salmon fisher looking for walleye

[Terry H]

I have fished salmon etc.for almost 40 years
We've had one of the best ever this year.Hot **** ,we do love those salmon .
But , I live on the Multinomah Channel and Monday ran the boat down to Coon Is.
Now,I gotta tell you I;ve tried to catch walleye off and on [more off] for 8 or 9 years .Monday I finally caught 2 nice eaters [2 1/2--3lbs].Now,These toothy sob's don't fight much ,but they are fun to hunt and **** are they good eating.
Anybody out there have any tips on fishing the channel? I'm not looking to keep a bunch of fish ,just enjoy the hunt and have a nice fish for the table now and then.

[Tanner]

Terry,
Check out a book called Columbia River Walleye II by Ron Boggs. Excellent book, real easy to read. It made me a much more succesful Walleye Fisherman.

[Terry H]

Tanner --- thanks for the come back .
Was out today again this PM , couldn't loose a worm - lost a plug though . Gotta feed the river gods!!
I think I may have that book somewere , may have read it too , but could use a refresher thanks for reminding me about the book.
When I was out on Monday it was sunny warmer [75+] clear water temp 72 -lotsa bites two keepers .Today hi 60s water temp 70 overcast .
That may have put them down --- wadda ya think?

[ScottD]

Terry, I am still trying to learn walleye fishing myself. I haven't tried the channel yet. The best times to catch them are either at night or at dusk or dawn before the sun comes up. Fall is supposed to be the best time for crankbaits. Try Bomber Long A's and the Rogue type minnow baits. They need to dive down to the bottom.

[Tanner]

I am a firm believer that a change in barometric pressure can and will put the walleye off the bite.

ScottD,
As far as I am concerned the idea that walleye fishing is best at dawn, and dusk is just a myth. The majority of walleye I catch come in the middle of the day. The number one reason for this is I think of walleye fishing as a lazy man's fishery. I very rarely get up early for walleye fishin. If I can be on the river by 9 or 10 AM I am happy.

[brshooter]

How safe it is to eat those fish from the Multnomah Channel? I love to eat walleye and smallmouth bass, but I only eat fish from the Columbia above Washougal. How do others feel about this?

[Terry H]

brshooter-- I've lived on the Mult. channel for 9 years. We catch sturgeon , salmon, walleye[sometimes] and some others.
We don't care for catfish or other mud grubbers,but have eaten the sturgeon and salmon . Now we don;t eat it 5 days a week ,mabey once a week,and we never get sick or anything .Right now becuase of the low water in the river [it's been low for at least 15 mos. now]I think the water in the channel is mostly Columbia water that washes back to the channel mouth.
As for the normal water quality in the channel , in the last 2 years I've seen several channel cats caught here . I could be mistaken but I think they are only found in reasonably clean water images/icons/rolleyes.gif

[Kenia]

brshooter

As far as eating fish from the multnomah
channel, read the warnings in the fishing
reg's. I would not eat any bottom dwellers
in the channel.

Kenia