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2019 OFFICIAL Hanford Reach Reports (Richland to Wanapum)

29K views 102 replies 23 participants last post by  manuka 
#1 Ā· (Edited)
It's the day before the day before. Might as well get this thread going! I've been tying up some new barbed gear (haven't untied my barbless gear) and am ready to hit it. With summers being closed this year, it feels more like an "opening day" rather than a transition to keeping unclipped fish.

Hopefully we'll get some cycling flows this year and get in some more plug and egg fishing. Catching fish fish with superbaits is fun, but I'll go backtroll any chance I get.

See you all on the water!

For river flows below PRD, I've been using "RiverApp" on my phone. NOAA image is below.

 
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#2 Ā·
Awesome man! thanks for starting this....Me to on the backtrolling plug / egg fishing little of which I did either of last year just didn't work out...I DO not like super baits however they did catch allot of fish for us last year, actually like 90% so ya gotta do what ya gotta do! Good luck on your season! Here's to the Hanford Reach Home of the King!
 
#3 Ā·
Yeah, I'm chompin' at the bit too. Getting all my ducks in a row to go fishing 5 days a week for 4 weeks.

I don't catch near as many fish as some folks ... but every one of the 30 or so fish I got last year was on a plug. It can be done. I love the plug bite.

Hopefully the fish show up this year and they let us take 2 per day for the whole run.
 
#5 Ā·
I thought this was pretty cool. My daughter's first trip and her most recent.

Awesome fishing today (but a little slow on catching). A friend an his wife came down to spend a day on the water. Also got my daughter out for the first tome.

I just can't throw back a bright hatchery fish no mater how small. AHFMD right :palm:. I'll just refer to them as "single serving salmon."



Getting ready for the nap:

We found one little one on a superbait in Richland. There's a few small fish pictures floating around Facebook. I imagine that's the summer jacks or 3 year old.

I hope everyone has a great season.


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#8 Ā·
Totally agree, with a few fish caught last weekend, deciding to give a go this weekend. Will have eggs/plugs/superbaits all prepped. looks like at least for the next few weeks all three things will get a go throughout the day. make for fun, and I love those back-trolling egg/lure takedowns!
 
#10 Ā·
Is there much salmon fishing within a mile or two below McNary? This is only my 4th year and first with a boat on a trailer so I have only done mostly the Bateman Island up to Ringold stretch. I would imagine that below McNary there would be trolling opportunities in the same channels that people were fishing for shad? We'll be going out this weekend to break the seal on the season, just trying to choose where to go.
 
#11 Ā·
You can fish below McNary.

I've been out a few times. There's been some fall adults caught, but I've seen and encountered mostly jacks. Nothing exciting to report. Creel sampling said catch rate dropped last week.

From August 19 through August 25, WDFW staff interviewed anglers from 40 boats (109 anglers) with 6 adult chinook, 3 jacks, and 1 coho.

It's still early, but that was a nice bump over McNary.
 
#14 Ā·
Dang it Lucky! Let me know if you feel up for some fresh air and want to jump in my boat.


Weeds at Bateman we're too bad on Sunday. There is a fair amount of slime to gum up swivels though. We trolled downstream and cleaned half way through the pass. I didn't see a net fly and ours stayed dry. I had the surface temperature at 69Ā°F. Should be cool enough for the fish to snap, but they know something I don't. Looks like we'll finally cool down at the end of the week.
 
#16 Ā· (Edited)
I went out for a few hours yesterday around Buoy30 on the Columbia down by Wallula and Badger Island. We didn't run into any weeds or fish. I had one pole in the water with a Salmon setup and the other two, wife and Son with Walleye deep water cranks. I thought everyone would be up around Bateman Island so I though I'd so the other way. I still think it's a bit early but the counts are getting higher over McNary Dam. Bonneville Dam was over 7K yesterday with Coho increasing by small amounts daily. I think we should see more fish hitting the Tri-Cities area in a week or so. I was the only boat out of Metz Marina from 5 AM to 10 AM. Thats a first.........Lucky21 The best of luck with your treatments
 
#35 Ā·
Ended up 8 for 14 for the weekend. Bluffs and vernita. Some tough early fishing but fun. The caddisfly (I think that's what they are?) were put in force! But what's new right? Big boy of the trip was 25# and screamed 300 feet off before we could finally clear rods and retrieve him. Love it! I'll be back in a couple weeks......


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#37 Ā·
I got out to vernita on Friday. Went 1 for 2. The one we lost was a small Jack. Water was up to 69F. Hopefully that will come down this week. So far, fish have been in good shape.


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#38 Ā·
What's wrong with this picture?





We don't have yesterday's number for John Day quite yet, but still you see the trend. Counts over Bonneville compare well to last year. But everything upstream is awful, and the farther upstream, the worse it gets.


Where are those fish? Are they getting caught? Tribal nets maybe?




 
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