One unique way to fish for spring chinook is to us a boat to deploy plunking gear and fish from shore .
ski boats . The deep water shipping lanes are right next to the best fishing areas and you better make sure to get out of the big vessels way . The warning sound of a foghorn is an embarrassing badge of dishonor at the port .
The fishing grounds are straightforward and relatively simple . Once you launch your boat , cross the main channel and find a long sand flat at the edge of the center island , aptly named Sandy Island . Trolling is the main way to target salmon here ; the techniques are no different than the highly popular area near the Interstate 5 Bridge near Portland . Or downstream near Astoria or near St . Helens .
A stout rod from 9- to 12-feet long , a quality level wind reel spooled with 50 to 65 pound braid is a must . A sliding dropper about 6 inches long to the weight up to 16 ounces is often needed if you plan on fishing the entire outgoing tide . Otherwise 8 to 12 ounces and even lighter during the flood will get the job done . Tie your leaders 48 inches long with a double hook mooching rig with needle sharp barbless hooks . You can fish straight herring as I described , or run a flasher which is popular . If the water is a murky , run a flasher with some red and if it ’ s clean go with a chartreuse-colored flasher . Give your herring a tight roll and drop it to the river bottom . Then begin a downstream troll hugging the bottom . Don ’ t be afraid to drag your lead at times .
Herring is the bait of choice . Make it green label . Springers prefer the 4- to 5-inch baits . Brining your herring and dying them various colors can help turn on a bite with blue or chartreuse being the most common . Another popular bait is a slow rolling prawn with a blade out front in various orange and green colorations .
Water temperature often plays a role in good fishing . If the river is in the middle 50s expect a better than average bite . When the river is in the 40s , the fish are more sluggish and difficult to catch . As the river temperature heats up in the low 60s , fishing success begins to drop considerably .
The fish are on the move in this part of the river , rarely staging at any one spot . The trolling is done downriver along the edge of Sandy Island . Once you near the bottom of the island , reel up the gear and start the big motor . As you motor back up to the top make sure to stay out of the shipping lanes as the big ships are going faster than you might think and can overtake you quickly . Stay away from the shorelines of the island as well since the shore bound anglers are plunking the sand bar .
Despite its location from the ocean , the Columbia is very much affected by the tides . In fact it will dictate how you fish . Ideally you ’ ll find trolling on a slack tide the best followed by the incoming tide . When the tide starts to ebb , you ’ ll have your
jason brooks photo best success anchoring and fishing a plug or wobbler on the outgoing tide . If you were to pick the most productive stage of the tide put your money on the slack . You ’ ll also find the first hour of daylight produces a lot fish , which explains why so many people launch in the dark .
The Kalama River itself is a bit player in this fishery . The river itself is predicted to receive of a 2,200 spring chinook this year ( last year 1,215 returned ). The majority of salmon caught are in the mainstem Columbia and they are headed to rivers upriver . The Cowlitz , Willamette and its tributaries , the Sandy , Wind , Drano Lake and rivers deeper into the Columbia ’ s system all get returns of springers . It is the collective whole that puts salmon fishermen in a frenzy March and April . Look for this year ’ s springer forecast to be around 143,000 fish to pass by the lower Columbia heading to their many tributaries . That ’ s not awful , and will should provide an opportunity to fish this spring but well below the 10-yeare average and even less than last year ’ s run of 146,206 .
The long sandy beaches are great places for a shoreline gathering . Plunkers use small boats to run their lines out to the deep waters , which is another reason to stay in 30- to 35- feet of water . You don ’ t want to drag your gear through their plunked lines as you might find your rod yanked out of the holder . Plunkers often use 65- to 80-pound braid and 25- to 30-pound leaders and heavy pyramid weights to keep the baits near the bottom . A set up will include things such as large Spin-N-Glo with a chunk of herring or a gob of eggs , a prawn , or even a bait-wrapped salmon plug ( K- 15 Kwikfish are popular ). With the use of a boat to motor out and drop the terminal gear casting isn ’ t a concern so some leaders will have two or three rigs . A long , 12-foot ( plus ) rod is needed for this reason . Once the gear is deployed , sit back and enjoy the scenery while watching the rod or listening for the ringing of the bell .
As the tide starts to turn towards the ocean those that would rather
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