Fishing report 9-11
The fishing in Astoria has turned into a Coho show and the angling pressure has lightened considerably. With that being said, this fishery can be absolutely phenomenal for Coho. The fish are flying into the river in huge hoards and the action can be so fast paced that you may have a hard time getting all of the rods in the water at one time! Trolling with either triangle flashers or 360 flashers will both work and using small spinners, Superbaits, Spindawgs, Spin-n-fish, Brad’s Cutplugs, herring or anchovies are all go-to baits.
The mainstream Columbia River is going to be open from Buoy 10 all the way up to the hwy 395 bridge in Pasco. However, check the ODFW website before you go as different sections of rivers will be open on different dates. Fish will get caught a number of different ways, from anchor fishing wobblers to trolling 360 flashers with small spinners and everything in between. So make sure you have a few of those options on board so if the fish are being finicky that day you will atleast have the option to switch gears with a different technique.
In the ocean, south of cape Falcon, the Coho and Chinook fishing has been really good. We have had multiple Pro Staff Guides fishing out of Tillamook and absolutely crushing the fish. Pro’s, David Johnson and Terry Mulkey, have been finding fast limits of Chinook and Coho on almost every trip that they have been running recently. Fish are getting caught on fresh bait as well as hard plastic baits like Spin-n-fish, Soindawgs and Superbaits.
In Tillamook and Nehalem bay the fishing is definitely starting to pick up. We have had Pro Staff doing well in this fishery also. Pro, Pat Abel, has been finding fish every trip trolling flashers with bait as well as Spin-n-fish. This fishery is only going to get better and we should see a huge influx of Coho and this year ODFW has set a season for retention of Wild Coho. Again, check the ODFW website to verify what days you can retain them. But it’s definitely a cool opportunity to have!
Crabbing has gotten better and once again, this is another outdoor opportunity that will only get better as we move into fall
WDFW has set a pile of tentative dates for Razor Clam digging at Longbeach. Be sure to check their website for what the dates look like so that you can get to planning for your next beach trip.
Tributary Chinook and Coho fishing has been getting better by the day in the Portland Metro area. With rivers like the Sandy and Clackamas seeing pushes of
fresh Coho. And then rivers like the Cowlitz and Lewis have seen both Chinook and Coho flying in. These are fisheries that you will see fish get caught on a variety of techniques including eggs, beads, shrimp, spinners, plugs, twitching jigs and more! We are right in the beginning of the A run of Coho which typically come in in big swarms of fish. Especially with this weeks rain, we should see an uptick in catch numbers.
Tuna fishing is still a great idea! The fish have put on weight over the summer there for you usually see your largest Albacore getting caught in the early fall. Trolling tuna clones is a sure fire way to target these fish, especially when you are searching for them. Vertical jigs, butterfly jigs, swimbaits and live bait are must haves once you find the Tuna and you get them on a feeding frenzy.
Bottom fishing also remains a stellar option. Again, this is a fishery that will tend to take a back seat to the amazing Salmkn fishing the coast has going right now. But fall is an awesome time to stack the beautifully delicious flaky white meat of bottom fish in your freezer. Because, nothing is better during the winter months than some self caught fish and chips!
Trout fishing all across the Portland metro area has been going on and anglers are reporting good success. Along the coast ODFW has been busy stocking lakes with legal and trophy size trout. Henry Hagg Lake also received a generous amount of legal and Trophy size Trout.
