Columbia River Salmon

[Satisfaction]

This is a great website and I'm not trying to hijack the focus from your excellent British Columbia waters, but there has been some interest and discussion about the fish we have in the Columbia River of Washington so I thought I'd post some basics here.

Here's where to look to see salmon, steelhead and shad numbers by day, year and for the ten year average as they climb over the fish ladder at the Bonneville Dam Fish (lowest of the hydro dams on the Columbia) as well as all of the dams upstream.
http://www.fpc.org/currentdaily/histfishtwo_7day-ytd_adults.htm

Here's the site for the fish counter's window at Bonneville, but it is down now for maintainence:

http://www.nwp.usace.army.mil/op/b/fishcam.asp


Heres a pic from September 21, 2006:

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There are three main runs of chinook salmon on the Columbia River: spring chinook (march - may), Summer Chinook (June - July), and Fall Chinook (August - October). The springers taste the best and can cost $30/lb. in the grocery stores; Fall chinook are more numerous, larger (every year fish in the 40s - 60 lbs. are caught) yet not as flavorful and cost about $8/lb. in stores. The Summer chinook is the smallest run but feature football shaped, plump fish with some weighing 40+ lbs. (called June Hogs). Methods for springers and fall fish vary (springers: trolled or back bounced herring or Kwikfish with sardine wrap - chrome and yellow or green, Fall fish: big wobbling spoons - Alvins, Brad's Wobblers, brass and red beaded spinners, Red U-20 flatfish etc.) with Summer fish caught using methods for each. CW

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Satisfaction: 23' Aluminum Thunderjet with Ford 460 salmon fishing the Columbia River

 

[Tofinoguy]

Thanks for that great information.

Dinnertime........... did you read this? []

 

[Dinnertime]

My response is...Step right up ladies and gentlemen the Coloumbia is full of Salmon, hooray ,hooray ,now the Americans can stay down there and fish, hooray ,hooray!

 

[Satisfaction]

I wanted to spend Superbowl Sunday (Feb. 7th) morning warming up the engine, pulling the boat out of the water and changing the oil before the big game. I decided I might as well wet a line while I was out there... and didn't know which to choose: a) fish for sturgeon with a reasonable chance of success - but which I'd have to release since it was not Thurs. - Sat. or b) fish the lower Kalama River for winter steelhead, which I've had limited success with or c) fish WAY too early for spring chinook in the Columbia (the earliest I've caught one before was March 18th). I went for the salmon, threw my steel hoop over a piling in a wing dam and dangled below it, back bouncing a Kwikfish with a sardine wrap behind the boat in water 10 ft. deep. The day was gorgeous, the huge river gray glass calm. I was the only boat out there besides some guy who trolled by. Fifteen minutes later, my lab Gauge jumped up and the rod was yanking around. The fish soon popped to the surface and came in pretty easy, the cold 41 degree water making her sluggish.. until she saw the boat! Then the line started stripping out on about three nice runs and after a great fight, I netted a nice 12-13 lb. rainbow colored torpedo of a spring chinook, the tastiest fish of the year. With only three springers counted at Bonneville Dam so far, I was lucky.

Satisfaction: 23' Aluminum Thunderjet with Ford 460 salmon fishing the Columbia River