No one expects the spring Chinook run of 2019 to be good. Yes, the run could beat projections, but even if that happens fishermen are not staring down a great run. With less fish in the river anglers will have to bring their best game if they want to catch many springers this year.
That not only means fishing well with proven techniques, but it also means fishing locations that will produce. For that reason, many anglers will look to the Willamette River in Oregon.
Columbia River fisheries are constrained by more impacts, and there are more stakeholders waiting for their fish. While the seasons have not yet been set, it is possible anglers will see a short season on the Columbia.
“We may not get to fish that first week of April,” said Bill Monroe Jr. of Bill Monroe Outdoors. “If we don’t get that April week on the Columbia, people are going to have to learn the Willamette.”
Willamette River opportunities
The Willamette is attractive for a number of reasons. First, the river is expected to remain open for spring Chinook all season, with no closures, seven days a week. Also, the daily limit is two hatchery Chinook as opposed to the Columbia River’s one fish limit.
The projection for the Willamette spring run is 40,200 adults. That’s pretty poor by Willamette standards, but a lot of Columbia River salmon pull into the Willamette, too.
“Five out of ten spring Chinook caught out of the lower Willamette and the Multnomah Channel are Columbia River fish,” noted Monroe.
Even so, it will be more important than ever to fish efficiently.
“You will need to maximize your opportunities,” he said. “Springers are the hardest fish to catch, but are also the most worthwhile.”
Spring Chinook enter the rivers loaded with fats and oils that they will survive on until they spawn next fall. This makes them the best tasting of all salmon. A few ounces of springer fillet can cost you upwards of $24 at local restaurants.
“On a down year there are not going to be as many fish, so you are going to have to work harder, and spend more hours per fish,” Monroe added. “You’ll need to be persistent this year.”
Early season spots, tactics
Some of the best action takes place in the lower Willamette in the early season. Hotspots include the Portland Harbor and the Sellwood Bridge, areas where a few springers have already been caught.
Other good places include Kelly Point, Ross Island, downtown Portland, and the Multnomah Channel.
The run will peak in late April or early May, although fish will be available through June.
When trolling in the Columbia anglers are fishing right on the bottom with flashers and herring. However, Willamette fish often suspend in deep water, so dragging your gear along the bottom won’t work.
In spots where the springers stage, such as the Portland Harbor, Monroe will run his baits out with 20 feet off the line counter reels to start. He will adjust that depth to where he sees the fish suspending on his electronics, trolling mostly downstream.
Upriver near Sellwood, Monroe will shift to trolling along the bottom near the edge of underwater shelves. The deeper areas here can also produce springers by trolling at mid-depth. In the lower Multnomah Channel trolling along the bottom will work the best.
Discipline needed
A disciplined approach is what Lance Fisher of Lance Fisher Fishing promotes in tough years.
“When things are tough, people have a propensity toward experimentation,” said Fisher. “They get frustrated or bored, and they think, ‘oh, maybe this other thing will work.’ Only once in a while will that actually pay off.”
“The truth is that when it’s tough, you have to stay disciplined, and you have to do the things you do that catch 90 percent of your fish.”
Fisher likes to target the faster water up in Oregon City, where the river narrows. It is prime water for back trolling, or even back-bouncing up by the Willamette Falls.
This is expert’s water, though, and Fisher warns that it takes time to learn how to fish it. Newbies are often schooled by the old-timers, who have the nuances of the fickle river dialed in.
It’s not enough just to hook them, though, you also need to land your fish. Fisher has his techniques locked in for getting hooked fish into the net.
“I Feel pretty darn confident I’m not going to lose them,” said Fisher. “I’m going to be pretty efficient.”
This section is known to fish best once the water warms up, above at least 45 degrees.
Where ever you fish in the Willamette, and whatever technique you use, it is more important than ever this year to do what you do best, be that trolling or anything else.
“You might only have a few opportunities in a day if you do everything right,” said Fisher, “and if you are out there dinking around with something that you are not proficient at? There’s probably a reason you do not usually do it. You’re probably not good at it.”
“Do what your best at, stay disciplined, stay focused, and you will do alright,” he added.
Monroe is also a proponent of sticking with what you do best. His strongest advice?
“Just don’t give up!”
Guided trips: Bill Monroe Jr of Bill Monroe Outdoors, 503-702-4028.
Lance Fisher of Lance Fisher fishing: 866-674-6964.
