McNary Dam...Which side to fish? Above? Below?
Forum rules
Forum Post Guidelines: This Forum is rated “Family Friendly”. Civil discussions are encouraged and welcomed. Name calling, negative, harassing, or threatening comments will be removed and may result in suspension or IP Ban without notice. Please refer to the Terms of Service and Forum Guidelines post for more information. Thank you
Forum Post Guidelines: This Forum is rated “Family Friendly”. Civil discussions are encouraged and welcomed. Name calling, negative, harassing, or threatening comments will be removed and may result in suspension or IP Ban without notice. Please refer to the Terms of Service and Forum Guidelines post for more information. Thank you
McNary Dam...Which side to fish? Above? Below?
I'm thinking about heading down to McNary dam to fish for steelhead out of my boat. My plan is to start with bobbers and jigs. Is it best to fish above or below the dam? Which ramps are best? What are the conditions of the ramps? Is fishing bobbers the right choice? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!
Re: McNary Dam...Which side to fish? Above? Below?
I notice a lot of people don't talk much about McNary Dam on this sight. Sorry for the late reply:
I've fished McNary since I was a little kid. The best spots are the Oregon side launch, Washington red buoy, and Washington pump house. 75% of my marks are from those three spots. Bobbers seems to be the way to go for consistent luck. However, I've pulled plugs and had better luck as well. More times than not, bobbers are the better choice. The Oregon ramp is better to launch on by far, its better kept up and a nice short walk. I tend to like the Washington side if I want to launch fast because there won't be a line, but its a little tricky navigating out of that launch.
This fishery has progressively deteriorated since I could remember. There are hardly any hatchery fish caught here anymore and it's got to be one or maybe two hookups is a good day. Yes, there is still the chance of getting a 5 or 6 fish day, but those seem to be far and few between. The night time bite has been the better choice in the last few years but I don't hear and see many good stories about this place. I hope it makes a turn for the better.
I've fished McNary since I was a little kid. The best spots are the Oregon side launch, Washington red buoy, and Washington pump house. 75% of my marks are from those three spots. Bobbers seems to be the way to go for consistent luck. However, I've pulled plugs and had better luck as well. More times than not, bobbers are the better choice. The Oregon ramp is better to launch on by far, its better kept up and a nice short walk. I tend to like the Washington side if I want to launch fast because there won't be a line, but its a little tricky navigating out of that launch.
This fishery has progressively deteriorated since I could remember. There are hardly any hatchery fish caught here anymore and it's got to be one or maybe two hookups is a good day. Yes, there is still the chance of getting a 5 or 6 fish day, but those seem to be far and few between. The night time bite has been the better choice in the last few years but I don't hear and see many good stories about this place. I hope it makes a turn for the better.
-
fishinChristian
- Commander
- Posts: 497
- Joined: Wed Mar 11, 2009 7:49 am
- Location: Yakima
- Contact:
Re: McNary Dam...Which side to fish? Above? Below?
rojo is right about that deterioration. It used to be 15-20 fish a day in season, and now it's pretty close to what he said. There are still some good fish, mostly on their way to the Snake or Priest Rapids, but you'll put in some time on them.