Fishing Report 7-8-2022
Salmon are biting in the ocean, Columbia River and tributaries; Summer Steelhead are available in the Clackamas, Sandy and Southwest Washington streams; Halibut and Bottom Fishing have been awesome; and, Brook Trout are smashing flies in the high lakes. Where will your next angling adventure take you?
Fishing Report:
Chinook fishing opened back up on the Columbia from the Astoria Megler Bridge upstream this past week, and it came as a welcomed surprise to many anglers. While many folks had switched over to chasing Summer Steelhead, the opportunity to keep Chinook again has opened many possibilities for anglers to target. Anchor fishing has been the name of the game for boat anglers. Again, finding choke points or rocky out cropping’s that fish must go around will give your lure a perfect traveling lane to sit in. Bank anglers have been having great success as well. Fishing a Spin-N-Glo and coon stripe shrimp has been a great combination to catch Chinook, Steelhead and Sockeye.
Ocean Salmon fishing has been good with a nice mix of Coho and Chinook around. From Coos Bay north, we have been getting reports of good Salmon fishing. Fisherman’s Pro, Terry Mulkey, sent us a report from out of Garibaldi with a good mix of Salmon, including a really nice 30+ lb hatchery Chinook! Trolling bait or spinner blades with hoochies have both been good options.
Bottom fishing and near-shore Halibut fishing have also been a good lately. Fisherman’s Pro’s, Ted Teufel and Josiah Darr recently went out on a family trip and absolutely filled the freezer. Rockfish, Lingcod, and Halibut were all caught during their outing, as well as a bunch of Crab. What’s not to love about that? It’s hard to beat great weather and coolers full of fish destined for fish tacos or fish and chips.
Surf Perch fishing is a great option during these sunny summer months. These feisty fish tend to school up in the surf and make for great sport. Focus your efforts on the incoming tides and try to constantly be on the move. These fish spend their lives darting in and out of the surf so it may take some searching to find where these schools of fish are located.
Warm water species like Smallmouth Bass, Largemouth Bass, Bluegill, Crappie, and Pumpkinseed are among the many species that can be caught in farm ponds, small back-channel waterways and backwater of the Columbia. These fish are a great way to get young anglers interested in fishing and show them some fast-paced action.
Catch and release Sturgeon fishing in Astoria can be phenomenal this time of year! With very little angling pressure and giant fish in shallow water, there are many reasons to fall in love with this fishery. Squid, sand shrimp, herring and anchovies are all great baits to choose from.
Trout fishing around the state has continued to be good and the higher mountain lakes are now all accessible and still getting stocked. These mountain lakes can offer some very good fishing and beautiful scenery as well. These lakes typically get holdover Trout from the previous year, so you definitely have a shot at hooking some nice size fish as well.
Kokanee fishing has continued to be good and the higher mountain lakes have now started kicking out good Kokanee. Green Peter, Paulina, Odell and Crescent Lake have all been putting out nice quality Kokanee. With the hot weather the water will start to warm, and the Kokanee will be found deep in the water column. Jigging vertical jigs or trolling deep with downriggers will be your best bet for a limit of these delicious landlocked Salmon.
