The fishing at Buoy 10 has seen some challenges this year, with unseasonably cool temps and foul weather contributing to a slow bite.
The fishing is now picking up, and it looks good through the end of the Chinook retention season which closes on Sept. 4.
The regulations at Buoy 10 require anglers to release wild, unclipped Chinook through Aug. 29. From Aug. 30 through Sept. 3, anglers may keep any Chinook, clipped or not.
The storms and cooler weather seem to have the fish moving quickly through the Buoy 10 area, and they are already showing up in good numbers near Vancouver.
According to Ryan Lothrop, the Columbia River fisheries manager for the WDFW, the fishery is tracking very close to the expected catches.
“Catch rates have been right where we expected them to be at this point,” said Lothrop.
He also noted that the mid-season salmon closure within the middle sections of the Columbia River is still a go, but there may be some relief for anglers, if the run comes in stronger than expected.
“It is still possible that the closure may be eliminated, or we may get a few days open in there,” he added.
The decision to keep the closure in place will be reviewed by a two-state compact, which will be held on Sept. 9 at the earliest.
Bill Monroe Jr., of Bill Monroe Outdoors, said the weather did hamper early efforts near Astoria during the first two weeks of the season, but that anglers were marking plenty of fish.
“It was a little bit better today,” Monroe said. “The incoming tide produced a bunch of fish.”
Even with the mark-selective fishery, Monroe was able to land good numbers of fin-clipped hatchery keeper Chinook. He said the best bite so far has come from fishing artificials.
“Super Baits, Spinfish, and spinners are the go-to right now, while anchovies and herring are still a little slow.”
The Super Baits and Spinfish are plug-like plastic lures that can be filled with attractants such as bait fish or tuna. These lures have changed the game at Buoy 10, which used to be dominated by trolling plug-cut herring or anchovies.
“Because it is such a big tide series right now, its brutal to fish,” he said. “We have a much more calm tide series starting this Friday where we will go to the smaller tides. With that maybe the Buoy 10 bite might not be as good, but we are going to fish the checkerboard, and we are going to fish Hammond. Hammond is very good right now.”
While the ocean fishing was opened recently for four days, Monroe reported that conditions in the ocean were too rough for most anglers.
While Monroe is sticking with the Buoy 10 area, some guides have already moved upstream where they can keep unclipped Chinook.
The most sought-after fall Chinook are the upriver brights, and most of those are wild-spawned fish. Returning these fine eating fish to the river has been difficult for some anglers.
Fishing guide Cameron Black of Gone Catchin’ Guide Service was finishing up with his last day at Buoy 10 this past Thursday. He has also been fishing upriver for a few days now, and has liked what he has seen.
“Down there, (Buoy 10) in years past it’s been pretty good, but not as good this year,” Black said. “The weather has been more mid-September than mid-August, and that has the fish moving upriver fast.”
He has been finding success in the upper reaches, and he is happy to be able to keep those un-clipped Chinook. The upper sections of the lower Columbia do not require that anglers release wild Chinook.
Black reports that the low mark rate at Buoy 10 began to frustrate him, and he got tired of returning all those quality Chinook to the river.
The most successful catch rates have come from fishing from Warrior Rock up to Rainier, but anglers are doing well in the Vancouver-area hog lines as well. Fishing in these areas should continue to improve over the next two weeks.
Monroe is looking forward to those last four days of the Buoy 10 season, when the fishery becomes non-select.
“When we switch over to non-select it will be game on,” Monroe said. “I will be fishing among the boats on the Oregon side. Those fish are coming in right in that channel and it’s going to get very good.”
He also notes that by that time the best patterns will have established themselves, and the angling should be excellent.
Once the Chinook season ends most anglers will follow those Chinook upriver. However, the middle sections below and above Bonneville Dam will close from Sept. 15 to the end of the month.
Coho returns will start to improve as September arrives, and the fishing will switch over to target the coho. It’s a good time to fish Buoy 10, since many anglers will leave the area by then.
Coho travel closer to the surface than the Chinook, and most anglers will shift their efforts into more shallow water.
Anglers are reminded that all salmon and steelhead fishing in the Columbia River requires the use of barbless hooks. All anglers in a boat may keep fishing until the boat limit has been reached.
Remember that although it is not legally required, fish that must be released should not be removed from the water, even for photos.
Anglers may not keep Chinook or coho jacks in the Buoy 10 fishery, but they can be kept in the upper sections of the Columbia. Every section of river has different regulations, so always check before fishing.
