Fishing report 7-30

Ocean Salmon fishing has been down right ridiculous for most folks. The Coho seem to be around in crazy numbers which means quick limits for many boats. There have been a good amount of Chinook around as well, but with so many Coho it makes it tough to get down to the Chinook before a Coho bites your offering. Trolling with fresh anchovies or herring is a tried and true method, with hard spinning baits being another great option. Spin-n-fish, Spindawgs, Hottails, Super baits and Cutplugs all being great perfect solutions to short biting or quick biting Coho. 

Buoy 10 is about to kick off! This world famous fishery is where thousands of boats and anglers descend on the Astoria area in hopes of finding one of the many piles of Salmon flooding into the river on every tide set. This is a fishery where the bite is almost always dependent on the tide. Incoming, outgoing, high slack. It pays dividends to have a game plan going into the day so you can maximize your efforts in areas where the fish will be. Trolling triangle flashers or 360 flashers will both work and it’s a good idea to have both in board as well as a variety of baits and spinners as the bite can change daily, or hourly! 

Bottom fishing remains a killer option for folks looking to fill up a cooler full of fish fillets. We have had reports of large Lingcod getting caught by several of our Pro Staff. A good mix of all types of bottomfish are also getting caught all along the coast line. Shrimp flies, farallon feathers, swimbaits and vertical jigs have been the top producing baits. 

Tuna fishing has picked up and the fish have gotten close enough for the sport fleet to get at them! Pro, Ted Teufel, has been splitting time between Salmon fishing and bottom fishing and now Tuna Fishing as well. Trolling has been the most products for folks as the fish are still relatively spread out. Once the schools start to get larger then vertical jigs, swimbaits and live bait will all be great options. 

Crabbing has still been good and will continue to get better as we edge closer to fall. Pro, Mike Kelly, has been keeping his clients more then happy with fast limits of

ocean Salmon and Crab on the south coast. While folks up near Astoria are having the same exact situation going on. Drop your pots in the morning on your way out, quick Salmon limit, and then pull your loaded Crab pots on the way in. 

Summer Steelhead fishing continues to be a great option for folks. In the Columbia fisherman are still finding success anchor fishing with prawns, coonstripe shrimp

and small plugs. The tributaries in Southwest Washington are still fairly loaded up with fresh Steelhead as is some of the middle Columbia rivers like the Klickitat and Deschutes. On the Deschutes Pro, Jeremy Toman, has quietly been having quite a bit of fun chasing Steelhead casting plugs, spinners or bubble and fly. Look for this fishery to get even better as the Columbia continues to warm up, forcing Steelhead to look for colder water options. 

Trout fishing is one of those fisheries that just always gives anglers an option. You may have to drive to a lake that has just recently been stocked, or a lake that is at higher elevations where Trout are able to stay active in colder water temps. Either way, early morning and late evening continue to be your best option at finding aggressive trout. Casting spinners and kastmasters along rocky out croppings or down trees is a sure fire way to find some biting Trout. If you find your self still fishing later into the day, be sure to have some Powerbait, Nightcrawlers or Salmon eggs on

Hand to coax a Trout into biting. 

Walleye fishing is one of those fisheries that surely doesn’t t get the credit it deserves this time of year. While the vast majority of folks switch gears to incoming Fall Chinook and Coho, the Walleye are still there and as willing to bite as ever. Trolling bottom walkers and worm harnesses are just what the doctor ordered when it comes to targeting these delicious fish. 

One more fishery that again, doesn’t get the recognition it deserves is Coastal Cutthroat Trout. This is a fishery that goes on in almost every coastal tributary and nobody talks about it. These fish slide in and out of the brackish estuary water and the lower few miles of rivers looking for an easy meal. Now, this is predominantly a catch and release fishery but Searun Cutthroat are voracious biters and can exceed several pounds in size. Spinners, kastmasters and flies are all you need when chasing these aggressive fish.