Just found out the wife's cousin is getting married Sept 8th in Tri-cities and was curious as to the fish possibilities at that time.I have a 16ft Jet and can do steelies,salmon or sturgeon or catfish I have fished Vernita quite a few times but it seems early for that.Any ideas <img border="0" alt="[wall]" title="" src="graemlins/wall.gif" />

I've never done it, but I know some guys who fish above the dam (Mcnary I think) at night trolling vortex's for steelhead. They do very well! I'd like to learn it, so if anyone has any other info it would be greatly appreciated!

Led Zepfin,

A couple of options here...... You can troll above McNary dam on either side of the columbia using wiggle warts (Janet Jackson) preferably in 14-20 feet of water. This plug will excite both upriver brights and steelies. If you are nocturnal, search this site for "Fear No Fish" post on using vortex plugs and flatfish. The other option is to shrimp and bobber fish the Snake from the bank at Charboneau Park above Ice Harbor Dam. Very productive. You can also troll above or below Ice Harbor dam for steelies using whatever tickles your fancy. Hope this helps.


Sambo

Sambo.Thanks for the info.I would prefer to take the boat and fish a few days and McNary sounds cool.Do those URB's really go for wiggle warts How about mag warts Janet Jackson....letsee Black and

Don't forget,

Those monster Columbia rivr walleye!

Ken

Don't waste you daylight time at McNary....unless you really enjoy trolling around for hours in the hot sun with not so much as take down. If you do, try trolling a Hot-N-Tot, as you'll probably get a pike minnow or two. That will be your only action.

You'd be much better off fishing at night at McNary. Use the lighted Kwikies or Vortexes and catch a ton of fish. Track down Fear No Fish, as he's the McNary Night Fishing Guru.

Or, try some herring up at the reactor hole below Vernita. Won't be many fish, but the ones you will catch will be chrome bright and big. They will be there in early September.

Oh, and troll Mag Warts, not Wiggle Warts. Colors/brightness should depend on cloud cover and time when fishing.

Hey Led,
Let me know when you get to town. Depending on the water temp, those fish should start turning on. Last year at that time I was starting to hit them.

Led Zepfin,

Trolling a JAnet Jackson (Orange with silver glitter) in a wiggle wart produced 7 nice kings for me last year above McNary. My buddy told me to try this and it worked. May be luck, coincidence, whatever, but it worked for me last fall. You can try magum warts, flatfsih, or whatever turns you on. This is what I used and caught kinks and several steelies on it. You might want to hook up with Fear no Fish. He is the masteer of night fishing and probably catcvhes more fish in a week than I catch in a season, but he is nocturnal. Best of luck to you.


Sambo

Sambo,
That plug is what we call a Reba. It is actually flourescent red with silver sparkles. It is my favorite color on the Wind River. I have one that got 21 Springers. Did you catch those Kings where it goes from 20 to 47 feet after the H buoy on the Oregon side? The G buoy is right on the corner in 18 feet of water.
I really love that place!

You McNary familiars should be ashamed of yourselves!
Not ONE of you mentioned to this fella the AWESOME big sturgeon fishing below the dam???

I guided in that area for 6 years and that is probably THE best place to catch several fish a day in the 8-12 ft. range if you know "the slot".... That is where I would be if I had a couple days to fish that area in early Sept..... Salmon is really hit and miss until early Oct, and the Steelhead were also pretty scarce until late Oct. and early November (Remember salmonids do NOT like 72 degree water much).

Just my .00000001 cents worth!

MC

Okay Fear No Fish I will let you know.But now Parker got my pulse up.I have fished Vernita enough to know why I have to come back again and again,and oh if those toads were chrome