Fishing report 7-10

Salmon fishing in the ocean has been lights out this past week. From the southern coast to the mouth of the Columbia, we have had Pro Staff finding great success. On the southern coast Pro, Mike Kelly, has been finding limits for his clients by trolling Spin-n-fish and flashers. Up near the mouth of the Columbia River, Bill Monroe jr. has been also finding great success trolling spin-n-fish. He has been finding a great mix of Chinook and Coho for his clients. He has said the fishing has been so hot at times that they will have 5 salmon on at one time! The vast majority of anglers up and down the coast are seeing a really good grade of Coho already! Pro, Tim Juarez, has already seen coho pushing 10 lbs in the first week of July. 

Summer Steelhead fishing has steadily been getting better. In the Columbia there have been plenty of fish pushing up river with some entering lower river tributaries and some headed for the farthest reaches of the upper Columbia. These hard fighting, high flying Steelhead are some of the most fun fish to catch. They tend to spend more time out of the water than in it, and are traditionally very good biters. In tributaries like the Lewis and Cowlitz, jigs, pink worms, eggs, sand shrimp, prawns and Coon stripe Shrimp are all great baits to use. In the big rivers, anchor fishing is about the most productive way to target these fish. Finding a wing dam, rocky outcropping, or anything else that creates a barrier that the fish have to go around is a great place to start. 

Catch and release Steuegon fishing in Astoria is one of the most under rated fisheries that we have in the north west. While it is a catch and release only fishery, the fishing can be absolutely lights out! Fisherman’s Pro, Jim Nicol, has been down there quietly having a phenomenal time chasing huge sturgeon in shallow water. Squid, sand shrimp, herring and anchovies are all killer bait choices. 

Bottom fishing all along the coast has also remained a killer option. Fisherman’s Pro’s, Ted Teufel and Pat Abel, have been stacking up limits of bottom fish which have been including large Ling Cod! Squid jigs, shrimp flies, farallon feathers and vertical jigs have been working very well! 

Kokanee fishing has been a steady option for anglers looking to escape the city heat and catch some delicious fish. These land locked Sockeye are terrific biters and terrific table fair. Pro, KC Talaro, has continued to have great success on Lake Merwin trolling Simon dodgers and small spin-n-glos tipped with a kernel of Shoepeg corn. Bring along several different scent options and stack your gear at different depths in the water column until you find exactly where they are running that day. In Oregon Paulina, Green Peter, Crescent and Odell Lake have all been

pumping out limits of Kokanee as well. Many of these lakes also have really large Mackinaw Trout in them so you never know when of those giants will clamp on. 

Trout fishing has not slowed down that much, even with this past weeks high temps. The Trout are definitely a little less active during the heat of the day which also gives anglers the option to lounge around camp or do some mid day swimming with the family. Early morning and late evening though, should be the times you really focus your efforts on finding the aggressive Trout looking to take advantage of the cooler temps and an easy meal. Trolling flies early in the morning is a very subtle way to trick weary Trout into biting. As well as casting spinners and Kastmasters, especially along rock drop offs or structure that may give Trout some where to ambush from.