Weekend trip - Mouth of Columbia

[Killertraylor]

I've never tried fishing for Springers at the mouth of the Columbia, but with this years big run, thought I'd give it a try. I'd heard a decent local report of some fish being cought about 10 miles upriver from the Astoria-Megler bridge near Pilot Rock. I put in a the east mooring basin in Astoria and in about 25 minutes (river was pretty rough) I reached the spot. There were 2 other boats there (Saturday afternoon about 2:30 p.m.) and the tide was just starting to ebb. We put out 3 K-14 kwikfish with Sardine butter. It was very difficult to anchor fish because the wind was blowing hard out of the west, but the kwikfish did their job. In two hours we hooked and landed two fish - one approx. 20 lb Chinook with an adipose fin and a wild steelhead. The chinook put up a great fight and was released unharmed for his effort - as was the steelhead. The friend that I stayed with at the coast had cought a springer the day before that we were still eating on or I might not have been so nice to Mr. Chinook. I think in another week or two this will be a red-hot fishery at the mouth. I understand there were about 15 boats in this spot at daylight on Saturday. I fished Baker Bay on Sunday for sturgeon with fresh smelt. Only one bite that quit before I could get out of my warm cabin and out to the rod. Only fished for about 2 hours - cold, rainy, windy and no sturgeon to be found. It's early yet.