May Willamette Springers Dont' Bite?

[BrionLutz]

The count shows close to 1,500 Spring Chinook cruising up the Willamette each day.

A few folks fishing for them...even fewer catching them.

Some folks I talked to said after it starts to get warm, water getting near 60 degrees, the Spring Chinook don't bite in the lower Willamette.

Now BC Angling said to switch to spinners but thought there'd still be a bite.

So...what's the scoop?

[zueth]

They are still bitting, their is jsut not the same number of fish passign through at this time of the run.

I would try using a prawn spinner or jsut a spinner.

Good Luck.

Z

[pearl]

A few random thoughts...... :shrug:

I too have been pounding the river pretty hard and not having the kind of May that I have had the last few years. Fished tonight and pulled a double rig with a spinner on bottom and a wobbler up top. Water was 56 degree. Marked numerous fish at 15 to 23ft but couldn't trigger a bite. I have the positive vibes going and know there are still alot of fish in the river and a bite could break loose at any time, but when? Next time out I'm going to lighten up the leader and pick up the pace of the troll. Can't hurt. I did watch one boat last Saturday get 3. They were running 12oz lead and fishing whole herring. Super fast troll working the river east to west.

I have ten days of fishing left before I'm off on a trip to Alaska and 1 or 2 more springers would be great.

Even went as far as to help a jet skier out that was broke down out on the river tonight. Now thats going the extra mile to get a little karma. Not that I mind helping someone, but a jet skier?

Somebody give us a positive report!!!!

[Nanook]

I saw four bite and die yesterday in the MC, right near me. I got one of them, so they bite.

Red beads, gold spinner, red prawn. Quickfish still too. Talon's is still catching them on herring, so they bite. He got two, missed a couple others.

Start downsizing your stuff as the water clears and warms too. Fish deeper and cooler water, with current. I was on the anchor, since I should be prez of the most lazy way to fish club.

Just my choice. Not within miles and miles of OC though. I hear GRB does sniper duty on anchor fishermen. :wink:

[ 05-19-2003, 07:55 PM: Message edited by: ****** ]

[Fish Hawk Adventures]

Brion, THe fish are still biting for me in the Channel on herring. We landed 3 for 4 today all were keepers with a nice 26 pounder. Funny though all five of my fish in the last 2 days have net marks in them. I will post a picture soon of the marks.
Joe

[Snapshot]

Talons, gave it a shot on Saturday per your directions and only say one fish netted. It went to a boat on anchor with a very, very noisy dog. HE made it sound like someone had broken into the home at midnight. Perhaps you know the boat and DOG. I appreciate the tips and will not give up on them just yet.

*Fish only bite wet hooks*

[Mrdorkfish]

I'm thunk'n if you think back.. :sleep: This happens every year during springer season...Some use the excuse the water is too cold :hoboy: ...some say too warm... graemlins/eek13.gif Maybe having thousands of shad freak'n out the salmon has something to do with it?? :whazzup: Just a thought :tongue:

MrDorkfish graemlins/dork.gif

Louis

[BrionLutz]

******, Talons and Pearl,

Thanks for the tips and confirming they are still biting. That does a lot to keep me flogging the water.

The "Red beads, gold spinner, red prawn" is exactly what BC Angling had me using.

Good to know the herring are still working in case of emergency <grin>.

Deeper and cooler with smaller rigs.

I'll give it a go.

Thanks again.

Brion

[garyk]

Hey Brion, just to keep it complicated...

it was this time last year, and about the same conditions when we picked up fish on the evening bite by fishing small whole anchovies and herring fished relatively shallow - like maybe 6' to 10' down. We used like 3oz of lead and small Fishflash and got 'em going both upstream and down.

This year we're having enough action bouncing bottom in water 17' to 21' deep that we've not resorted to shallow running rigs - but you never know.

[Gun Rod Bow]

Hey ******,

I'd like to go on record saying that I have never actually shot at (and hit) an anchor fisherman. And, any paint I may have scraped off has been more than offset by the amount of gear I have left stuck in anchor ropes while "precision backtrolling".

:grin: GRB

[BrionLutz]

Garyk,

....we picked up fish on the evening bite by fishing small whole anchovies and herring fished relatively shallow - like maybe 6' to 10' down. We used like 3oz of lead and small Fishflash and got 'em going both upstream and down.<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Oh great...oppposites...now I need two boats and 14 day weeks...thanks &lt;grin&gt;.

Holler if that starts working this year also.

Interesting that the late Springer bite seems to be mostly in the Multnomah Channel vs. the main river. You'd think the Willamette, above head of MC where the fish entering via the Willamette mouth and those entering via the MC would converge, would be a spot where fish get concentrated.

Brion

[ 05-20-2003, 07:54 AM: Message edited by: BrionLutz ]

[Hogmaster]

I'd like to go on record saying that I have never actually shot at (and hit) an anchor fisherman. <font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Hey GRB, does that dual use impeller/squirt gun count? :grin: :grin: :grin:

[Flatfish]

Snapshot,

just for the record Mark and the dog fished Sunday not Saturday. Although he does get kinda excited when there is a fish flopping around at boatside. :blush:

Mark and the mildly excitable dog.

[Hogmaster]

Saw that reference. The slow boat little motor powered boat got a springer!!!??? Does that constitue first blood? And all that talk about you never catching a salmon... :wink:

Maxine remains in stealth mode when we have fish on. That way she can eat the bait while we are distracted!

:cheers:

[Nanook]

Newly installed GRB and Hogmaster device. :tongue:

http://www.soldavini.com/images/emailimages3/radar.gif

[Space]

I don't enjoy fishing for Springers after the first week in May. I might be found in the Clack till the end of May but, for the most part this is transition time for me. I switch over to Shad which I use on the big gators in Camas or the Fishery. Then I'll use this years smelt and fresh pumped shrimp to hook up the keeper gators in Astoria. I depend on these three fisheries to keep me going until I hit the big blue. Then it's double trouble day's with Nook in the morning and gators in the afternoon. My glass in never half empty. With all these options to slay fish it's always over flowing with fun....

SPACE

[BrionLutz]

******,

Fish deeper and cooler water, with current. <font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Forgot to ask...what would you call deeper water...20ft...30ft...fishing the bottom?

I was doing good in the deep water around Swan Island trolling about 15-18 feet down (the infamous "12 pulls") so would the fish be in the same water but down further (20-25 feet).

I don't see anyone fishing those spots but the fish have to be moving past there if the dam counts are correct.

Brion

[Flatfish]

First blood was in April. We are catching fish. But the boat can't get too far from the ramp. Sort of a shallow end of the pool thing.

Yer dog would quit eating the bait if you would quit fishing cut plug smelt! :tongue:

Mark and the really likes jumping Cohos right next to the boat dog.

[BrionLutz]

Space Fish,

I don't enjoy fishing for Springers after the first week in May. <font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Me either when I'm not catching any &lt;grin&gt;...but there are over 1,000 Chinook a day cruising up the Willamette through June 2nd (using last year's numbers).

That's a lot of fish. The peak Spring Chinook run on the Willamette is 2,600 so 1,000 a day is prety good number of fish.

I can see catching slowing down but it seems like it should be possible to pick one or two off by some method. Then again, I don't even see any guides trying for them other than Talon on the Multnomah Channel.

Brion

[Fish Hawk Adventures]

That is right Brion, I am all alone they have all switched to the Clack, or Tbay or Sturgeon. I however have not stopped getting fish. So I see no reason now to keep fishing. Today we had 5 chances by 10 am with 3 rods. My crew missed 4 and lost one at the boat after dropping the rod 3 times with about a 24 to 16 pound fish on the rod. We had 3 takes on shrimp and 2 on herring. The Shrimp was a green beeds and a green half and half. Tonight I was testing out my new lower unit and I saw a sea lion working the channel. We all know what that means. There is fish around.

Saturday was a bust and Friday afternoon was too but starting Sunday and each day it has got better. Most boats I talked to today had one or more fish by 10 am and there were only a dozen boats fishing. There were lots of big fish too 5 in the 25 pound range that I was told. I lost one that big too.

Last year we had a shot of high water this time in May and all the people quit fishing. Then when the water dropped into shape I had some of the best days of the year. I remember evenigs of 8 fish for 4 hours. It looks like the same thing is shapping up this year. The water has slowly been dropping down in height and the fish are biting better each day.

As far as water temp the best bites that I have had were in 53 to 55 degree water. I believe that it is still worth a few hours a day and you should have some sucess.

[BrionLutz]

Talons,

You are keeping me alive here &lt;grin&gt;.

Thanks for the encouragement of knowing someone is out there getting them.

I have some of the green bead, green spot prawn spinners with the freaky red prawns from BC Angling...did good on them on main Willamette.

I got some of the red bead ones and some gold spinner blades per ******'s advice.

Will you be productive fishing for Chinook up to June?

Brion

[GoFish]

My experience is to switch over to hardware and forget the bait after temps reach 52 degrees.