Summer steelhead in the lower Columbia River have a sweet tooth.
That’s one of the lessons Jim Nicol of Oregon says he learned in 20 years of full-time guiding in the Northwest.
It’s knowledge he applies when deciding how to scent his plugs when fishing the river in July and early August.
“For steelhead, I stick with shrimp or the shrimp and krill combination,” Nicol said at a fishing seminar last week at Fishermen’s Marine and Outdoor in Tigard. “They’re kind of sweet junkies, I’ve found. They like something really sweet. Garlic works well for salmon, but hasn’t been that successful for steelhead. So, I just stick with those two…I put them on the bottom of my plug. I put a pretty thick coating of it on. I put another coating on every 45 minutes to an hour.””
Nicol said right now — July and the first week of August — is the time to chase summer steelhead in the lower Columbia.
He’s a light-tackle man, and does not participate in the “blinkie fishery,” where anglers anchor in water 30 to 50 feet deep using lighted, blinking lures and needing heavy weight to hold bottom.
“I’m not a big fan of the blinkies,” Nicol said. “I don’t want to use a salmon rod with 16 ounces of weight to catch a 6- to 8-pound summer steelhead.”
Instead, he likes to anchor in water 14 feet or less deep and “flatline” a plug, particularly red, orange or pink MagLips 3.5s.
He also likes a Lamiglas Kwik Series XCC801 rod, Shimano 200 or 300 size line-counter reel and PowerPro Super Slick line in 30-pound or 50-pound test. He swaps out the original hooks on his plugs, replacing them with Owner Super Needle Point trebles size No. 2.
Nicol said he fishes the outgoing tide.
“The best thing to do in the Columbia River for summer steelhead is to plan your day around the tide — fish the ebb.”
He looks for flats and current seams.
“Look for locations where the Columbia goes from 30 feet deep to 14 feet to 7 feet, then a long flat, 30 yards, 40 yards, maybe even 100 yards, then drops back down to 30 feet,” Nicol said. “It’s easier to get the lure in the face of the fish on these flats than when they are down in 30 feet.”
He prefers no weight or diver. A MagLips with 40 feet to 80 feet of line out, plus a decent amount of river current, will dive to 14 feet, he said.
Current seams also are key, he added.
“There’s a good chance rocky points will extend out into the Columbia River. We all know salmon and steelhead will follow current seams. It’s got some oxygen in it, yet it’s the path of least resistance.”
Nicol said it is important to read the rod tip to see you have the right amount of line out.
“Watch your rod. You’re going to get a constant little thump. The plug is down there wiggling side to side. If the rods is thumping, then it stops, or the bend comes out of the rod, that is happening when your plug is making contact with the bottom. If you’ve got the rod in the holder and the current is moving and your rod is just thumping a nice consistent thump, nothing changes, it’s very consistent, you’re probably not on the bottom. That’s not a good thing.”
“Seeing the rod tip change action is a good thing because it confirms you’re in the zone,” he said. “Those steelhead, their bellies are going to be right there in the sand or rocks.”
Nicol said trolling for summer steelhead on an incoming tide works, but it is harder to find the fish because their behavior is different on a flood tide.
“If you’re going to troll a spinner for summer steelhead, use shades of red, orange or pink,” he said. “Probably my favorite would be just a solid brass in a No. 4 or a No. 3, or even a No. 5. Just a solid brass Colorado blade..I like brass that is hammered — a gold or brass in No. 3 or No. 4 and use orange, red or pink beads.”
Among his other tips:
o He’s not a fan of hoochies on spinners.
o He adds an extra split on to the back hooks of his plugs.
o He uses 24 to 30 inches on his dropper and 4 to 6 feet leaders when using weight.
o He’s not a fan of using coonstripe shrimp for summer steelhead.
“I find a lot of trash fish like coon shrimp, too, but they definitely will work.”
