Fishing Report 11-04-2022
Our Tigard Store Manager, Paul Coppinger (on right), recently fished with pro guide Ryan Beck at last week’s North Coast Salmon Rendezvous and caught this nice coastal Chinook. The 24.5-lb fish ended up taking the Big Fish prize for the derby, and also propelled Paul’s team from Fisherman’s into first place overall. Nice job, team! And, thank you Mr. Beck! The North Coast Salmon Rendezvous has long been a potent fund raiser for projects that directly benefit fish and fishermen, and our company has been a proud sponsor of this grass roots, all-volunteer event for well over twenty years. This year’s event grossed $88,000.00 that will be used to fund projects that lead to “More fish and better fisheries.”
Fishing Report:
Fall Chinook are being caught along the coast in many bays and rivers.Now, that we have had a shot of rain the rivers have bumped up a little.This little bump has brought in some fish, however this next batch of big rain should really bring the fish piling in.Keep a close eye on the river gauges over the next few weeks and be ready to hit the river as soon as the water comes up, then starts to fall.Backtrolling plugs or bait, back bouncing bait and bobber fishing bait will all produce bites.Keep several options on board as it can really pay off being versatile.
Coho are around and many folks have been doing quite well.Up in the Columbia River Gorge, anglers are still having success trolling for Coho this past week.360 flashers with small spinners, Superbaits, Spinfish and SpinDawgs have all been producing well.
In the lower Columbia, many of the tributaries are fishing well for Coho.Some of the larger rivers like the Lewis and Cowlitz have had better flow.These rivers are ideal for running a powerboat or drift boat to chase these delicious Coho.Twitching jigs, bobber fishing eggs, drift fishing eggs, spinners and casting plugs have all been producing well.The B-Run Coho are starting to show up and rumors are some nice-size fish are being caught.
Bottom fishing is usually really good this time of year.The weather has been nasty and making bar crossing a bit challenging.But when the weather allows, the fishing has been good.Quality Lingcod have been in the mix with some really nice Rockfish as well.
Crabbing has recently been very good, but could likely slow due to the high water in the coming days. Astoria has been a real bright spot with many people finding full pots and huge keepers. However, the current storm could change that.
Razor Clamming was excellent during the last opener at Long Beach.There are tentative PM digs scheduled for the the end of November so be on the lookout for a WDFW press release.
The nasty weather is a big plus for those that are heading out for some general season Elk hunting and finishing up general season Blacktail.The cold and rainy weather will keep animals up on their feet more and requiring them to feed longer throughout the day, giving hunters more time to find them.
Duck hunters are praising the rain as well.More rain means more areas of standing water and more areas for Ducks to land.Look for the Duck hunting to improve as more rain rolls in.