The Columbia River –
2011
The 2011 Columbia River Season is shaping up to be a good one. The preseason predictions are coming in and it looks to be as great as last year, if not better! While exact seasons have not been set as of this report, most stock status reports are in and look good.
Sturgeon - Columbia and Willamette River Fishing will be good again this year. The changing areas and some techniques will be the key to catching these magnificent fish. In February and March the areas to target will be the Columbia River above Bonneville Dam and the Willamette River near Portland. In April, May and June see the Columbia River pick up below Bonneville Dam. These fish will key on the smelt and shad runs. It is in June, July and August when things really heat up for Sturgeon. This is typically light gear in Astoria or oversize behemoths in the Columbia River Gorge. July is far and away the best sturgeon fishing of the year in Astoria. Next you will find that September, October and November brings us back up to the Columbia River Gorge for great Keeper and Oversize Sturgeon.
Spring Chinook – These hard fighting fish are considered the finest eating Salmon anywhere. March, April and May are prime time for these fish. Bonneville Dam is slated for a run of over 200,000 fish. The Willamette River will again get a whopping 100,000 fish. After the great season we experienced last year, we are looking forward to great fishing.
The Columbia River above Bonneville Dam in May will be good. Hot spots like Drano Lake and below the John Day Dam will be good once again.
The huge run in the Willamette will produce fish in April, May and well into June.
Summer Chinook & Steelhead - These Chinook are oversized springers and are called “June Hawgs”. They are bigger, stronger, and eat just as good. 91,000 Summer Chinook are predicted over Bonneville Dam. This is one of the best runs in 25 years. The Summer Steelhead will peak this time of the year. It’s not uncommon to get over half a million. June and July are the prime months for these fish with fishing below Bonneville Dam.
Fall Chinook and Silver Salmon – These are the largest of all of the Chinook species. Fish over 40 pounds are not uncommon. You couple these with good Coho fishing and you have a recipe for great fishing. In August and thru September is Buoy 10 and Astoria fishing at the mouth of the Columbia River.
We are blessed this year with the great tide series during the month of August. This will be some of the best we have seen in years. Catching should be good from the 1st of August right thru Labor Day. We will follow these fish up river to the mouth of the Cowlitz and Bonneville Dam in September and October.
Don’t forget that added to all of this are niche fisheries like Tillamook Bay, The mouth of the Klickitat and the John Day River. We should be busy all year long.