NW Outdoor Explorer

I am sure many are relieved to put 2020 behind them and look forward to 2021 and beyond. From the pandemic to all the inconsistent rules and guidelines about masking and social distancing. The most outrageous of all the restrictions was the fishing closure. How much more social distant can you be when fishing by yourself? Really??

Enough of all that, springer fishing is upon us and it has been a tough season so far. I have not been seeing many posts on social media of multiple fish, let alone single fish days. I have asked the fish checker each day, “How many today?” and the reply was often 1 out of 13 or 0 out of 20. Some people have managed to find them for sure, but the majority have been struggling. It seems the run is just a little later each year and this year feels no different.

This week, it started to turn around for us on the Aquaholic. We targeted a new spot and seemed to have pretty good luck each day. Maybe not one in the box each day, but we did see action. Sunday was an extreme weather day. High winds and downpours. We were all sitting in the cabin keeping warm by the heater and after some time, my rod buries a couple of times. I get to the rod and reel in to find a stripped hook. The fish got lucky that day. Unfortunately, it was a one takedown day. Got out again Tuesday and the weather was much improved, but it was still a one takedown day with nothing in the box. Wednesday was a slightly different story. Same location, another one takedown day, but this time, we landed the sucker. First springer of the year! It was not a trophy, but it was a fish in the box. Hit it again Thursday in the same location. Today’s hookup almost got to the boat. It breached the water, shook its head and it was gone. Total bummer. We did not get out again till Saturday. Same location again, same one hookup day, but this time, we got our second springer to the boat. Unfortunately, it was a native and we released it.

Sunday was a whole new story. It was the last day the Columbia would be open for springer’s and Easter Sunday as well. We got to the ramp just after 6 am and it was almost completely empty. There were only 4 trailers in the lot. People were either sleeping in, taking the day off for Easter or thought the Columbia was closed. Either way, it was a nice surprise to launch without any congestion. We got to our spot in short time and had our rods in the water by 6:30 am. The wind was blowing pretty good and I decided to troll with the wind opposite of all the other boats instead of fighting it. About 35 minutes into our troll, my buddy’s rod buckles over. He grabbed the rod and the fight was on. The fish made a couple good runs, but could not avoid the net. It was a pretty good size fish. Definitely bigger than the previous two I caught earlier in the week.

Ok, one in the box, now I need to get mine. We finished our first pass and decided to turn the other direction for our second pass. The wind started to die down a bit. It was probably about 45 minutes into our second pass and my rod buckles over. I grabbed the rod and started to reel. I got nervous at first. It was reeling in too easy and I did not feel a fish. It turns out, he was just running to the boat. I started to feel the shakes again. It got close to the boat where we could see it before it made its run. It was a nice one. My heart started pounding about now thinking I had better not lose this one. It dove straight to the bottom then ran out about 75 feet. Thank goodness there were no sealions around. I managed to get it back to the boat and it decided to take a run under the boat. I quickly stuck my rod in the water to not let the line scrape the bottom. I got it from under the boat and my buddy quickly scooped it up. That makes two in the box and we were done for the day. Not even two hours, it felt really weird. We had not even started snacking yet. My buddy had not finished his coffee and I was only on my first beer. We were in unknown territory. The feeling was incredible.

Our first fish was a very nice fish, but when you get them side by side, I felt grateful. The second fish measured out to about 34″ and weighed in at just over 17 lbs.

In the midst of this COVID-19 stay at home order, we all just have to get out now and then.

After Washington closed all recreational fishing, Oregon quickly followed suit and closed the Columbia for all salmon and steelhead fishing. They allowed fishing on the Columbia for all other species which tells me this closure has absolutely nothing to do with the pandemic crisis and more about bad fish management. I will leave it at that for a discussion another day.

Anyway, back to my post…..I thought I had read that Oregon also closed the state to all recreational fishing like Washington. I had not seen any posts of anyone fishing. I basically wrote off springer fishing for 2020. After some time, I did start to see a single post here and there of people catching springers. At first, I assumed this was just people posting of fish caught in past years. I finally got curious enough and talked to someone that was apparently in the know more than me and they said they have been fishing the past few days and caught one the day prior. Holy Cow!!!! I have been missing out on some quality water time!

The very next day, my wife and I headed out. I saw a post from one of the many guides I follow showing a fish they just caught in the location I was planning to target. I was having a good feeling. Got out and had our lines in the water about 2 hours before the low tide. 10 minutes into the first pass, the rod goes down. It had been so long since I caught my last salmon and dragging the bottom the way we do, I first thought I was snagged. I grabbed the rod out of the holder and immediately felt the head shakes. Adrenaline started to pump and the fight was on. The only thing going through my mind at this point was “DO NOT LOSE THIS FISH.” 🙂 After a couple of runs, the fish finally got tired enough to bring it to the net. With my wife’s excellent netting skills, we got it in the boat. F@#K YEAH!!!! The first springer of 2020. It is by far the latest first fish of the season for many years, but I will take it.

We had a couple other drive bye’s, but nothing stuck. They were just ripping the bait and not coming back for seconds. After the tide change, we did not get another bite or saw any action on any other boat.

The stars and moon were in alignment. The tide was just right. No wind, not even a ripple on the water. We launched and had lines in the water just before sunrise. There was a light fog hovering just over the water. The water temp was a cool 46.4 degrees. The air temp was about freezing. Everything suggested we were going to catch a springer today. Something was missing though, the springers. 🙂

It turned out to be an awesome day on the water, less the catching fish part. After the sun came up, it started to warm up pretty fast. We made a few runs here and there before we decided this boat shakedown was long enough. We called it before noon. I did discover I have a couple repairs to do after the long winter. My wash down pump was not working and my dock lights would not illuminate. Hopefully just a little corrosion to clean up and we will be back to full functionality.

As excited as I am, it is a little early for springers. I believe our earliest was March 4th. We will continue the hunt and keep you informed.

After the Fall salmon season has ended, if you are like me, you start thinking about the next years springer season. Yes, there is plenty of Winter steelhead fishing to be done, but I am a big salmon junkie.

It is that time of year now and I am itching to get out there. Typically, I am out mid February hoping for that lucky first springer. Unfortunately, that ship has sailed. I have been seeing a couple of posts of springer’s this season already.

As a newish resident of Washington, I finally got my boat registered and am ready to hit the water. This week, I have an opportunity to “work” from my floating office. I want to make each trip count and be a little more efficient than I have been in the past, especially with the even lower than normal forecasts. Looking at the weather, tides and Solunar forecast, later in the week is looking much better than sooner.

Today, the wind is moderate, the gusts look to be high at times and the fish forecast is showing fish possible, but not an abundance.

Now, Friday is looking to be like the day for me if I were looking for the most efficient day of the week. The wind is light, the gusts are minimal and the Solunar forecast is looking much better.

I guess I will continue prepping gear till Friday and hope to update you on the results with great success.

It is finally time to come out of hibernation!

Life got in the way of much of my Winter Steelhead fishing this year.  The itch needs to be scratched.

ODFW/WDFW announced the Spring salmon season for the Columbia River which started yesterday March 1st and is set to run through April 7th.

There have been a few reports of a couple fish being caught in the system already.  The excitement is building.  My 1st mate and I decided to do a shakedown run with the boat and hope to luck onto an early Chinook ourselves.

My gear is relatively modest.  I run Okuma 9′ 6″ SST Salmon rods with Shimano Tekota 500LC reels on my boat.  I line my reels with 65# Tuf-Line braid.  This year at the Sportsman show, I came across these 200# mono bumper leaders I thought I would give a try connecting my flashers to the main line.  They come in different lengths.  I went with the 24″ and 30″ bumpers.  On one side of the boat, we used the typical Shortbus flasher and cut plug herring.  On the other side of the boat, we rigged the Shortbus 360 flasher and a Superbait stuffed with tuna and some sauce.

With Ridgefield, WA now as my new home port, we picked up our annual pass and launched at the Ridgefield boat ramp.  We headed out to the Columbia where the water temp was a chilly 40.2 degrees.  The weather was mid 40’s and overcast with occasional rain squalls.  The first of the Spring Chinook tend to head up the Willamette River via the Multnomah Channel so that is where we started. We trolled the incoming through the high tide.   We had one rod get a quick hit, but it was no surprise that we ended the day with no blood on the deck.  It is still early.  🙂