Hey desert,

What a great post, have wanted to ask the same question of those on the board more knowledgeable than myself. Although I have been very succesful on steelies have only been fishing springers for one year. Since you and I live in the same neck of the woods it may be that we are talking about the same river. I find here that altho there are some "sweet spots" it definitely pays to explore. Last year we caught one springer on a plug, four others on eggs in about 15 trips out. I have noticed that alot of mainstem (Columbia R.) fisherman focus on using plugs but it seems that once they get "in-river" they are looking more for bait. Last year we had virtually no snowpack which meant the water temps rose quickly and thus fish were put off by late morning. I am hoping that the cooler water temps this year will extend the bite later into the morn a bit. Realize also that unlike summer steelhead, these fish move rapidly through the system (I did a 4 yr telemetry study on the Umatilla River in 92-96). This study found that spring chinook on the Umatilla River moved an average of about 5 miles a day, so don't feel bad about waiting for them to "come to you". Watch the fish counts if they are available, then find a narrow spot in the river where you know they must come by, it's just a matter of time. Hope I said something that helps. Thanks!!

RM