Outdoor Report 9/14
The whole lower Columbia River has been on a roll this week. The fishermen down in Longview all the way to Bonneville Dam have been having great success. Down in the Longview, Rainer area, most fishermen are anchoring with wobblers. The typical set up is 5x5, five foot leader and five foot dropper length. From the reports we are getting, it sounds like the majority of wobblers have been producing; Simon, Clancy’s and Brad’s being the top producers. We are also hearing that herring, anise and sardine scents have been the most productive lately, but bringing multiple combinations of scent can pay off on certain days. On the low slack and incoming tides, a lot of fishermen have been switching over to trolling 360° flashers, with small 3.5 size spinners or Brad’s Cut Plugs. As you work your way up river, the outgoing tides do not run as hard and you will see fishermen trolling on both incoming and outgoing tides. Again, the 360° flashers have been the biggest craze the last few years, but don't hesitate to stick on some traditional triangle shape flashers and troll with those. Sometimes, the fish want to see something different, and that maybe what it takes. As you get into the Bonneville Dam section of the river, people will still be trolling. The current runs all day long up there, and a traditional way of catching fish is to anchor or backtroll Kwikfish. Most folks like to use sizes 15 and 16 Kwikfish, but Mag Lips, whether the 4.5 size or the larger Hawgnose, are a good choice too. The larger plugs do well in the heavy currents that Bonneville Dam can provide. Astoria has also been very good for coho this week. We had lots of reports of early limits and some really nice size coho in the mix. Having both bait and spinners are a must down there, this time of year. As a rule, the coho like to be higher in the water column so don't be afraid to run rods shallow, even as shallow as 15 feet on the line counter. Anchovies and herring will both have their days, so again, it pays to have a good variety on hand down in Astoria. Tillamook has started to produce this last week as well. Some very nice chinook have been caught along with some dandy coho. Herring has been the big producer but as fish start to push into the upper bay, the spinner bite will definitely take off. General season archery elk has been going on in the coast range and our reports are that there have been some big bulls killed. With this next week’s weather forecast showing some rain, things should only keep getting better. Be sure to check local regulations before heading out. Good luck and be safe.
