Northwest Fishing Reports

Yo so all i see over the website is BASS BASS BASS. I hate bass, so im wondering whos fishing springers or steel or something better. Im hitting cowlitz monday for springers, which has been fishing VERY VERY well. Ill let you guys know what happens and how many we get, but anyone else been hitting drano, cowlitz. ect...?

resistance is futile.

The rivers are closed for all of us northies and with gas prices so high, who can afford to drive from seattle to Drano? Not me. My wife would suffocate me in my sleep. If you want to carpool sometime that would be awesome, I want to hit up the Duc for some springers, I ran into a couple guys that had come back said it was hot. I'm going to be able to get to the Cowlitz in a week or so, I hope to get some fishing in then. But june 1st is where it's at!

fishenfreak wrote:Yo so all i see over the website is BASS BASS BASS. I hate bass, so im wondering whos fishing springers or steel or something better. Im hitting cowlitz monday for springers, which has been fishing VERY VERY well. Ill let you guys know what happens and how many we get, but anyone else been hitting drano, cowlitz. ect...?

I'm starting to hate them too, since I haven't been able to catch enough of them this year yet. LOL Makes me want to get better at it!

I am looking forward to July though to hit the salmon off of Westport! Yeah Buddy!

No river fishing for me as of late, it's all about the butt this time of year. I hope to get out very soon on the sol duc though

Salmon is a winter thing. Bass is mostly a summer thing, then a spring thing, then a fall thing, then somewhat a winter thing, it's OUR time. [lol]

I'm headed to the lake SOON.

We did OK on Springers in the Willamette in the Portland harbor last week. For somebody living in Bham, if you have a boat, getting to the Willy aint that hard. Just cross the C at Longview, go upstream on the OR side, get a cheap motel in St Helens, and there are several launches on the lower Willy. Have to buy an OR permit for 15 a day though. Or fish the C which is open now, launch at Kalama or mouth of the Lewis, anchor or troll.

I'd go back down there next week but we have plans to fish CQ for Butts next week.

If you dont have a boat, just plunk the C in the Kalama area, better yet, get an OR permit and fish Prescott bar just downstream from Rainier, OR. Word is the C will stay open now until end of June. Both the C and the Willy are quite good in June, I fish them both every year in June.

My report last week.


I fished the Willamette this week with my buddy who lives in Columbia City, OR. Three of us for three days, Thurs, Fri and Sat. We went 6 for 8 in the harbor below Swan Island. 5 on spinners and one on a cut plug. A little slow actually, we did better than most. My buddy will switch over to the C for now, but he will be quick to return to the Willy. He has 46 springers in his boat so far this year and June is actually for him a better month. Last year I fished with him on the Willy June 14,15 and 16 and brought home 3 springers. The Clackamas fish are always late. Kind of wish I lived down there, more fishin than around Seattle. I was born raised/down there but family keeps around Seattle.

We saw some furbags but they didnt bother us. We heard the furbags took some fish at the head of the MC.

Amx wrote: Salmon is a winter thing. Bass is mostly a summer thing, then a spring thing, then a fall thing, then somewhat a winter thing, it's OUR time. [lol]

Hmmm, that's weird, last I check I fish for Steallhead from January through January, and salmon from May through December.... didn't realize May, June, July, August, September, and October were now considered "winter" months.....???

Matt wrote:

Amx wrote: Salmon is a winter thing. Bass is mostly a summer thing, then a spring thing, then a fall thing, then somewhat a winter thing, it's OUR time. [lol]

Hmmm, that's weird, last I check I fish for Steallhead from January through January, and salmon from May through December.... didn't realize May, June, July, August, September, and October were now considered "winter" months.....???

Yup, just live 'down under' in Australia for a season.

I take back my post on the Columbia or Willamette for now. Wait until June. This is not a normal spring. The Columbia at Portland is only 6 inches below flood stage! The Bonne counts are way down, either the run is turning out weak or the fish are stacked up at the mouth waiting for lower water.

http://waterdata.usgs.gov/or/nwis/uv/?s ... 0065,00060

Typically high water is advantageous for migrating fish I would say. They wait for that high water then use it to just shoot right upriver. The Big C is a bit different though, no riffles or rapids to navigate.... so IDK.

Amx wrote:Yup, just live 'down under' in Australia for a season.

LOL, I guess that's one way to look at it. Don't think they have a Pacific Salmon season in Australia though....:albino:

One thing about all this high water on the C and the Willy, it will flush all the smolts donwriver pretty fast.

I`m not much of a river/salmon guy but I was down in Oregon last month in Clackamas for work and seen a ton of boats on the river below the dam. Don`t know what river but I`m sure it was some fish other then bass:-" the river was so full of boats I don`t know how you guys reel in a fish.

As I talked about above, thats the Willamette, probably one of the best spots for springers in the northwest. If you go down there again, bring your plunking gear and go to a place called Meldrum Park at the mouth of the Clackamas. Or, if you've got the $, go with a guideboat. In normal years I can pretty much guranty you'l get fisht in a guideboat. But this is not a normal year, historic high waters for this time of year.

It is real crowded there, because it is good.. I mostly fish downriver in the harbor, no crowds.

The counts are way down. Not sure if the run is petering out or if the fish are just waiting for lower water.



http://www.fpc.org/currentdaily/HistFis ... Adults.htm

Was just looking at the Bonneville real time fish cams on both sides of the Big C. Springers are just shooting by the viewing windows. Particularly on the Washington side.

http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/locations/bonneville.asp

I've never seen the fish go through like that how does that add up to 600 in a day I counted over 30 fish in 3 screens?

Im a little late, but heres the report from MONDAY on the cowlitz. We worked really really hard, as the run is coming to an end. We ended up going 2 for 3 on springers back trolling herring or eggs/shrimp combo. Its a waiting game till summers some now.

Springer status




Took a gob of eggs and ran

Springer status update 2: