Do you know??

[Jim]

Do summer steelies and springers follow similar courses up the Columbia??

Jim

[Mr. Fisherman]

Yea,... Upstream [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

JK, Would be interested in RT's answer though... [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

[FEAR NO FISH!]

Hi Jim,
I know that at Mcnary Dam on the Columbia River, the majority of the Steelhead come up the ladder on the Oregon side like 3-1. The Chinook tend to favor the Washington side. If you do a little research on the Dam counts you can see if the fish are using the right ladder or the left ladder. The way I understand it, when you are facing down river from the dam, your left or right corresponds the same way to the ladders.Go back each year and compare them. You will get a pretty good idea of the fishes general routes. I sure wish Oregon would let you fish on their side of the river at night. Fishing near the Oregon ladder above Mcnary would be killer. So would the mouth of the Deschutes.

Hey Jim, you are a knowledgable guide, and you should know the answer. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img] Naah, I don't know the answer either - sorry Mr. F. I don't fish the Columbia much for either species; I like smaller rivers with less people. ...

Let me think out loud, with my keys that is, ... for the times I have fished the big river I have caught both fish in common water types; usually the 8 to 15 feet deep uniform runs not far from the bank. But I have caught 'nooks out in deeper water and in swirly water that I don't usually catch steelhead. Yet 'nooks commonly use the sides of rivers and large bodies of water to aid navigation, thus may stay in close where steelhead also often migrate. Likely it's when the Columbia is up and colored that the 'nooks hug the shore more during migration - and when it gets low and clear, as with this springer season, they are found further out in deeper water (which they were). Some of the best fishing for the springers below Bonneville was in 35' to 40' deep water; and they were migrating for sure. I haven't seen or heard of many steelhead being caught in such water - but who knows; maybe they do migrate out there too but don't bite when they are in that deep. Gee, am I making any sensical headway? [img]images/icons/rolleyes.gif[/img] So, it seems that sometimes they do and sometimes they don't. How's that for a difinitive answer/guess? [img]images/icons/smile.gif[/img]

RT