Buoy 10 Salmon fishing in Astoria has been in full swing for 2 weeks now. We’ve been chasing Chinook Salmon on the Columbia River and Coho Salmon in the ocean. It seems as though the bigger tides have brought the best fishing, but historically that’s not always the case. Fishing the last few days have been spotty, but today, with increasing tides, it seemed to be a lot more productive. The 13th has always been a great date for me and I have always considered it to be the real start of the river season, where we tend to see more consistency.
And while the river has been the focus for many, the ocean has had some good days as well. The ocean saw some pretty good winds this past week, and there were some days we couldn’t get out and the fish got blown around a bit. Post winds or storms, we always need to look around a bit before we find the fish again. The CR buoy has had fish on most days, but we’ve also had to go to the 325 line and even 350 line to catch fish on some days. The Coho are starting to get big and we are still a week or two from a bulk of the Coho run entering the river. Right now they are averaging about 10 lbs and I’m looking forward to the 12-14 pound fish that will arrive soon.
Astoria isn’t the only location where we’ve been fishing for salmon. Tillamook has had steady Coho fishing so far. That will get spiced up a bit when this year’s non-select Coho fishing opens August 31st. It’s open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays until the quota is met. These days can be very productive as we can keep native Coho in addition to hatchery.
The Columbia River around Portland will begin fishing at the end of August and last through September 8th. The fishery above Bonneville will get going the first week of September and likely last through the second or third week of September. As the fish move up in the system, so will we!
Another great location to chase Fall Chinook and Coho Salmon is the Lewis River. Not far from Portland, this is an active and scenic fishery. We start fishing the Lewis toward the end of September and hope to fish it through Thanksgiving. With a limit of 4 adult salmon, 2 of which can be Chinook, many people look forward to fishing the Lewis this fall.
Let us know if you have any questions or would like to book a trip. We’re happy to help you find the perfect chartered fishing trip.