View Full Version : Columbia River tide
SafetyChain
08-02-2002, 06:47 AM
Being new to salmon fishing in the CR, what is the best time to fish? Incoming tide, outgoing or somewhere in between? I am speaking mostly upriver. I launch out of Chinnok Landing.
[ 08-02-2002, 07:50 AM: Message edited by: SafetyChain ]
Bait O' Eggs
08-02-2002, 07:01 AM
There is no best time to fish, it is all good,
The best time to catch is something completely different. :wink:
Hogmaster
08-02-2002, 07:06 AM
Safety -
As long as you know how and have an appropriate anchor, it is best upriver to fish the outgoing tides.
You can look at this or other sites to determine the tide at Astoria and then calculate the correction for the area you launch at.
Down at or below Astoria it is usually considered best (and safer) to fish the incoming tides, although many fish are caught around the bridge down there on the outgoing.
Tight lines!
:cheers:
SafetyChain
08-02-2002, 07:41 AM
Thanks. Here is a second question... graemlins/1zhelp.gif
Being from the mid-west, I never had to learn tide tables so let me know if this is correct. If the tide table says the tongue Point low is at 3am and high is at 9:10am, I have a differential of 5hours 30 minutes for Portland high and 7 hours 30 minutes for low, then my high would be at2:40pm for high and 10:30am for low. Right? :whazzup:
Hogmaster
08-02-2002, 07:57 AM
It can be confusing! I am always doing the mental gyrations. Lets see, is it the last high the night before or the morning low I am correcting for... Hmmm
Your calculations are suspect!
You might consider going to Fisherman's Marine - they sell tide books already corrected for most launch areas for about .50 cents and saves brain cells methinks!
[ 08-02-2002, 08:59 AM: Message edited by: Hogmaster ]
Hogmaster
08-02-2002, 08:01 AM
Oh, and also, you should use Washougal or at least Ellingsworth for your corrections if you are launching out of Chinook landing. It is quite a ways up from Portland...
husker
08-02-2002, 08:27 AM
use this link to find tides for the columbia...
http://www.fishingworks.com/tide_prediction_interval.cfm
its also on the front ifish page under cool tides just select thee area u your going to fish......no time adjustment needed
Lured In
08-02-2002, 09:12 AM
As far as "the bite" goes I have seen it take place at just about every stage of the tides. The key seems to be to be in the right place. :rolleyes: Seriously though, there is usually a bite that takes places where several to several dozen fish will get picked up in an hour. I have found no rhyme or reason to this bite, only that it takes place. You will also see that it takes place within a few boats in a hog line. That spot in the log line varies with the tides. More inside on the outgoing and more outside on the incoming tide
Generally I try to be a little deeper for the incoming as the current slows in the shallower areas and the salmon seem to run deeper where they still have decent current. Usually this is 25-30 feet. On the outgoing I usually try to shallow up as the current picks up in the slightly shallower water. say 20-25 feet.
This works well for me, but there are never any guarentees and there are days that it doesn't seem to follow any logic at all.
AngleThis
08-02-2002, 10:00 AM
I have found the the bite usually turns on during the bottom half of an outgoing tide. This is not always the case, but it is the rule of thumb I use. If you are looking at a coastal tidebook, the correction factor for the Portland area is about 5 hours for the high tide, 7.5 hrs for the low.
Hogmaster
08-02-2002, 01:01 PM
Hey Husker!
I checked the link out and it looks really cool. :smile:
But I think it is wrong!!!!! :depressed: :hoboy: :depressed:
Check out the tides for Ellsworth and Washougal - they aren't even close! Washougal definitely looks messed up to me on this. Maybe they think Washougal is somewhere else!? graemlins/stupid.gif
Whaddya think? graemlins/idea.gif
[ 08-02-2002, 02:12 PM: Message edited by: Hogmaster ]
If you want to carry your tide info with you on your Palm handheld check out my post in Salty Dogs. It displays the data in either tabular or graph form. I think it's quite amazing, OBTW, it's free.
tide tool 2.1 (http://www.ifish.net/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=21;t=000376)
avid
Hogmaster
08-02-2002, 02:07 PM
Cool! But is it accurate? graemlins/idea.gif
avid, no offense, but on your post you mention that installing it on windows looks like it is FGO - "For Geeks Only" graemlins/program.gif Hmmmm, what do most guys in a hogline think when they look over at you staring at your Palm? :grin:
Hey, just funnin' ya here! I gotta get brave enough to get mine on the boat now!
I just found it so I don't know what others will say, yet. I am thinking write the information down on something in the morning and leaving the palm in the RV. Otherwise, I am going to need a jumpsuit with lots of waterproof pockets. Lets see: Digital camera, handheld GPS, handheld VHF, cellphone, Palm.
As to accuracy, they say that it's accurate within a few minutes in the US. Haven't done the ground truthing.
As to FGO, well not many people have run a compiler or are used to geeky installation instructions. Better to warn people than to have them trash their machine.
avid
casteal
08-02-2002, 04:26 PM
What you do is add 1 hour to Elworth tide then ignore it. If anybody tells you any different, they have not spent 45 years on that part of the river like I have. Then if it does make any difference this year it will change next year.
Jim
husker
08-03-2002, 05:45 AM
hogmaster:
it works for my use.....maybe its off by an hour or so...but fairly close.....and i havent had any troubles
brshooter
08-03-2002, 06:17 AM
Hey Hogmaster,
I see what you mean. Ellsworth looks correct based upon other tide charts. Washougal is all wacked out.
I fish mostly on an incoming tide around buoy l0 and for a ways upriver. Things get too rough on an outgoing tide.
See Bill Monroe's Oregonian article Friday Aug. 2 (in Sports Section).
Ed C.
bigshark
08-03-2002, 12:51 PM
SafetyChain
I throw out a vote here for what it's worth.
If you are fishing Bouy 10. I fish only the incoming and I like to find a rip to stay by.
If I'm fishing back upstream by the bridge I think the beginning of high slack to say the first
90 min of outgoing is the most productive.