For Newbies Fishing The Mouth Of The Lewis

Thumper · 06-23-2001, 07:00 PM

The mouth of the Lewis River is starting to kick out summer steelhead. This post is for those who are trying it for the first time or who have not been there often. These tips are from a guy who has been fishing there for 20 years or so.

Fishing right now is for summer steelhead with an occasional June hog chinook. You can keep the salmon if they are hooked within the deadline (white markers). If you hook the chinook inside the deadline you can play and land the fish outside the deadline (at least that's what they tell me).

About mid-August the fall chinook will arrive, but they are protected and must be released. There will probably be a bubble restriction to protect the Lewis river native fall chinook. You will have to release those fall chinook, but there should be enough steelhead and silvers to keep you happy. If you keep a chinook at that time about 10 of us old farts will report your boat numbers to the gamies. We really treasure our endangered native Lewis river fall chinook and will report you. There are gamies everywhere in plain clothes writing up violators, and every year they nail dozens of violators. Please release all fall chinook.

There are basically two ways to fish the Lewis River mouth. First is to troll the green water line, usually from high to low tide (use the tide tables for St. Helens, Oregon, or just add 3.5 hours to the Columbia River mouth tables). The second way is to hogline. Either way, fish the outgoing tide.

If you troll, rig up with a spreader, 3-4 ft to a spinner or a flatfish (red or red/orange, U20, X4 or X5), and 2 ft of dropper to 2-4 ounces of weight, depending on current. Your lure should be trolled nearly straight down from your boat. If you don't use weight (like you might if fishing the Wind River) you will not be very popular here as the trolling is in very close quarters. Hold your rod at all times as the depth varies from about 8 feet to more than 30 feet. Fish the bottom at all times.

If you prefer you can hogline. There will usually be a hogline inside the mouth (at the Columbia channel daymarkers). A second hogline may form if the green water line is far enough out. Do not drop your anchor if you will interfere with the trollers on the green line. Bad vibes. Very bad.

On the hogline use the same flatfish bare (no weight), fished about 50 feet out. Some folks use other plugs, and a few use spinners, but there is typically not enough current for spinners when hoglined.

This year the low water on the Columbia will make for very good fishing at the mouth of this river since the green cold Lewis River water will be pulled farther out into the Columbia. Summer steelies now, with silvers to start about Labor Day.

To get there put in at St. Helens (Ore), at Beebe's (Stewart's) moorage or at Ridgefield (both on the Washington side). There are other put-ins available too. Beebe's has RV spaces and camping area.

And don't forget to release our fall chinook!

whitewaterbill · 06-23-2001, 07:50 PM

Great post Thumper.... Same advice works well at Frenchman's Bar.

I'll be there at the mouth for some of that fun also.

Bill

rags · 06-27-2001, 09:56 AM

Thumper,
Do you want to get together in the next few weeks and hit the mouth in my boat? Let me know and I will give you a call.

John

Harvey Fish · 06-27-2001, 01:51 PM

And what exactly should we do if we catch one of these Lewis River fall chinook? Bonk it? [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

Thumper · 06-27-2001, 06:23 PM

Please release the fall chinook. They may or may not be North Fork fish, but we can't take a chance on losing this rare run of natives. Besides, it's the law.

orsturgeon · 06-27-2001, 07:55 PM

Thumper, sorry to burst your bubble. Pun intended. There are NO restrictions on keeping chinook in the Columbia River this year. Also the regs state that you can keep 6 adults (only 2 chinook) from Sep. 1 - Dec. 31 in the Lewis. No chum, wild coho release. So it looks like I can keep any chinook in the Columbia or the mouth of the Lewis. Am I missing something.

Orsturgeon

Thumper · 06-27-2001, 08:07 PM

Yep, I assume there will be, as always, a restriction posted for the Lewis river natives. And there will probably be a bubble release rule for the area around the mouth of the Lewis. At least that is the way it has been for the last 10 years. If they delete the restriction, then we can all nail these beauties and keep them, and that would be very good news. These are gorgeous fish and fight like the dickens. Let's keep an eye on the regs.

Thumper · 06-28-2001, 08:27 AM

I checked with Wil Morrison at Washington Fish and Game (360-906-6705) and he said that no decision has yet been reached on closing the Lewis and its Columbia River bubble for fall chinook. That decision is always a last-minute deal. Orsturgeon --- don't count on keeping these guys. Dang!