Columbia River Salmon Fishing Guides

Many Oregon fishing guides, Washington fishing guides and Idaho fishing guides offer Salmon fishing on the Columbia River. Charters, charter boats, Salmon fishing guides and Columbia River Salmon fishing guides help you to catch more Fall Chinook, King Salmon, Coho, Coho Salmon, Chinook, Upriver brights, Chum Salmon, Dog Salmon and Spring Chinook.

salmon_columbia_river
Thanks to STS GS for the photo

Columbia river  fishing charter boats and local fishing charters fish so many other popular Washington, Oregon, and Idaho Salmon fishing spots. Choosing the right fishing guide can mean the difference between spending a wasted day wishing and learning all the tricks and lures to use and popular Salmon fishing holes.

Popular fishing techniques for Columbia River Salmon are:

  • trolling

  • trolling with bait wrapped kwik-fish

  • casting or trolling spinners and lures

  • bait casting

  • bobber fishing

  • back bouncing

  • drift fishing from specially equipped drift boats

  • trolling or casting from a jet sled that can get you through those shallow water places to the very best Salmon fishing spots.

  • fly fishing

  • bank fishing by fly-fishing, spin-casting or still fishing with baits or Salmon rigs.

  • float tubing....

 

Fishing guides for Salmon on the Columbia River

Washington fishing guides     Oregon fishing guides

Salmon   Steelhead   Keeper Sturgeon
Oversize Sturgeon   Fall Chinook   Coho Salmon

 "There are lots of fishing guides in this area and lots of fish too. NWGR (Northwest Guides & Resorts) has ranked Marv McQuinn as one of the Top 10 fishing guides in the Tillamook Bay and Buoy 10 and also in the Lower Columbia River areas. He's not just a top 10 fishing guide though. He's also a really great guy to spend the day with. Be sure to bring your camera along when you go fishing with Marv because you're gonna catch fish but you may want to bring a note pad too because he has fished these areas his entire life and he's not afraid to pass along his knowledge. I learned more from him on one guided fishing trip than I'd learned on dozens of trips I'd previously taken by myself.
Dan MacNeil, Editor NWGR

Websites For The Outdoors

Fishing Websites

Tide Charts: Check out tides for the Columbia River and the Pacific Coast.
Columbia River Information: on the Columbia River for fishing guides and charters and RV parks, resorts & campgrounds.
Campgrounds And RV Parks: Book a vacation now at a popular Northwest campground, RV park or resort.

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Salmon Fishing Guides

BECHAROF LODGE & OUTFITTERS

An unforgettable Alaskan adventure awaits YOU! World Class Fishing & Hunting Located In The Heart Of Bristol Bay Alaska
"Alaska's Best Value" (Outdoor Life - June '96) Home Of The Largest Brown Bears In The World! Our Fishing and Hunting Adventures are truly once in a lifetime event! Hunting For Brown Bear, Moose, Caribou & Birds Fishing for 5 Salmon species, Trout, Grayling & Arctic Char.
We have enjoyed a superb success rate since 1992! You will have an opportunity to see the largest Bear, Moose and Caribou on the Alaskan Peninsula.

 

How to catch upriver bright Fall Chinook ... "Upriver brights" ...

How many of you fellow fishermen have been frustrated trying to catch upriver bright fall chinook on the Columbia?? Well I was until a couple of years ago when I had the opportunity to fish with a friend who has this fishery down pat. Below I will detail some things you can do to increase the chances that you will put one of these hard fighting hawg Chinooks in your boat.

 When to go, what time of day is best??: generally the season for the Columbia upriver bright fall Chinook salmon run begins to get going mid-august most years. I suggest anyone who is interested watch the fish counts in the newspaper, paying attention to the numbers of fall Chinook that are crossing Bonneville dam. When the counts hit 2-3000 fish a day you should be thinking about fishing. Traditionally the peak of the run will come in late august and early September with large numbers of Chinook passing Bonneville dam. Counts during the peak are 5-14000 fish per day. As far as the time of day to fish, well most of you die hard Chinook guys are aware that early is better as far as Mr. Chinook is concerned, although with this type of fishing I have rarely caught a Chinook before 7 a.m. and caught several in the heat of the day. The tidal influence and the amount of water being spilled out of Bonneville dam seem to determine when the bite is rocking and when you can go take a nap in the boat more so than the time of day.  Where to go:  I have fished in the Troutdale area more so than any other place in the Columbia river. I have done the combat salmon fishing at buoy 10, and that insane place called Drano lake several times and although I have caught nice fish at both the headaches and crowds are not something I really enjoy, plus the fishing seems equal to or even better than these places right in the Troutdale area. At any rate you will want to fish one of the hog lines or you can separate from the lines if you do not like crowds. I would recommend you fish in no less than 25 feet of water and no more than about 35 feet with 32-33 being ideal depending on the current and time of day. There are several well established hog lines that set up every year in this area and my only advice is get there early!

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Salmon Fishing Guides

Even though  the bite never seems to take off early the line fills quickly and late comers are out of luck as most lines will be boat to boat. As a safety precaution do not under any circumstances anchor your boat in the navigation lanes. This is not only illegal but foolhardy as well. If you arrive late you need to anchor away from the lines that are already formed and leave room so you can drop off and fight a fish should you need to.

Tackle tips and what to bring: this fishing technique is as simple as it gets. First off I recommend a 7ft or longer rod with a sensitive tip and some backbone as these fish can exceed 60 lbs. I would pair it with a high quality baitcasting reel loaded with premium 20lb test. A good drag is essential on the reel you choose. Now run your line to a 3 way swivel. Attach a light lead line off the bottom end and run 4-8 oz. Of lead preferably a ball depending on the strength of the current. You need to run about 41/2 to 5 feet of line on your lead dropper. Off the other end of the 3 way tie about 4-5 feet of leader and attach a Clancy, Alvin or 10 spot Wobbler. I would not use less than 15lb test though. The rest is fairly simple. Sink your rig below the boat and then back bounce the rig out behind the boat until you get about a 45 degree angle on your line, then check your drag and simply put your rod into the rod holder and wait. Strikes are obvious and violent with no one wondering if that was a fish or not. My personal favorite is the Alvin Wobblers, they come in a variety of colors and seem to outfish the others most of the time, although I have caught Chinook on the others as well. On overcast days id use a rainbow pattern or something colorful on bright sunny days id stick with chromes and chrome/purple combos.

Thanks to TODD DIELMAN'S FISHING GUIDE SERVICE for this great Columbia River Sturgeon fishing photo.

Very important tips: no that we have covered the basics let me impart some knowledge as to how you separate yourselves from the pack. First off change your hooks....most of these lures come packaged with a single silwash hook. The first thing I would do is remove the single hook and replace it with a high quality lightweight treble and a heavier snap ring. I have seen lots of guys loose fish or miss hook up due to the single hooks. There are some people who will tell you the treble does weird things to the action of the lure but I have had no ill affects from this and land more fish. Next important thing is to pay attention to the water flow. If the current speeds up Woblers like Alvins work excellent, but if you loose the current you need to switch to a lighter lure or relocate you boat. Stream flows tend to come and go during the day with the best bites corresponding with increased stream flow. Next lets talk about " tuning your lures " almost everyone I have seen fishing out there ignores this and it is absolutely critical. You can take a Wobler out of the package and tie it on and chuck it in the river and you will probably catch a fish or two on occasion, but....by simply tuning your lure and ensuring it has the optimal " swim " to it for the current you are fishing  you will outfish the guy next to you who may be using the exact same lure. Ideally you want the Wobler to do a side to side swim. Picture a half pipe and you do not want that Wobler to exceed the 180 of the half pipe. If you are doing barrel rolls or barely moving then you are not fishing....period. Make sure you check your lures in the water before you back bounce out behind the boat for the right swim. Don't be afraid to custom paint your lures and experiment as well. I had one lure that caught several fish last season that was enhanced with some lure paint.

 Notes about the Columbia river: be alert to boat traffic, especially barges. If they are blowing their horn it means you are in their way and need to get out post haste. Be cautious of river flows especially when anchoring your boat. You will need a quality anchor system and someone to show you how to safely anchor in this river if you have never done this before.

 Final thoughts: have fun. This is a great opportunity to catch some truly trophy size Chinook. Most of these fish are nickel bright and average is in the high 20's with generous amounts of fish over 30 lbs. Last season we put 3 in the boat over 40 lbs with the largest a monster slab of exactly 56 lbs!!!!! 

hope this helps someone out. Thanks David A Ericcsen

Columbia River Sturgeon lists Sturgeon fishing information on the Columbia River.
Ilwaco fishing charters has listings of the best fishing charters in Ilwaco.
Buoy 10 fishing guides can give you the best fishing guides and charters at Buoy 10 and the Buoy 10 organization of fishing guides.
Idaho fishing guides lists fishing information and the best fishing guides in Idaho.

Fishing Sturgeon in the upper Columbia River depends more on bottom structure than depth. Fish of all sizes can be caught in water 20-30 ft. deep if it is in a feeding lane or trough. Anchoring in the upper end of a trough or off to one side of the trough and casting or drifting bait into the trough is an effective way to entice fish. Study a good chart of the river bottom to get an idea of where to start fishing. Be patient. Most sturgeon bites are as light as that of a trout. If you experience a lot of "jump-uppers" ones that cause you to jump out of your seat and grab the rod and then not get another bite, try reducing the size of the hook to a 5/0 or 6/0 hook. In catching several hundred sturgeon over the past 5 years, I have never had a sturgeon swallow the hook to a point where it was not visible in the outer mouth area.
Name: Bob Wimberly
email: wimbocondo@msn.com

Salmon usually live to be:

Pacific Salmon .......... 7 years old
Chinook (King) Salmon .......... 7 years old
Sockeye .......... 7 years old
Silver (Coho) Salmon .......... 4 years old
Chum Salmon .......... 6 years old
Pink Salmon .......... 2 years old
Atlantic Salmon .......... 8 years old
Washington Dept. Of Fish & Wildlife

Oregon Dept. Of Fish & Wildlife

 

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Salmon Fishing Guides