Get some pro trolls in any color as long as it's chrome.

Also:
-16oz lead weights
-Weight sliders that go on your main line
-Make or acquire bumpers that go from your main line to the flasher. Length is a matter of preference. I like em short.
- leader from flasher to your lure or bait of choice. 3.5 spinners and spinfish are in fashion.

Launch at chinook landing when chinook are open, which isn't now. But when it is, head up from chinook landing and take note of where people fish. There is a lot of anchor fishing that happens near chinook landing, but I just troll so have no advice there.

Start prospecting. Watch what others do. The nuances should be figured out on your own so you develop your own way. It'll come together in time even if you don't totally crush it your first season.

That's plenty of info to get you going and figuring it out.

 

Get some pro trolls in any color as long as it's chrome.

Also:
-16oz lead weights
-Weight sliders that go on your main line
-Make or acquire bumpers that go from your main line to the flasher. Length is a matter of preference. I like em short.
- leader from flasher to your lure or bait of choice. 3.5 spinners and spinfish are in fashion.

Launch at chinook landing when chinook are open, which isn't now. But when it is, head up from chinook landing and take note of where people fish. There is a lot of anchor fishing that happens near chinook landing, but I just troll so have no advice there.

Start prospecting. Watch what others do. The nuances should be figured out on your own so you develop your own way. It'll come together in time even if you don't totally crush it your first season.

That's plenty of info to get you going and figuring it out.

@OregonApe - as far as rod / reel / line setup - For a boat like yours, a 9-10' slow action rod should get you going. Grab a line counter reel, depending on your budget can go with like an Okuma Convector on the low end or a Tekota if you want to treat yourself. There's also the Coldwaters, but I personally have had better luck with the cheaper Convectors for my non-Tekota rods.

50lb braid mainline, 100-200lb test bumper, 40lb leader is my setup.

 

Anything else?

Definitely turn off the fish symbols.

 

I actually had fish symbols and arches on simultaneously. I just liked to see which of the arches it thought were fish and which it didn't.

 

Hire a guide, think of it as an investment.

 

The above statement is the best way to get you to the top, be straight forward with them, letting them know, you are there to learn, and ask questions. ”Is this going to be a problem”. Is how I would approach it. And YouTube is your friend,

 

Chinook Landing - the epicenter of the DEAD zone. Watch out for a really OLD guy in a blue north river seahawk, he is so crabby.... His moniker is Crabby_2.

Open seats could potentially be an option as well.

 

A few good YouTube channels to consider are Addcited fishing, Fishing the odds, Fishing with David Pyle, and My style Baits. All of those channels post very informative videos (tutorials) on spring, summer and fall fishing. They cover everything you’ll need from rod to hook. Since fall salmon is what’s next I’ll throw in my advice for fall salmon. This is for above bonneville but I imagine it applies lower. Have different size cannonballs (10-16 oz), use shorter leaders on your lure behind your pro troll (mine are 24), for like $7 you can get a 3 pack of trolling bumpers off Amazon in 18” or 24”. I use 24” and find it much easier to buy the premade ones. I’ve never once had a failure on them. Most importantly in my opinion, is be on the bottom! A very successful guide friend of mine said you have to be as close to the bottom as you can and still have your gear working. When I first started I was hesitant to get within 5 feet for fear of snagging up. Once I started dropping my gear down, my catch rate skyrocketed. There are exceptions to this rule when fishing water influenced by the tide below Boneville, but I don’t know enough about those to help lol.

 

Don't overlook learning boat ramp and river etiquette.

 

I'm no pro, but I also like to think I'm not a complete ******* either. I do my prep before getting down to the ramp, launch or pull out quickly, slow down and/or stay away from boats with lines in the water, etc.

That reminds me, what the hell is up with oncoming boats thinking they should cut in front of you instead of going past you and then cutting across behind you.

 

And welcome to the show!!!

 

Chinook Landing - the epicenter of the DEAD zone. Watch out for a really OLD guy in a blue north river seahawk, he is so crabby.... His moniker is Crabby_2.

Open seats could potentially be an option as well.

That's kind of what I figured, though I have seen enough guides/charters going out of that ramp and coming back with fish that there must be some life out there.

 

Life exists, but there's things that need to be learned to make it happen consistently that involve location, depths, tides, troll speeds, etc. Most of us had to put in time to learn those things so don't give a lot of it up super willingly on the internet. But gear and general areas are all you need to really get things going for you. If you put in time, you'll find fish. Take note of all the things above that I listed and try to repeat to find the patterns to success. It's a huge part of the fun - just going out and getting easy fish isn't nearly as satisfying

 

So, am an Oregonian born and raised, but have never fished the Columbia. My only salmon fishing experience is sockeye fishing on the Kenai and I suspect that there isn't much overlap in technique.

I'm presently in Gresham so I would most likely head out from Chinook Landing, unless there is some obvious better place to launch from. I suspect there are better places but family obligations limit my fishing time and time spent traveling eats into fishing time budget.

What do I need to know? Basically everything!

1. Regulations (I'm a lawyer and I still find this crap confusing as hell). How have you guys not rioted and burned the ODFW to the ground? It looks like barbless is required, hatchery jack chinook and steelhead only right now. Columbia river basin endorsement required. Anything else? Real shame about sockeye being closed already.
2. Equipment. I have a 20ft boat with a columbia river anchor system, so I plan to use that (yes, I plan to practice anchoring). I have downriggers, though I'm guessing I won't use them around here. I don't have a salmon/steelhead rod and reel. Suggestions for a decent bang for your buck setup? I have a ton of fishing gear, just nothing salmon/steelhead specific.
3. Setup. I'm assuming once I get anchored I am throwing out some combo of a weight/swivel/leader/lure. Any illustrations?

Anything else?

Again, I'm completely new to this so I won't know abbreviations or acronyms. In the last month I have trolled lakes for kokanee about five times (detroit and billy chinook) which accounts for basically all of my fishing experience other than bank fishing for hatchery rainbows and the aforementioned Alaska sockeye fishing. Speak to me like I know nothing, because I do (call me Jon Snow). And yes, I've done a lot of googling and youtube but everyone seems to talk like their way is the only way and they often skip over things they consider common knowledge like hook size, line weight, knots, weight size, brands, rod and tackle info, etc.

Thanks.

If you're fishing the Dead Zone out of Chinook Landing, you can catch a lot of salmon out of the first hogline you see to the right after leaving the jetty. Fish wobbles on a 5 ft leader and use an 8 ft lead dropper. The fish there are normally not on the bottom. Really simple fishing. And there are a ton of salmon taken there. With current regulations, your best time will be the last two weeks in the fall Chinook season. I usually launch at Chinook Landing too. But I usually motor 15 to 20 miles further upriver and troll. One thing about that hogline. Some the ole boys fishing there have been fishing there for decades. They can be grumpy. They're like beached sealions at newly arrivals - lots of grunting and moaning. But once you get settled in, all will be well. And you will learn a lot from them. My 2cents....

 

Thanks for the info.

And yeah, sounds about right.
Old guys: Where are the young people? Kids these days don't care about fishing.
Young people: Hi, I like fishing.
Old guys: get off my damn lawn!

 

I definitely recommend fishing with a friend, guide or posting open seats for experienced anglers. There is a lot of trial an error on your own that can be eliminated by fishing a little with people that know how to do it. I started with plunking, then bought a boat last year. I'm glad I learned how to plunk first to get a feel for what the current is doing through the tide changes. The youtube videos are great, but there are so many specific things successful people do that it is hard to remember them all, nonetheless explain them on a 30 minute video about catching fish. Everything from knots to how you play/net fish matters. The Addicted guys also have webcasts that are great resources- find some videos July-September and they drop all kinds of great info.

I also recommend watching how everyone else is doing it. Don't anchor where everyone is trolling. If there are semi-trolling lanes, don't try to go against the flow and weave through boats. If there are guys anchored don't troll too close to them and get tangled. Some areas are absolutely more successful than others, but you don't need to be in a crowd to catch fish.

*My boat has a hardtop and when it is windy+choppy it can be difficult to hold a line, especially for kids. If the productive areas are packed with boats I go somewhere else.

 

Also I'm not sure what the rules are for promotion and the like, but I'm open for referrals for a guide just to take us out and teach us what we're doing. Preferably on my own boat. We don't need to fish, just learn how to troll a river, how to anchor using the columbia river anchor system, how to take off when you get a fish on and then come back to your anchor buoy, tides and why they matter even that far up the river, all that jazz.

 

@Tinman I know this is isn't the ocean, but when it comes to boater education you're the man! If you aren't interested, maybe you can drop a name to the OP for someone that can help.

 

I would suggest against the Okuma convector series, drag slipping is very bad when trolling against the current and/or with heavier weights. If you're on a budget then get the new version coldwater "A" series, much better drag system on par with my Daiwa Lexa LC 300 series, i love the Daiwa Lexa for it's drag system, but the coldwater is not far behind especially with the new A series coldwater

 

Convectors have been my backups/guest setups for a long time and have seen a lot of use. Never an issue. Both my Coldwaters had failures after one season so ditched those.

As for the line counter / level wind question for the original poster, they're both level winds. That refers to the mechanism that moves back and forth to put the line on the spool evenly. As far as I know, the difference between those is the profile, so will feel different in the hand and fit differently in various rod holder types.

It's possible my experience is a fluke on both accounts, so if others suggest the Coldwaters, that may be the way to go. But I still think Tekota is the way to go if you can swing it. Buy once, cry once, as they say.

 

Be aware a line counter only tells a person how much line they have out, not how deep their bait is. A lot of Columbia fishing is at or near the bottom and a line counter is of no use. Line counters don’t actually measure the amount of line out. It is a mechanical device that runs off spool revolutions. Accuracy is dependent upon the spool being filled with line to the level the designers used to calibrate the counter. Less line and the counter will show more line being out than there actually is. Their accuracy isn’t as close to what people think it is, it’s just a reference number. I’ve never owned a line counter, never found the need for one. I’ve always relied on pulls which are as accurate as any line counter when done correctly. A pull is two feet, (or should be) reel to first guide. I’ve taken the time to measure pulls for accuracy and it came out within inches over the distance I measured which if I remember correctly was 30 feet. I also run a top shot of 30lb, 50’ long that is a different color than my 50lb main line. That’s good for estimating the amount of line in the water at 40/50/60 feet. Also, a line counter is just another thing that can break and become useless. With that light, thin diameter top shot, a person doesn’t need nearly as much weight to get the bait down. When others are using 16, I’m using 12 ounces. There’s lots of variables that dictate the amount of lead necessary to get a bait in the desired zone. Don’t get hooked on the thought that just because you have a certain amount of line in the water, your bait is always where you want it. Gotta read the water, boat speed, weight, line diameter, all the things that affect depth.

 

Well I picked up an Okuma SST from Bi-Mart last night. 9'9" heavy power medium action. Let me know if I'm off the mark. I would have picked up a second one in cork for a family member but their cork options were much fewer and were all medium-light power fast action.

 

I would go with the extra Heavy as you’ll need that back bone for the 12-16 oz lead my 2 cents tho

 

Once ya start fishing with your new gear, you'll find out different rods work better for different applications and running different weight lead, and dragging different types of flashers. And... different fishermen have different philosophy on what's best. A lot of guys prefer running 65# braided line over the smaller diameter because its more user friendly on your reel and doesn't tangle as easily . Other guys prefer smaller diameter line for less drag, and use a mono top shot. So keep in mind there really isn't a gold standard here. You'll just need to mix things up and find what you like dealing with. They all catch fish.

Some love those lighter action long rods with a full flex to the butts, and others like myself prefer something with a soft tip and some back bone to the butt in a 9' length. You'll also find that how you set your gear up can make a difference on your rod selection too. Longer bumpers and leaders, with a short rod can make netting your fish difficult. I have a couple faster action softer tipped rods i prefer for running 6 ounce to 10 ounce weights in current and softer water. Then i have a couple others i use that have a little stiffer tips that handle better with 12-20 ounce lead in heavy currents. I typically keep both types on hand so i can change things up with a tide and location change requiring more or less weight.

As far as finding the spots to fish goes, it's best to just get out there and see where other guys are concentrating their efforts, and watch for nets flying. If you find a bunch of boats trolling a certain stretch of river every tie you go out, watch them closely and look for a pattern and watch your electronics for marking fish. Get in there and follow em around and watch what they are doing. Talk to folks if ya can too.

Every year these fish use the same routes, and hold in the same spots. There is typically a good reason you always see boats fishing the same areas every year. But.... different tides and river conditions can change the productive areas and require a different strategy. Just changing up gear from bait to spinners, or trolling speed alone can make a difference. If you are marking fish, keep after them and try different gear. Sometimes they are there, and the bite hasn't come on yet.... Don't leave fish to find fish....

Good luck on your new adventure.... it's a fun rabbit hole to go down, but can be frustrating at times. Kirk

 

I would think about a different hobby. Not enough fish are anywhere. Head off-shore for 20 miles and look back to see where you came from. Maybe there won't be a fog bank in-between. Cheap thrills!