The Columbia River
provides some of the best fishing in Oregon for Coho, Chinook salmon and
steelhead. The Columbia River provides excellent fishing
for white sturgeon averaging 30 to 80 pounds each, with oversize
fish weighing as much as 400 pounds or more.
Don't forget,
the scenic beauty and ruggedness of the Columbia River Gorge
and the wide open coastal expanse of Columbia River Estuary
near Astoria. This is also a special part of our trips. So
be sure to bring along your camera for some fantastic shots.
The Columbia River Gorge is a spectacular river canyon
cutting the only sea-level route through the Cascade
Mountain Range. It's 80 miles long and up to 4,000 feet deep
with the north canyon walls in Washington State and the
south canyon walls in Oregon State.
Columbia River Gorge.
Chinook Salmon
Of
the five species of Pacific salmon, the Chinook
and Coho are the most important to anglers. The two are
often found in the same waters and pursued in much the same
way, but the Chinook is the larger of the two and highly
prized among anglers. The Columbia River and Willamette
River in Portland are prime areas to target Chinook salmon.
When hooked, Chinook like to slug it out, while Coho's are
acrobatic and quick.
Chinook are also known as the king salmon or spring
salmon, sometimes misspelled as samon. Chinook salmon are
powerful swimmers that migrate hundreds of miles up
northwest rivers to their spawning grounds, and they can
grow huge. The rod-and-reel world record was taken in
Alaska's Kenai River in 1985 and weighed 97 pounds, 4
ounces. Most fish caught by northwest anglers, however,
range from 15 to 40 pounds. At the end of a fishing line,
Chinooks are absolute brutes - hard-running, stubborn
fighters that will give you all the challenge you can
handle, and sometimes more.
In March,
the Spring Chinook move in to the Columbia
and Willamette rivers and are the most desired of all the
fish because of their excellent taste and high levels of
Omega 3 oils. Average fish weigh 15-20 pounds woith
some in the 30's. Then in August the Upriver Brights
make their way upriver, they are hard fighting and a joy to
catch. By mid to late September, Fall Chinook are present.
The largest of the salmon species, the Fall Chinook, will
certainly get your heart pounding. Coho Salmon enter our
rivers in September, a great fish to eat and catch.
We will
use a variety of techniques depending on water conditions
time of year and the river fished. Some of the techniques
include; back-bouncing bait, hovering, bobber-bait, drift
fishing, pulling plugs and lures and back trolling plugs or
bait. Salmon trips
White Sturgeon
Sturgeon are always on tap
for Catch & Release on the Lower Columbia River. But Oregon
sets seasons for retention of these special prehistoric game
fish. Common Names: Pacific sturgeon, Oregon sturgeon,
Columbia sturgeon, and Sacramento sturgeon. Sometimes
misspelled as sturgen.
White sturgeon
are the largest freshwater fish in North America and can weigh over
1,500 pounds, be 20 feet in length, and live for over 100 years.
Anadromous white sturgeon most commonly move into large rivers
like the Columbia River in early spring, and spawn May through June.
White sturgeon are tough
fighters -- so make sure you are ready to do battle. Many days we will
catch and release over 25 fish. If your lucky enough to be here on a
retention date you will quickly become a coinsure of the best eating
fish there is. If you like Halibut its a sure thing you'll love
Sturgeon.
A significant economic
and cultural resource throughout the Northwest, white sturgeon recently
became a popular target fishery with major commercial landings in the
Columbia River. In fact, Columbia River sturgeon production, with its
valuable roe for caviar, is second only to the former Soviet Union's
production.
The Columbia River Gorge is also
the site of an intense sport fishery, as is the San Joaquin
Delta in California and the Willapa Bay in Washington where
guided fishing trips are popular. The white sturgeon is also
an important fish for Native American fishermen on the
Columbia and Klamath rivers.
Sturgeon trips
Catching Fish Today!
