Fishing Report 9-23-2022
Fall Chinook fishing on the Columbia has still been lights out! They opened the river from Reed Island up to Bonneville Dam and the Chinook are there! Most folks are trolling 360 flashers and spinners or Superbaits, while some are still anchor-fishing Kwikfish. Above Bonneville, there are many cold-water influences where Fall Chinook will congregate. These fisheries will have a mix of fishermen that are trolling 360 flashers or hover-fishing eggs and sand shrimp. These fisheries will continue to be good for several more weeks.
The ocean Salmon fishing has been really good the last few weeks. The Coho are getting big and some of our Pro Staff are having amazing success. Fisherman’s Pro, Tim Juarez, sent us some killer photos of some Coho that were 16-17lbs! There have also been some really nice Chinook being caught as well. Trolling around the 250’ mark out of Garibaldi has seemed to be one of the hot zones, for a starting point.
Bottom fishing remains excellent along the coast. Lingcod and a variety of bottom fish species have been coming over the sides of many boats. Bottom fishing should remain good as long as the ocean cooperates.
Tuna fishing has been great! Tuna Pro, Dave Phillips, was out this week and said the fishery is still in full swing! September and early October can be some of the best Tuna fishing of the year. The fish are bigger and the ocean can be down-right beautiful! Trolling, jigging, swimbaits and live bait have all been putting fish in the boat.
The Crabbing in Tillamook, Nehalem and Astoria has been killer! Many folks are finding quick limits with lots of really nice keepers mix. According to most reports, the majority of crab are hard and full of meat!
Tributary Coho fishing is just starting to ramp up. Locally, the Sandy and Clackamas have fishable numbers of Coho in them; and up in Southwest Washington, the Cowlitz and Lewis have good numbers of Coho entering them daily. Reports are that folks have found success casting Wiggle Warts, twitching jigs and hover-fishing eggs. As we get into October we should start to see a few B run Coho showing up, giving anglers a good variety of fish to get after.
Trout fishing is still quite good as evening temps are starting to drop. ODFW has continued to plant many lakes and bodies of water across the state. Locally, this week Foster Reservoir and Henry Hagg Lake both received over 3,000 Trout each! Now is a great time to head down to the lake and spend an afternoon on the water. Powerbait, nightcrawlers and salmon eggs are among the many Trout favorites. Casting spinners and Kastmasters is always a go-to as well.
