Fishing Report 06-25-2021
FIsherman's Marine & Outdoors own Susan Evans with a beautiful bright Chinook Salmon off the coast North of Ilwaco! Trolling flashers paired with Herring was the key set up for the day!
Fishing Report - June 25th, 2021
Spring Chinook are still being caught in the Willamette River and anglers have really figured out the best ways to catch them. Small 3.5 size spinners and Brad’s Superbaits trolled behind 360 flashers have been the go-to techniques. These fish are suspended in the water column, so make sure to stagger your rods a bit to find just where the fish are at on that day.
The Columbia River has been kicking out some Chinook for anglers that are putting in their time. There has been a mixture of late Spring Chinook and Summer Chinook being caught and some of the Summer Chinook have been BIG! Anglers are finding great success sitting on anchor with bait-wrapped Kwikfish, Mag Lips or Brad's Killerfish. There have also been a few folks that have been having success trolling 360 flashers and 3.5 size spinners on the incoming and slack tides.
Catch and release Sturgeon fishing has been phenomenal down in the estuary as fish are moving in fresh off the tide. Sand shrimp, squid, herring and anchovies have all been great bait options.
Bottom fishing has been really good all along the coast when ocean conditions allow. Lingcod have been in the mix and some absolute monsters have been caught recently off of the mouth of the Columbia River. Large curly tail grubs, vertical jigs, and shrimp flies have all been producing.
Shad fishing has been killer on the Columbia and Willamette Rivers. These plentiful fish provide fast action and are a fun way to get young or new anglers into the sport. Small jig heads, curly tail grubs, small spoons and flicker spinners are all good choices when picking out tackle.
Walleye fishing in the Columbia Gorge has been good and anglers have reported quite a few large fish in the mix. Trolling bottom walkers with worm harnesses have been the ticket.
Trout fishing has also been good and anglers have been finding success everywhere that has been stocked. High mountain lakes are getting stocked routinely now and fishing has been quite good. Along with freshly planted Trout, there are always hold over Trout from the previous year and some of these can get quite big. Still fishing worms or Powerbait is always a go-to option, however, casting Kastmasters, as well as bubble and fly, have been particularly deadly as of late.
Tuna should be getting closer by the week. We typically start to hear about Tuna getting within sport fishing range around the last week of June. So, for all those anglers looking to fill their kill bags with fresh Albacore, keep an eye on the water conditions and ocean temperatures. Trolling Tuna Clones, Cedar Plugs and Xrap Plugs are all good choices when picking out early season Tuna gear.
Always be sure to check local regulations at ODFW and WDFW before heading out. Find reports and two most widely used baits, information on the Fisherman's Community page.
