Fishing the Columbia River and Northwest Coast for Pacific Salmon
Columbia River and Northwest Coast fishing is largely a salmon and trout fishery. Although there are rivers here that have other game fish, the salmonids are still the most sought-after quarry.
Our largest surges of Pacific salmon and sea-run cutthroat trout begin to congregate in the river mouths and estuaries in late summer, aggressively feeding on shoals of anchovy, sardines, herring, krill, and shrimp. I've even caught Puget Sound Blackmouth (immature King salmon) with Nereis vexillosa -- the pile worm, clam worm, or mussel worm as it is locally known -- in their stomachs. As a youngster I caught many sea-run cutthroat on pile worms fished in saltwater.
Randy Flickenger's first Columbia River HOG Chinook (King). ↑
Capt. Larry Craven, Steven Lumsden on net, Ray Richard (knifemaker in the hoodie)
is the cheering section, and Bruce Douglas, cameraman.
As the urge to spawn increases, these fish begin to enter the river systems to make their way to natal streams. The cutthroat trout also make this run to spawn, often at the same time, all the while aggressively feeding, unlike salmon and steelhead, on a variety of available forage and eventually on salmon and steelhead roe. The steelhead also feeds in freshwater, most notably on its downstream run after spawning. I have taken dark spawned out steelhead in late winter with mayfly nymphs in their gullet. Now, that would be an interesting hook-up with a #18 March Brown nymph and 6X tippet!
Many techniques used to catch Pacific Salmon utilize baits such as salmon roe, bait fish (whole or in part), and shrimp; often dosed with a plethora of scents. Fishermen and biologists all have their theories as to why these largely anorexic fish take bait. The predominant one seems to be that the fish are stimulated into habitual feeding responses or an aggressive-protective response. Some lures and approaches have capitalized on both of these behaviors and bait/lure combinations are now commonly used in rivers.
The aggressiveness of salmon in freshwater varies from day to day and with the maturity of the fish. As the males sexually ripen, they grow large canine teeth that are extremely sharp. That is why we use stainless steel hooks to catch all our salmon. Whether fresh ocean caught or river caught, their teeth are exceedingly sharp. All one has to do is to watch a pair of spawning salmon defend their redd from an opportunistic trout and they'll immediately understand the reason for the large teeth!
River techniques and riggings we have found successful for Pacific Salmon:
Rule 1: KEEP YOUR HOOK(S) SHARP! Do not ever waste your time fishing with dull hooks. You may not get a second chance. Some manufacturers, if not most of them, have wonderfully sharp hooks right out of the package. But, all it takes is one foul hook-up on a rock or snag, the bottom of your chair, the boat, or the pliers when removing a hook from your last fish, and the hook tip is dulled. Check your hooks each time you put your line in the water. If the hook won't grab your thumbnail when dragged across it, then the hook is not sharp enough.
Rule 2: Tie an excellent knot. Let me tell you, after many years fishing, gear failure of one type or another is more common that seems possible. One of the potential failures can be controlled by learning a great knot. There are quite a few good ones, but my three favorites are the Trilene, Double Uni knot, and Palomar knots.
The Trilene knot is close to 100 percent knot strength, as are the Palomar and Double Uni knots. Be sure to wet the line before tightening it. The Double Uni knot is great for attaching swivels and lures, and splicing lines. It is my favorite knot for tying on tippets to a fly leader, and splicing monofilament and braid lines.
Anchor Fishing and Trolling
When river fishing in a boat at anchor, or trolling, the following terminal rigging is most typical:
My new LongLiner has proven very effective in several river situations. When at anchor using wobblers or other lures or bait as well as trolling when a very long leaders are important.
Why long leaders? Nearly always, salmon are not leader shy. In fact, I tend to use heavier leaders especially when using my favorite lure!
But the use of long leaders gives the salmon angler an edge in several situations. The first is the ?searching? effect of leaders greater than 8 feet. Your wobbler or herring tends to change direction in accordance with changes in water speed and currents flows. If you are trolling with your weight occassionally hitting bottom, the disturbance may scare the fish; in this case, the long leader possible with a LongLiner minimizes this effect. Many times anglers using herring baits prefer a very long leader; but landing a fish on a long leader can be difficult with a fixed in-line weight. With LongLiner your weight slips down to the lure or swivel stop, for the best in fish control when bringing your catch to the net.
Over the years wobbler fishing has defined itself as being one of the most effective methods of catching salmon. Wide body wobblers, such as our Egg Wobbler, have defined a new level in productivity for the sport fisherman, and most certainly fishing on the Columbia. A wobbler can be fished behind a weight, diver, or downrigger, but I prefer to fish it behind a LongLiner. Many of us with experience with a wobbler or spinner on the Columbia River find that a slider is usually the best choice, and a LongLiner gives you both a weight slider and the ability to have any choice of any leader length you desire ?- without retying.
Rule 3: If you are not successful one way, try another. The majority of anglers feel that the fish aren't biting when the problem is that the angler has a one-track mind. Think like a fish, consider color, action, speed, and location and depth. As you get better at the sport you will also begin to understand that barometric pressure, light, water temperature, oxygen, ambient noise, etc., will at times make all the difference. Even though there exist days when the fish are lockjaw negative, you will often entice a strike if you are willing to be adventuresome with your color, speed, scent, depth, and action.
Fishing From the Bank: ?Plunking?
Anglers who fish from the bank for salmon and steelhead often use this basic set up:
An innovative technique that I have used successfully to avoid casting tangles is to cast the weight alone on a dropper tied to a swivel on my mainline. The swivel determines the depth of my offering. After the weight is cast and secure on the bottom, attach your lure/bait and leader to a swivel and McMahon clip. Attach the clip to your line and let the business end of your rigs slide down the line to the mainline stop above the weight (swivel). This technique is best used with monofilament.
Fishing From The Bank: ?Drifting?
Drift fishing in rivers and streams from the bank is nearly always based upon this basic set up. Lures and baits used in this way are many and varied. Light unweighted spinners, roe, shrimp, prawns, drift bobbers, and small plugs work well fished in this way. The basic technique is to weight the outfit so that it barely skips over the bottom. With too much weight you will drag hard a great deal of gear will be lost. Vary your casts depending upon depth and speed of the river. The greater the casting angle above your position, the deeper your rig will go. If I choose to switch to a weighted spoon or spinner, with this rig you can just unclip the weight and remove the leader and attach the lure to the swivel.
Fishing From The Bank or Boat: Bobber Fishing
Bobber fishing has become an extremely versatile and productive way to fish rivers. As with any new technique, my first exposure to bobber fishing in rivers kind of set sideways in my mind as it was attached to childhood memories of wonderful summer times on a small lake catching panfish. It is difficult for anglers to change their approaches at times because diligence is a vital attribute of successful anglers. So when it is time to completely change your approach, it surely can be a hard call. Bobber fishing in rivers has become a favorite technique and many use it exclusively. It is typically used in small to medium sized rivers and river mouths. There are two basic ways to fish bobbers in rivers, one is a slip bobber system, and the other is a fixed bobber system. When fishing deep water, I like the slip system as you can go deep and still land your fish. I have successfully caught fish at depths of over 50 feet with a slip bobber.
