Thank you for starting the 2025 Official Dead Zone thread, Stick'em! It's almost time!

I am going to ask: RIDH....I tried to Google and I know it's Reed Island. I just don't know what the DH stands for. Clarification would be greatly appreciated !

I used to use a size 2 treble and a size 2/0 Gama Big River Bait stinger, but I lost too many fish with this setup. So I switched up to two 3/0 Gama Big River Bait hooks and have had better landing success so far. Who knows, one of these days I might switch back to a treble and single stinger......I haven't gotten the guts to try EyeFish Doc's single circle hang back method yet. This fall might be the time for me to give this hang back method a try.

I agree with you about the interchangeable metal clevis. Thanks to Jean Carufo, I have now exclusively used these interchangeable metal clevises on all my spinners. So much easier to change out the blades quickly than to retie the whole rig. I was also losing too many good blades with the plastic clevises.

I also use 50lb Maxima Ultragreen Monofilament (MUG) on all my spinner and stuffer bait leaders. So far (KNOCK ON WOOD) I have not lost a fish due to knot failure or leader line breakage. I find that the 50lb MUG is thick enough to tie an egg loop knot on a size 3/0 Gama BRB hook. I have heard of people using 60lb MUG but have not had a need to change to a heavier leader line as the 50lb MUG has been working for me.

I am ready to "rinse and repeat"!

Looking forward to hearing reports and seeing pics on this official DZ thread! Let's go!

 

RIDH - Reed Island Dead Head. Washed in there about 10 years ago and never moved....

 

Thanks for starting the thread.

Any takers for a pool on how many people find the skinny water top of Reed?

 

Any takers for a pool on how many people find the skinny water top of Reed?

One of three that I saw last year.

 

Do you like a certain spinner color based on conditions, say Mexican hat on sunny days? Or do you just switch it up if you’re not getting bit?

 

Generally speaking, I catch fish in the same areas year after year. If I don't get bit trolling through a couple of those areas, I sometime change blades. Funny thing about the DZ. There use to be places where you hardly ever saw fish caught. Not that the fish weren't there. We just didn't know how to catch them. The 360s changed that game..... Be mindful of the fella fishing in odd places. He just might know something....

 

for those who's not familiar fishing in the DZ, if you're out early, watch out for gillnets in the water, and stay in the channel, avoid three major shallow areas, mouth of the Sandy, Reed Island and above Rooster Rock area.
Non-treaty gillnet fleet will be out there 3 days a week from 8/5th to 8/29. We ran into a gillnet last year AFTER 6am and also witnessed a stolen boat ran aground above RR last year 😁

 

 

Can’t wait to get out there

 

First boat hits the water out of CL, still looking for a second fish.
1/1 for 2 rods, K15 killerfish with tuna wrapped

Edited: ended up with 2/3 for 2 rods, 2 hits on anchor and 1 hit trolling 360 + spinner

 

First boat hits the water out of CL, still looking for a second fish.
1/1 for 2 rods, K15 killerfish with tuna wrapped

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Sweet!

 

0 for 1 out of CL so far this morning. Broke off at the net.

 

I can’t tell you how happy I am that it is August first! The fall chinook opener on the Columbia is a great time to be alive. Time to fill the freezer.

Fished 4 360s this morning from 6:20-11:00. Put 3 in the box. All on different spinner combinations. My 3 guests each took home a fish. I had 2 takedowns on a Jim Dandy that didn’t not stick so I went home empty handed.

Good luck out there!

 

Ended the day 1 for 6. One was a break off at the net, four unpinned during the fight and one died. Fished until mid afternoon. Most bites after noon.

 

2 for 3 yesterday

 

Wow! Very nice fish there… did you put that baby on a scale?

 

Are these URB or late summer run fish?

 

Both, plus at least one tule mixed in.

 

Started my fall chinook season today. Two passes this afternoon in the Reed to 50 area. Hooked a line ripping pig and lost it. Made another pass and broke that one off at the boat.

I fail.

 

You and I started the same way breaking one off in the same area. Good to know I'm in good company 😂

 

For those of you who fish the Dead Zone area, do you find this fishery to be tide dependent when trolling? Being this far upriver, I don't think that the bite depends on the tides as much and I haven't really paid attention to tides when I fished this area. But just curious to know if any of you guys notice a correlation between tides and bites.

I do know that you want an outgoing tide when anchor fishing with Kwikfish.

 

I am far from an expert but in my experience the bite does seem to pick up around high tide in the areas I’ve fished. People usually catch fish throughout the day in the dead zone but there always seems to be a more consistent bite during high tide.

 

Tides matter, being on the water early matters. or if you dont like getting up esrly, fish in the evening. personally i always find the bite dying by mid day when the wind comes up.

Most mornings regardless of tide i plan to be where i want to be before day break.

 

Quick outing for me and a friend out of CL this morning. Ended up 1 for 2 and pulled the plug at 9:30. Bonked a bronzey summer fish that cut beautifully. Going to make some top tier salmon jerky.

 

BD jr. Would love to to hear how you make salmon jerky. Never done

 

Prep is similar to smoked: dry brine in the fridge, rinse, and dry out with a fan until a pellicle forms. Only difference here is I slice it up vs whole pieces.

(today's fish ready for brine)

Put in the dehydrator at 135deg for about 4-6hrs. Sometimes a few more hours needed but that's my starting point. I'm going to smoke this batch for an hour or so before the dehydrator.

 

Awesome. Thanks guys. Have a pile of coho I would like to do some different stuff with

 

0/1 today, cloud cover early was a nice change, good bite that just didn't want to stick around 3:30 (look at the tide tables for those asking) . Back at it after work later this week. If you see an old fiberglass Bell Boy with a top out there say hi.

 

0/1 today, cloud cover early was a nice change, good bite that just didn't want to stick around 3:30 (look at the tide tables for those asking) . Back at it after work later this week. If you see an old fiberglass Bell Boy with a top out there say hi. View attachment 1070480

Before the Sandy dike was removed that changed its flow, that was one of the hottest places in the DZ.

 

That's one happy mutt. Great pic.

 

plugs in the water around 545am out of CL
1/2 for 2 rods, 8lb steelhead. Fish checker reported our fish was the only fish checked at 12pm.

 

plugs in the water around 545am out of CL
1/2 for 2 rods, 8lb steelhead. Fish checker reported our fish was the only fish checked at 12pm.

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I saw that beached boat there yesterday. Wonder what the story behind that one is. It's also been spraypainted along the port side.

 

4 for 4 today, a shad, a 13" jack, a monster small mouth bass and of course this naked tail beauty!!

 

And just like that you up and leave us at the mouth, where we can’t watch you slay the fish?

 

Fished three rods on the incoming this evening. Tried a few different spots with nothing to show for it. Weeds so bad I doubt we were actually fishing much. I'd call the weed situation bordering on unfishable,if not past that point. I hope the whole season isn't going to be plagued with this, but it's starting to look that way.

 

Water temp anyone?