Columbia River Fishing – Summer Fun!
Our fishing focus of late has been on the Ocean Salmon staged off the mouth of the Columbia River. Ocean fishing, which opened June 22nd, has been good and will continue to improve as we head toward the Buoy 10 opener on August 1st. That doesn’t mean we have to wait until August to fish the Columbia River. We’ve been on the river since June and have had some nice fishing, but it’s just a warm up for what’s ahead. July is the peak month for both Trophy Sturgeon and Summer Steelhead on the Columbia River, and we’re taking full advantage of it every day.
Columbia River Sturgeon
The Columbia River Estuary in Astoria is an ideal fishery in the summer months. A mixture of warming waters, combined with a schools of baitfish, make for some nice feeding grounds for white sturgeon. As the water temperatures rise and more baitfish arrive, sturgeon congregate to gorge themselves. Fishing has been action packed and just continues to improve each day. It’s not uncommon for everyone in the boat have fish on at the same time, which makes for some fun boat dancing. These sturgeon are averaging 5-7 feet in length, and we’ve even released some that are over 8 feet! Although this is a catch-and-release fishery, the experience shared by family and friends while trophy sturgeon fishing is like no other. Can’t wait to see what the rest of July brings us in Astoria.
Columbia River Summer Steelhead
If you’d like to keep your catch, that’s always an option! Fourth of July week is prime time for Summer Steelhead fishing on the Columbia River. The fishing is close to Portland and offers a great way to hang-out on the river. The fishing season continues through the month of July, although we tend to start shifting our attention to the tributaries as the month continues. The Lewis River in Woodland offers us a very active fishery, where we use several different techniques depending on the time of day and the bite. Lower water levels mean that fish tend to congregate which we certainly don’t mind at all. These fish are beautiful and delicious, so we’ll take all the help we can get!
No matter what your experience level or which part of the Columbia River you’d like to fish, we’re happy to get you out for a guided fishing trip. Questions? Looking to book a trip? Contact us on our Questions and Reservations page.