Fishing report 8-28
This past week the ocean was open for several days and when the weather allowed folks to cross the bar, the fishing was ridiculous. Pro, Josiah Darr, found limits for his whole boat in just a couple of hours during that time period, which indicates that the fishing should stay great in Astoria for some time.
Astoria has been absolutely fantastic this past week. The fishing has been good all over with quality Chinook still in the mix and more Coho showing up on every single tide set. Trolling small spinners, anchovies kr herring has been working very well on both the incoming and outgoing tides, as have hard spinning baits like Superbaits, Spin-n-fish and Spindawgs. Many folks have been running their gear suspended in the water Column trying to intercept these fish as they flood upriver on in coming tides. And when the tide switches to outgoing it seems that the fish push towards the bottom of the river making dragging your gear or hovering slightly off of the bottom your best choice. Both triangle and 369 flashers have been working well and having both on hand can be super beneficial, as you never know what the fish will prefer on any given day.
The Salmon fishing down on the south coast has been really good as well with a good mix of Chinook and Coho. Pro, Mike Kelly, has been quietly loading his fish box Most days with some solid Chinook. Trolling 360 flashers has been working well with both bait and hard spinning baits like Spin-n-fish and Superbaits.
Trolling for Fall Chinook in the Columbia gorge is heating up by the day. The last few days we have had 16,000 plus fall Chinook over Bonneville which means great fishing above and below the dam. Drano and the Klickitat are both super popular fisheries going into September for both trolling fisherman and hover fisherman.
Tuna fishing has been stellar and doesn’t show signs of stopping yet! Pro, Ted Teufel, has been splitting his time between Salmon fishing and Tuna fishing and the fishing has been amazing for both species. He fished back to back days this past week for Tuna and plugged the boat with over 50 Tuna each day! Trolling has been great as has live bait and vertical jigging.
Bottom fishing has been great, and should stay good for quite some time. Pro, Andy Martin, has been finding steady action for Rockfish and Lingcod this past week. He has been doing well on farallon feathers, shrimp flies and curly tail grubs.
Summer steelhead fishing in the Columbia gorge has been going well and with the colder mornings we are starting to have, the fish have been responding well. Pro,
Jeremy Toman, has been doing well casting spinners and plugs as well as running some side planners and plugs. This fishery doesn’t slow down throughout the fall and some years, get even better! In Southwest Washington Pro, Brian Campbell, has been absolutely crushing the hatchery Summer Steelhead. Bobberdogging eggs and corkies has been accounting for boat limits almost daily!
Walleye fishing all throughout the Columbia gorge has been good. The majority of folks are spending their days trolling for Salmon, however the walleye fishing is good. You may have the entire fishery to your self if you choose to chase these delicious fish.
Trout fishing remains a great option locally as ODFW has continued their planting efforts at many lake around the Portland Metro area. Lakes like Farady, Harriet, Trillium and Estacada all have been stocked. However North Fork reservoir was stocked with over 11,000 legal Trout this week! Bait fished off of the bottom or under a float has been very productive for bank anglers. Boat fisherman have been finding success trolling small Mag Lips and Flatfish as well as wedding rings and nightcrawlers.