I closed out my 2001 Lower Columbia springer season in good fashion on Sat. with three fish, 2 released and one 24 lb. hatchery in the can. I'd heard for years that to have a successfull day springer fishing, one fish was considered a blessing. Well, hey nothing to this deal. If I can have multiple fish days these are the easiest critters to ever bite a hook!
Seriously though, I'd never fished the Columbia for any type of salmon and fortunately was able to fish it for 11 days (even helped RT flatten a couple of tires on the way to Cath. one AM). I'm not a big fan of tight quarters when fishing (avoided the Nisqually green can deal after one trip) and got a crash course in hoglines and sardine pack trolling lanes. I was amazed at how smooth both operations worked when 99% of the people worked together. After a few trips it was almost a social event, seeing the same boats and faces (must have been alot of strange maladies showing up this spring...sick days at a premium now!!!!!). I'm sure I trolled past or anchored up around more than a few board members. Just have good things to say about this fishery and hope the runs are strong enough in future years to warrant more fisheries like the one we had on the L.C.
Next year I'm gonna figure out how to catch one of these buggers on my 9 wt. Loomis. I'm thinking about spooling my large arbor Redington with mono, tying on a magnum Tullis wiggle-bug and running it just off the bottom using my downrigger and 30 ft of line when anchored up...should work like a kwikfish. I'll have to pilfer some of RT's secret stink juice to soak the wiggle bugs in. Anyhow, could be a hoot with a springer on the end.

Ahhh .. cheating with the bug rod

Lots of fun!! We do it in Alaska for both kings and silvers, but we just use an ounce of lead and backbounce 'em in a couple of feet of water ...

got a fast connection? You can download a video clip from a film shoot with Fisherman's Heaven TV show of us doing it for silvers on the Kasilof:

Fisherman's Heaven Video

C&D: If you want to try your fly rod, use a sinking line, or sink tip and a mag wart. Hold on. You do not have to respool with mono. Just tie on a 10-20' mono leader to end of fly line. This also works great for sh.
If you don't think you are geting deep enough use a couple of the rubber core twist leads.


Want more info, let me know.

The Giz..

[ 05-01-2001: Message edited by: The Reel Gizmo Man ]

Great vid Bob (man, I love high speed access). That got me pumped to get back up there.

Nothing quite like salmon on a fly.