Salmon and steelhead in the Portland area fishing help and advice (Sandy: buy, income)

[pdxMIKEpdx]

With current water conditions, I think you are just plain out of luck. all the rivers are going to be high muddy and blown out.
The best advice so far is to check I fish, and browse the tackle at Bi-Mart.
Do a search for local guides, read their blogs, and see what they have going on.

I have been a salmon and steelhead fishermen all my life, and I'm just going to stay home until May.

Then it will be springer time on the Willamette!

Go clamming and surf perch fishing instead!
Tackle is cheap, and fishing the surf is fun.
Check out PK Yi on youtube.
Your best bet during this time of year is going to be coastal.

Crabbing is going to suck because of all of the fresh water coming into the bays.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Go clamming and surf perch fishing instead!

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

Go clamming and surf perch fishing instead!

Or find a bottomfish charter boat out of Newport or Astoria or Westport. They won't be affected by the freshwater runoff and you'll get a LOT more action than anything in any rivers this time of year.

[StealthRabbit]

Originally Posted by texasdiver

Or find a bottomfish charter boat out of Newport or Astoria or Westport. They won't be affected by the freshwater runoff and you'll get a LOT more action than anything in any rivers this time of year.

Garibaldi and Wheeler are pretty close and decent charter launches. as is Ilwaco, WA.

Can check with the Columbia River guides, for what they have running.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

The op specifically wants shore fishing, though .

[texasdiver]

Originally Posted by pdxMIKEpdx

The op specifically wants shore fishing, though .

Because he said he didn't have time to find a river guide for the Columbia or Willamette. But the coastal sportfishing charters go all the time as long as they have paying customers.

[pdxMIKEpdx]

JWell yes, but he also wants salmon and steelhead. He said he doesn't have time to hire a guide or a boat. Charter fishing isn't salmon or steelhead fishing. I suppose if that's what he wants, and doesn't care what kind of fish he catches, that may be a good option. I do not want to argue with you guys. Right now salmon and steelhead fishing on our local Rivers sucks. If he wants something quick, and wants to catch fish, something spur of the moment, his best bet just to buy some cheap tackle and hit the coast for some perch, and some clamming,. If he wants to waste time fishing some high muddy rivers well before Spring Chinook, and wants to try some really tough fishing for steelhead, right now the time is prime to have a good day fishing, but not catch any fish. At least with charters, the captain's job is to put you on fish, your tackle is provided, and you may have a fun roller coaster ride on the springtime Seas. A 5-hour fishing trip with crabbing will cost you about a hundred bucks or so, Factor in gas, maybe a breakfast, maybe an overnight trip, and the cost starts building up really quick. Especially for two or three people. I think the guy just wants to take his fishing pole out in the river and catch a big fish. it is just bad luck that he caught a bad time of the year to do that!

[StealthRabbit]

bleak report
7 Day and YTD Adult Counts

Come back in August and enjoy better weather, fishing, wild berries, long days, concerts in the park.

An elderly friend was wanting a steelhead, so came one Aug and fished the Deschutes mouth. He got a strike on a steelhead and set the hook, and the fish turned and charged directly across the river, went between his legs and snapped his new pole. Was a good story, in 5 days he had a few good fights, but never landed a steelhead (using spare poles).

[pdxMIKEpdx]

Just so everyone knows, you can catch steelhead in other months besides august. Just because the deschutes run may be in august, doesn't mean that all steelhead runs in oregon are in august.

[StealthRabbit]

fyi, you can always just go to the source...
https://www.dfw.state.or.us/resource..._steelhead.asp
https://myodfw.com/articles/how-fish-steelhead

There is a chart on page 2 with the rivers / month / Winter / Spring runs.

Clackamas, Sandy, and, Hood River all have a few winter stragglers in April.

Keep an eye on the fish counts before you go venturing too far above Bonneville Dam.

Klickitat and Wind River are good WA choices, and only a few miles from the mouth @ Columbia (i.e. near to Oregon (~ 10 min by ultralight-plane / Kite-board or boat))

There is a great hole near Carson, WA. That is where my visitors from Singapore always go.

Remember you are not fishing to 'entice', a fish bound for spawning (they are not too hunger driven)... You are fishing to make the angry enough to strike. Many get accidentally 'snagged' (not legal to keep those).

Always a good idea to see how the NA fisheries are doing (they can net... if they are getting nothing... that is a bad sign. )

It's now AFTER the OP trip, so I hope they post some pics, and maybe the next reader can benefit.