columbia conditions

husker · 04-19-2002, 01:18 PM

ok...water conditions please......looking to fish sunday....but where.....ranieer, st helens, or gov island?...where does the water look fishable at?

reelman · 04-19-2002, 01:33 PM

Lots of water. The big rock at Bradford Island is 2/3 covered with water. Bankies at tanner hooked at least 75 today. About 1/2 turned back.
Spin N-glos #2 green or silver red head with some using eggs with them.

Filet-O-Fish · 04-19-2002, 01:38 PM

Where is tanner?

gorge_fisherman · 04-19-2002, 02:05 PM

Where the boats guys doing anything below the dam?

fishinlady97140 · 04-19-2002, 02:13 PM

I second the question -- where's Tanner? Anyone know what the water temp is at Rainier? Looks like the counts are on the rise passing Bonneville. Trick is to convince them to bite

gorge_fisherman · 04-19-2002, 02:17 PM

tanner creek

reelman · 04-19-2002, 03:34 PM

Tanner Creek is where the hatchery at Bonneville Dam is located. Takes a plunking outfit able to throw 8oz of lead. Most of the boats were anchored up along the island accross from McCord creek. Must be to fast for up higher.

Fin · 04-19-2002, 03:41 PM

Spent 4 hrs at Govt. Island today. Water is very high (in the trees). Complete strike out. Did not see any action. Lots of junk in the water. My thermom. said 47.5

Mack Slayer · 04-19-2002, 03:51 PM

I drove from downtown Portland to Hood River at noon today -- here's what I saw:
* Willamette (downtown): High, lots of debris, muddy
* Sandy (mouth): Mostly green; not quite clear, but very fishable looking
* Columbia (below B'ville): High, fast, pretty muddy... Saw quite a few boats - mostly around the Fishery area
* Columbia (above B'ville): Same as below, but didn't see anyone out trying.
* Hood River (mouth): Water high, but color much improved over last weekend... Should be good Sat/Sun.

Good luck!
Mack Slayer

HOGTIDE · 04-19-2002, 05:36 PM

Just checked out the St. Helens area from downtown to Deer Island. The slough is dumping in lots of brown water with big time debris. Visibiltity at the courthouse docks is about one foot...maybe.

The ramp from the Sand Island docks to shore no longer angles up. You walk straight across. Water must be up 4 or 5 feet????Columbia City to Deer Island, same conditions even with the Columbia blending in. Best I can tell the Columbia looks brown also.

There are a few boats out trying. They are literally parked up on the beaches and in the brush off of Shell Island along the Washington shore.

All in all...it looks like a really l o n g shot for tomorrow. If you go fishin' it should be just because you like 'fishin' and the catchin' isn't that big of a deal.

PS The debris line borders on dangerous.

[ 04-19-2002, 06:38 PM: Message edited by: HOGTIDE ]

salmonquest · 04-19-2002, 05:47 PM

Spent the afternoon on the channel from top down to Hadleys landing. Most of my time was spent dodging trees and various other large stuff. Could barley see my prop on kicker. Hope it gets better tommorrow. Temp was 46.9F.

[img]graemlins/program.gif[/img]

wetaline · 04-19-2002, 05:57 PM

Fisned the wind early AM .. and was very very tough to fish by 10am (lots of wind and white caps) .. Got one around 7:30am on a orange prawn w/ green rainbow tipped brass #3 spinner. had another pull on the same rig up an hour later. Didn't see a much going on but there were a few fish caught by the time we left at 10am. The wind water was clear and 42 degrees, the columbia water was not (pretty murky 1.5 ft vis and 47 degrees.... probably 40 boats or so.

Stopped by L&C on the sandy.. sandy water had a good green w/ a tint of silt... but very fishable... drift boaters at the launch had a few steelies....

We ran down to the mouth and trolled around... everything looked good on the sandy side of the water line but didn't look like much was happening, and nothing did happen. Scooted on down to the hogline in the columbia below the sandy... they said nothing yet and that was at 1pm....

All and all i'm happy i got one... and am not to sure what i'm going to do in the AM .... good luck...

fish_on · 04-19-2002, 06:04 PM

Went out of the fishery for sturgeon, what a great day!!! Littl wind most of the boats were in the back eddys, we found some current that was "anchorable" and landed 45 fish, 5 keepers (1 kept) and 1 oversize 8' (our first peeler). The weather wasn't great but not bad. At the ramp game checker had 6 salmon for 2 guides and 0 for 16 other boats.

[ 04-19-2002, 07:07 PM: Message edited by: fish_on ]

crabbait · 04-19-2002, 06:07 PM

Fished shallow water (12-18') today on an inside corner. Debris was outside of us. Caught 22lb nate and saw 5 other fish caught for about 10 boats. All nates.

Only one fish lost. People must be changing Kfish hooks out. All Kfish bite that I could tell and various colors. Bite was before the change to outgoing. PLENTY of water moving on both tides.

Trick · 04-20-2002, 08:54 PM

Me and my two boys went out to sand island plunking. 5 takedowns, 1 fish lost at the bank :depressed: and 2 on the bank. One was clipped. In the last three days we put up 3 clipped springers and one clipped summer-run.

The grass and junk coming down the river is a pain in the butt to deal with. Don't let the high water scare you away.

MasterCaster · 04-20-2002, 09:33 PM

Ok I need some help.....
I plunk the Willamette alot around the Salem area but have never plunked the Columbia.
My father and I are going up there to give it a shot Mon or Tues and I was just wondering on where you would suggest? I have a couple places to go look at but would like a little less of a crowd if possible. Or is it very bad on weekdays? What about time of day Morning midday or evening been best?

We may go up tomorrow just to take a peak and watch some.

Any info is greatly appreciated
If you dont want to post on here feel free to e-mail me at TrigrHpyX@aol.com

Thanx
Jon :smile: :grin: :smile:

Trick · 04-21-2002, 04:30 AM

Jon, unless your running out to an island beach (need boat), get an early start. It seems like all the beaches are producing right now. Hit prescott (by Trojan power plant), Dibblies (in Rainer by Gypsum plant) or maybe Jones beach (near Clatskanie). With the water running high you can fish both tides because of the current.

Bring heavy sinkers due to the current (at least 8 and I'd suggest 10 oz). We've been having good results on the Sunset pattern, Trout pattern and gold spin-n-glos. Use 3/0 Owner or Gamakatsu red hooks and a good Herring oil and that should put you in them.

Good luck.

DF · 04-21-2002, 09:28 PM

I have been told from many people that the beaches seem to be producing
We took our new boat on its first trip today. We fished the back of sand island and didn’t get a touch. Pretty slow from a boaters perspective.
But the bankies are doing good! :grin:

[ 04-21-2002, 10:30 PM: Message edited by: Drummer/Fisherman ]

dogrobber · 04-21-2002, 09:46 PM

Drummer,
Was that you in that shiny boat with the guys in wet suits keeping the logs away. Hope your shake down went well. When I went out this morning there was still timber in the river. I came in around 4:00 and was amazed at the LACK of debris in the Columbia. Several wing dams still under water however. Willamette could still supply several bark chipping companies. The checker at Scapp. Bay said FIVE in the Columbia, I saw that many from the Beach boys.

dogrobber · 04-21-2002, 09:47 PM

Drummer,
Was that you in that shiny boat with the guys in wet suits keeping the logs away. Hope your shake down went well. When I went out this morning there was still timber in the river. I came in around 4:00 and was amazed at the LACK of debris in the Columbia. Several wing dams still under water however. Willamette could still supply several bark chipping companies. The checker at Scapp. Bay said FIVE in the Columbia, I saw that many from the Beach boys.

dogrobber · 04-21-2002, 09:50 PM

OOPS [img]graemlins/berry.gif[/img]

MasterCaster · 04-22-2002, 02:58 PM

Well,

I must say that my first time "plunking" on the Columbia was quite exciting!

We didnt even get a hook WET!!

It was My dad My aunt and I that decided to go. My Aunt had never been to the Dam before and I wanted to show her the viewing windows so we decided to take a look at Tanner Creek.

We got there at around 8:45 and there were quite a few people on the bank and one boat out front. One fish on and 1 or 2 already on the bank as soon as we got there. We saw about 3 or 4 fish landed about half nates and half clipped fish. We went to the dam for about 30 mins and came back to watch the plunking some more and saw about 10 or 15 more fish landed with in the next hour and a half or so. Saw one over sized sturgeon hooked on a spin-glo it jumped then the guy broke it off.

All in all about 20 fish landed and 10 or so lost in roughly 2 hrs from 8:45 until 10:45 so i would say it was pretty good day

Stopped by OC on the way home around noon and saw one lost and one landed in boats.

We mostly just went to kinda check it out today but going back tomorrow EARLY to give it a go ourselves.

I forgot to add that at least 2 of the NATES did not survive! Most of the guys down there are really good about how they handle the fish but a few <3 guys fishing together> Aparently dont give a rats @ss about native fish at all. Net the fish pull it up on the bank thrashing around dump it out of the net put their foot on it while ripping the hooks out of the fish as it was thrashing all over and they werent even bleeding when landed but when "released" they were GUSHING blood from their gills. Sad to see that happen. :depressed:

:depressed:

Jon

[ 04-22-2002, 04:04 PM: Message edited by: Jon ]