Fishing Report 7-29-2022
Tyler from our Oregon City store recently caught two beautiful Summer Steelhead from a local river. Both these fish hit a "Nightmare" Aerojig. Way to go Tyler!
Fishing Report:
Salmon fishing is on the minds of many, as we near the August 1st Buoy 10 opener in Astoria. With the ocean reports we have been getting it sounds like we may be in for a good opening week. This fishery is dominated by trolling anglers with folks using both triangle and 360 flashers. The type of flasher folks use depends on preference for some, and what part of the tide you are fishing for others. Small 3.5 size spinners, Brad’s Superbaits, and Yakima Bait Spin Fish are all very popular choices for the 360 flasher crowd. While herring, anchovies, larger size 4 and 5 spinners, as well as small 3.5 size spinners will work best for the triangle flasher crowd. This fishery is dominated by tidal influence and the fish can be found by the thousands and then by the 10’s on the very next tide. Persistence is key and can set you aside from the pack.
As we move upriver from Astoria look for many anglers to switch over to anchor fishing with wobblers, spinners, or Kwikfish. The anchor fishing tends to dominate the outgoing tide, but as the tide switches and starts coming in, many folks will begin to switch over to trolling 360 flashers with small 3.5 size spinners, Brad’s Superbaits and Yakima Bait Spinfish. This tends to really start to pick up around the middle of August.
Ocean fishing remains an excellent choice at the moment. For those heading over the bar there are endless opportunities right now. From Salmon, bottom fish, Halibut, and Tuna the possibilities are all over the board. Pro Guide, Ted Teufel, is still all over the near shore Halibut, Salmon, and bottom fishing scene. He recently tagged out his whole boat on their limits of Halibut as well as Salmon. All while still having time to hit a mid-morning brunch!
Reports of Tuna being near shore and in range of sport fishing boats have started to come in. Typically, the first few fish of the year are caught by anglers trolling. This technique is effective at covering a lot of ground when searching for new schools of Tuna. Once you find them though, make sure you have some vertical jigging rods and live bait rods on board so you can capitalize on those opportunities.
Catch and release Sturgeon fishing in Astoria is still going on and can be phenomenal. While it is a catch and release fishery, you will certainly be going home with some sore arms and memories to last a lifetime. Squid, herring, anchovies, and sand shrimp have all been working well.
Kokanee fishing in the high mountain lakes has been productive, however it does seem as though the majority of fish are fairly deep. This hot weather hasn’t helped either. You can catch these delicious fish either by trolling or vertical jigging. Both techniques work well, and it mainly depends on what your preference is.
Trout fishing is still a good choice right now, you just may need to focus your efforts early in the morning or right before dark. These fish are always looking for an easy meal and will hunker down into deeper water during the heat of the day. This time of the day is when plunking a fat night crawler, or a nice wad of Powerbait is one of your best options. As the temps begin to cool in the evening you will start to see these fish moving up into shallow water again. This is when casting spinners, spoons, Kastmasters, bubble and fly or even bobber and bait will all produce.
