The turbidity today 7.25 went, now back on the upscale. This water fuctuation has an effect on the bite. The spill is coming soon.

Starting to turn smokin hot in some parts of the river, We had a great weekend and seen many caught around Longview. Go get them while you can......

Fishing is getting better!!! we got 4 yesterday and missed 2, all on naked cut plug in the portland area.

Fished down low on the pick all day Saturday, resulting in 10 rod downs and fresh springer for dinner.

Nets too close to their impact cap.... within 1500 fish.

Compact considered giving them an opener tomorrow with 9-fish bag.

In the end, they decided NOT to fish.

Wed could be smokin' hot.

HMMMMMMMMMMMMM, Wednesday I'll be there. Might as well fish till closing on the 22nd too! WaaHoo,

fp

That's only if it doesn't close too early. Good thing no one is fishing tomorrow.

So far sports are about 3800 fish into a 9400 allocation thru this past weekend. A LOT of fish died today.

Pick your poison. They are in everywhere! Portland down! Just back from 3 days fishing out of St Helens. Hooked up 18 landing only 6. Mix of troll and anchor. Other friends fished down river and saw and hooked many. From the numbers I heard, it will close and IMO not reopen for a while.

so it is open through the weekend unless the quota is met?

Compact meeting on Thur trumps anything currently on the table.

I'd say fishing thru Friday is safe.

Fishing thru the weekend could be up in the air if all you guys fishing the next 3 days catch too many.

Cool, thanks. not working Thursday or friday due to a minoe medical procedure involving my balls..... hoping I might be able to get out friday....

http://www.columbian.com/news/2012/apr/19/columbia-spring-chinook-fishing-hot-closed-beginni/


Columbia spring chinook fishing hot, closed beginning on Monday

By Allen Thomas
Columbian Sports Reporter

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Anglers will have caught almost 10,000 spring chinook salmon this week alone through Sunday prompting Washington and Oregon to close the lower Columbia River beginning on Monday.

State officials agreed Thursday that fishing will close, as scheduled, after Sunday. The sport fleet will have taken a projected 88 percent of its early-season allocation, largely in the final-week blitz.

Biologist John North of the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife said the catch rate on Wednesday exceeded a chinook per boat.

"It certainly has turned on significantly in the last week,'' said Steve Williams, an assistant administrator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife.

A big run of 314,200 spring chinook headed for upstream of Bonneville Dam is forecast to enter the Columbia River. Yet only 1,079 adult spring chinook have been counted at Bonneville Dam through Wednesday.

The commercials have taken 4,366 upper Columbia spring chinook in their two fishing periods and the sportsmen will have killed a projected 11,129 through Sunday.

Bruce Jim, representing the four Columbia River treaty tribes, who fish upstream of Bonneville Dam, said the tribes have caught about 25 salmon.

"This is really one-sided,'' Jim said. "It's really frustrating.''

North said sport catches are good through the lower Columbia. The states are anticipating there will be 2,000 boats a day on the river on Saturday and Sunday, but said it could swell to 3,000 per day.

Jim Wells of Astoria, a commercial fisherman, said he is hearing reports of "phenomenal fishing'' on the river from gillnetters who also sport fish.

Wells asked the states to consider an additional commercial fishing period. The commercials are at 74 percent of their early-season allocation.

Most sportsmen testifying at Thursday's joint state hearing agreed it is time to stop fishing next week to avoid exceeding allocation agreements.

"It's time to take a breather and see where the run is going to end up,'' said Larry Swanson of Vancouver, a member of the bi-state Columbia River Recreational Adviser Group.

Guy Norman, regional director of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, said he is encouraged by the hot catches and is optimistic counts at Bonneville Dam will build soon.

Williams said he would have preferred a spring chinook season in the lower Columbia that had steadier catches over a longer period, compared to a derby in the final week.

Washington and Oregon officials will meet again at 2 p.m. April 30 to review the sport fishing upstream of Bonneville Dam. That season is schedule to be closed beginning May 3.

Chinook fishing will remain open Oregon's Willamette River, plus in the Cowlitz, Kalama, Lewis, Wind and Klickitat rivers of Southwest Washington, along with Drano Lake.

****************

Fish on...

Todd

Boo.Good luck,
SZ

Smoke 'em while ya got 'em.

Fish on...

Todd

Enjoying the fruits of the extended season tonight. NOTHING beats fresh springer belly.... esp the slab containing the ventral fin.

MUCHAS GRACIAS to f4b for sharing the bounty. I REALLY appreciate it!

I'm with you Doc! Thats the best eats right there, and what I look forward to every year.

Round two tonight... resting on the plate for a minute before the feast. Servin' it with steamed rose rice drizzled with minced fresh parsley/garlic browned butter. Time to eat!

I hear you! I'm from Portland originally and grew up there in the 50's and 60's fishing for springers and still have friends there. I was going to go down and fish the Willy this last week. But my buddy told me that it was clouding up again with the rain and to come down next week. Sure enuff, even with the rain this week the Willy cleared and I hear it was pretty good this week.

Oh well, I will head down there on Mon or Tues.

The C gets all the attention from out of staters, but I've fished the Willy every year for years and always get fish. The run keeps getting later and we commonly get pretty good fishing even in June.

The Willy even has a turbidity index on line, never seen this another river. Anything below a 7-8 is good.

http://or.water.usgs.gov/will_morrison/monitors/will_morrison_tbdy_14.html