Fishing Report 7-22-2022
Hail Newberg recently fished with Fisherman’s Pro Guide, Taylor Knight, and caught this gorgeous snow-bellied Summer Steelhead on a Spin-N-Glo with coon shrimp from the Columbia River near Beacon Rock. Awesome fish, team! (FishAbility Northwest: 503-917-4450.)
Fishing Report:
Salmon fishing is still good on in the Columbia, with anglers finding success sitting on anchors and focusing on the outgoing tides. Kwikfish, spinners, or wobblers are among the most popular lure choices. Finding a good travel lane is important, and if you can position yourself just upstream from an obstacle that the fish will funnel around, you will be in the money. This fishery will continue to be productive as we move into August and will really begin to catch fire the further into the month we go.
Ocean Salmon fishing has been really good for many anglers. Across the many ports that make up the Oregon Coast we are getting reports of plentiful Salmon. Although, our reports tell us mainly Coho and lots of them. In fact, Fisherman’s Pro, Josiah Darr, landed a 14 keeper Coho in just 45 minutes of fishing Wednesday morning. This is another fishery that is only going to get better as we enter August.
Buoy 10 is right around the corner opening on August 1st. Right now, is the time to begin tying up anchovy rigs, herring leaders, twisting up spinners and cleaning flashers. Make sure your boat and gear are in tip top shape to be as productive as possible this season.
Bottom fishing remains a stellar option as the weather has been nice and the ocean weather has been cooperating. All types of bottom fish have been getting caught recently with big Lingcod and even near-shore Halibut in the mix. Fisherman’s Pro, Ted Teufel, had a 46” Halibut brought aboard on Wednesday this week. Now is the time to start thinking about filling the freezer with some bottom fish fillets.
Surf Perch are always around and a viable option throughout the year, but usually takes a back seat due to Salmon and Steelhead this time of year. However, those in the know, understand that nothing beats a warm day on the coast standing waist deep in the Pacific Ocean casting Berkley Gulp Sandworms as the incoming tides push in eager Surf Perch.
Tuna fishing is beginning to roll out and most of the sport fleet is still biding their time waiting for some reports of nearshore Albacore. While you wait, now is the time to prep your gear, respool reels, and check your boat for any issues so that you can have a clean start to the season and can be productive.
Catch and release Sturgeon fishing in Astoria has been amazing as it always is this time of year. These hard fighting fish are a blast to catch in shallow water in the estuary where they go absolutely crazy when hooked.
The heat of the summer is here, and that means the best Trout fishing tends to be in the morning or right at last light. The fish that are around have acclimated to their respective bodies of water and will try to stay deep and dormant throughout the day to try and wait out the heat. But as night falls, the fish become more active and will move up into shallow water to feed. Hence, last light and first light are your go-to times to fish. Casting spinners, Kastmasters, bubble, and flies are all great options for folks to try. Boat anglers will find success trolling wedding rings tipped with worms, Wiggle Hoochies, small Flatfish and small Mag Lips. During the day bait on the bottom will be your best bet.
Summer Steelhead are getting caught in many tributaries around the Northwest. Casting spinners, spoons, bobbers, jigs, or drift gear will all work well when probing a likely spot. Walking speed runs or fast-moving sections of water that are broke up by boulders will be great places to start your search.
