down river 15+ river miles is one of the most beautiful stretches of water imaginable.  With no commercial or residential development as far as the eye can see and significant wildlife at every turn, fishing these waters takes my mind back in time to the days of Lewis and Clark; just out of the pages of Stephen E. Ambrose's Undaunted Courage.

Mitch with a 15lber

The 3 day trip started on a Thursday with just Papa D and I, along with what turned out to be some pretty hot eggs (see previous post).  From about 7am to 8:30am, we experienced one of the hottest salmon bites I've ever seen, quickly catching what would have been our limit had we kept the first 4 fish caught (2 each).  During that period of time, we literally could not keep two rods in the water before a fish would strike.  Since it was early and we were there to fish, as soon as we had a few fish in the box, we were letting fish go.  We finally bonked the last portion of our limit later in the day before heading home.

Mitch, a fellow G-Loomis guy - with hat and all

Fishing Friday was especially enjoyable, as joining Papa D and I was my good friend Mitch, whom I hadn't seen in over 10 years.  Luckily there was a steady bite, although not as hot as Thursday, we were able to put nearly our limit of 6 fish in the box.  In addition to the salmon finding my cured eggs irresistible, using my orange variety, Mitch caught the most beautiful native steelhead I've ever seen.  I wish I'd had a camera on it before quickly releasing the native fish back into the water as the color on it was amazing and the size was outstanding, nearing what the 3 of us guessed was around 8lbs.

Papa D and Mitch

One for me!

Mitch, Papa D, and Me

Mitch with his limit

Papa D doing the grunt work

It's amazing how quickly the bite can change.  For several weeks leading up to this trip, Papa D and I had planned to fish the third day with Uncle R (see previous Buoy 10 post), Aunt P and their Cadillac of a boat.  Continuing with the same bait, areas, and tactics as the previous two days, the four of us got completely skunked Saturday.  Although we didn't put any meat in the box, I do have to say this was one of my more enjoyable days fishing of all time - my mouth literally hurt from laughing so much and the jokes and stories.

Uncle R's Cadillac of a boat!

Springer season is exactly 150 days away from this posting, I better start tying some leaders now... the countdown begins

Got Eggs?

As salmon make their way up river, my bait of choice tends to evolve.  In my first post this year, I shared my stuffing of one of the freezers in my garage with 420 herring, the bait of choice closer to the ocean.  Somewhere, someplace, there is a brilliant fisherman that figured out that for whatever reason, salmon also like to eat the eggs of their own kind; in a cannibalistic kind of way.

6lb. of fresh, uncured salmon roe (eggs)

The tactic using eggs is to simply hide a hook in a cluster of eggs.  Naturally, when eggs are extracted from a female / hen salmon, they are connected by a membrane in long skeins (2 per fish).  While a fisherman could cut off a cluster of eggs and fish them fresh, they're extremely fragile and wouldn't last long in the water as well as the refrigerator/freezer.  Insert, an endless opportunity to cure and toughen the eggs with various color and scent combinations.  

The end product, a variety of cured roe in 3 colors; Orange, Red, & Pink

As we move into October, I'll be making my way up to the Hanford Reach along with the end of the Columbia River salmon run.  As I make preparations and count down the days, I wanted to include a picture of fun to fight fish from 2010.

Roe with a little something extra

This up-river salmon caught on a cluster of eggs similar to the above