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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!! 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.
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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 Wobler. 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 Woblers, 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.
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
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