April rains equal great fishing for Willamette River Spring Salmon in May
This past week heavy rains made the Spring Chinook fishing interesting on the Willamette River. The fishing was getting interesting and I was getting the temperature of the eggs dialed in and bamo. At one point on Wednesday morning it felt like we got 5 inches in 5 minutes. It was an amazing deluge and my clients for that day and I could only laugh with our predicament. It turned out that the rain shortly stopped, but a series of outbursts similar the one that greeted us Wednesday morning was enough to put the river on it’s heels and provide me with a couple days with the family.
So yes we’ve been scrambling to move some trips around, but ultimately the rain is always a good thing. Temperatures had been holding in the lower 50’s, but 5 feet of additional water in the river will cool things even further. Cool temperatures are a big deal and are gladly welcomed as we approach May. Most people don’t know that the bulk of our run actually shows up in June, but elevated water temperatures keep us from being able to effectively fish.
A couple years back we saw good water temperatures and the fishing on the Willamette River couldn’t have been better through the month of June. I can remember trying to get the boat filled and having a difficult time doing so as so many people thing of the Willamette as an April/May opportunity. For most years this assumption holds true, but it’s important to realize why and water temperature is the big WHY on the Willy.
As I pulled off an already turning Willamette on Friday afternoon, water temperatures on my Garmin were below 50 degrees which should mean great things for the coming weeks as more and more fish show up. I’m excited about the possibilities and love sharing the great opportunity with my friends. Feel free to contact me if you’re looking to get on the books and remember, I’ll be running afternoon trips that start at 3pm as well.
Thanks and tight lines,
Lance