Columbia River Spring King Salmon Report 3.28.16

Catching King Salmon on the Lower Columbia Now through April 9th.

I don't even know what Ryan puts in his bait but he sure has the Columbia River dialed in like no other.  He is meticulous when it comes to where the bait comes from, who ties the tackle and his closely guarded herring brine that is irresistible to King Salmon each spring.  Groups of up to 6 more than welcomed to come and fish in what is quite possibly the nicest boat you will see on the river this season at Portland.The perfect trip for the whole family - and just in time for SPRING BREAK!!  Easy fishing, catching and the best quality king salmon you can catch ANYWHERE!Fish now through April 9th in the Morning or Afternoon.  TEXT: 253-389-0359 or:  BOOK ONLINE HERE

Preparing for a Successful Fishing Trip

Preparing for a Successful Fishing Trip

Preparation on your part will lead to a successful day on the water!

For literally 4 years Casey has been asking me to make a one page handout that will list everything you need to bring for your fishing trip.  Every time I start the task it just seemed too overwhelming especially when trying to explain these things to someone who may have never fished before.  This is meant to be a more comprehensive list than the basic items such as license, rain gear and lunch that you’ve seen over and over on confirmation emails over the years.  So here is my first attempt and I am sure we will update this list in the future.

When you book a fishing trip with us you are booking a day on the water with an experienced fishing guide who fishes almost every day of the year and has for many many years.  The things that are natural to us like what to wear and bring on a trip, we realize, may not be second nature for people who only get out once a year or even 12 times a year.  Additionally the guide’s number one priority after Safety is for you to catch fish and have fun.  It takes 100% of their focus to keep you on the fish - they often don’t have enough energy/time to focus on some of the times listed below.  So I am going to try and communicate these things in advance of your fishing trip so you are prepared to catch fish and the guide can focus on catching you fish.

We’ve compiled a list of tips and tricks that go above and beyond the minimum requirements and will contribute to you, your friends and your family having an excellent day on the water.

Fishing license with the proper endorsements that coincide with the river you are fishing.

Catch record cards for salmon and steelhead and Columbia River Endorsements are usually required in addition to a freshwater and/or saltwater license.  Pens that works in the rain to mark your catch after each fish.  Familiarize yourself with the catch record cards and codes for the areas you will be fishing ahead of time if you plan on keeping fish.

Rain gear with boots or fishing waders.  Light weight rain gear or waders are usually better than very bulky or heavy alternatives.  

Whatever you’d like to eat or drink for the day in a small backpack.  A small backpack can easily be stowed out of the way of the activities occurring throughout the day catching fish.  Suitcases and large coolers are usually too big to bring on most boats.

Sunglasses. Polarized sunglasses are a plus.  Even if the sun only comes out ½ the time - when it’s sunny and the sun is glaring off the boat and the water you will be very happy you remembered your sunglasses.  Holders/lanyards to sunglasses and/or glasses are also a great idea since you are engaging in a sporting activity while fishing.  

Sunblock/Sunscreen and a wide brimmed hat.  Remember to apply sunscreen to all parts of your body that are exposed to the sun.  The sun can be extra damaging when reflecting off of the water.

Hand warmers. Disposable hand warmers can start the morning off on a great note if you’re fishing in the Fall/Winter/Spring.  Having a stash of hand warmers in your backpack for the day is always a great idea.

Have a suitable sized cooler with ice ready in your car to get your freshly caught fish home.  The fish you will be catching will range from 5-45lbs so make sure your cooler is big enough.  .

Faceshield.  These are very light and inexpensive but are more than worth their weight in gold on a cold morning or blazing hot sunny afternoon.

Dress in layers - it can be 30 degrees in the morning and 60 degrees in the afternoon.  Your comfort is very important and helps you to stay mentally prepared to catch fish.

Nitrile gloves will keep your hands warm and dry and will allow you to actively catch fish without getting in the way like bulky gloves will.

All children 12 years and younger or who are not adult sized must bring and wear life jackets.  We have required life jackets on board for adults and may start offering automatically inflatable life vests for regular daily use in the near future.  

Come well rested and excited for a day of catching fish and having FUN.  A great attitude is often one of the biggest factors which will contribute to a successful day on the water.  

This Guy is Always Perfectly Prepared!

(Howard and Kevin can skip this section)  We usually recommend that you leave your own fishing gear at home if you’re coming on a guided trip with us.  There are so many different weights and brands of fishing line these days that the same weight rating for different brands often varies greatly.  One of the biggest problems occurs when the line on your reel is lighter than that of our leaders.  This causes the entire line to snap off when you lose a fish or hit a snag and leads to more time being spent tying up new gear that could be spent catching fish. You can’t catch fish if you don’t have gear in the water.  Your guides will have multiple fishing rods tied up with multiple set ups ready to fish the morning of your trip.  

Make sure your phone is fully charged before starting your trip.  Some of our newer boats do have phone chargers but this is never a guarantee and most fishing boats do not have chargers. Also be prepared to be out of cell coverage for at least 8 hours.  Some areas we fish do not have cell phone coverage.  

Seasickness.  Very rarely someone will get sea sick when fishing near Buoy 10 on the lower Columbia River where we customarily fish in August.  I have only heard of 1 person every getting sick on this trip but these tips could also be used for ocean charter fishing.  If you’re prone to seasickness the best advice is to take medication before your trip and to focus on stationary objects in the distance during your trip.  If you do get seasick and are going on an ocean charter bring some comfort items with you such as your favorite beverage or snack and a neck pillow.  (I will follow this advice on my next ocean trip)

If you have any questions before your fishing trip please respond to your confirmation email with your questions so I will have a better idea of who you are and when and where you will be fishing.

We know you have waited a long time for your upcoming fishing trip and are really excited and look forward to having a great time and catching fish.  Hopefully one of these tips will add a little more comfort and success to your day on the water.

BOOK A SALMON OR STEELHEAD TRIP FOR SPRING 2016 HERE

2016 Columbia River Spring Chinook Seasons Announced

GREAT NEWS from WDFW Regarding the upcoming and highly anticipated Columbia River Spring Chinook Returns for 2016.  In a nutshell - the best news is for the Cowlitz and Kalama Rivers which are both expecting near record returns of Spring Chinook this April-June.  Book a Cowlitz or Kalama River Spring Chinook Fishing Trip ONLINE HERE

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VANCOUVER, Wash. – Anticipating a return of 299,200 adult spring chinook salmon, fishery managers from Washington and Oregon today set this year’s initial fishing season to run through April 9 on the lower Columbia River.

In addition, representatives from the two states agreed to close the winter sturgeon retention fishery in the Bonneville Pool effective Feb. 8 and approved a six-hour recreational smelt season Feb. 6 on the Cowlitz River.

Here are the major provisions of those agreements:

• Spring chinook: From March 1 through April 9, anglers fishing downriver from Bonneville Dam may retain one marked, hatchery-reared adult spring chinook as part of their daily catch limit. The fishery will be open to both boat and bank anglers upriver to Beacon Rock, and – for bank anglers only – from there upriver to the fishing boundary just below the dam.
  
  The sport fishery will close in all areas of the lower Columbia River on two Tuesdays – March 29 and April 5 – to accommodate potential commercial fisheries.
  
  Upstream of Bonneville Dam, anglers may retain one hatchery-reared adult spring chinook per day from March 16 through May 6 between the Tower Island powerlines and the Washington/Oregon state line. Bank anglers using hand-casted gear (no boats) can also fish from Bonneville Dam upriver to the Tower Island powerlines during that time.
  
  Barbless hooks are required to fish for spring chinook in the Columbia River and anglers must release any salmon or steelhead not visibly marked as a hatchery fish by a clipped adipose fin.

• Sturgeon: The recreational sturgeon retention fishery between Bonneville Dam and The Dalles Dam will close Feb. 8. By that time, fishery managers expect that anglers will have reeled in 140 sturgeon from those waters, leaving 185 available for a one-or-two day fishery in summer. Catch-and-release fishing remains an option until then.

• Smelt: As in the past two years, fishery managers approved a limited fishery for smelt on the Cowlitz River to help gather data on the species’ abundance. Recreational smelt dipping will be restricted to the hours of 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6. The limit per person is 10 pounds – about one-quarter of a five-gallon bucket. Smelt dipping is not allowed from boats.
  
  To support the data-collection effort, the two states also approved a limited gillnet fishery for smelt in February on the lower Columbia River. The area’s smelt population was listed as threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act in 2010, but runs have shown some signs of improvement since then.

Fishing rules reflecting these actions are available on the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife’s (WDFW) website at https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/

Fishing for spring chinook is currently open on a daily basis from Buoy 10 near the mouth of the Columbia River upstream to the Interstate 5 Bridge, although the bulk of the run doesn’t arrive until mid-March when the new fishing rules will be in effect.

Catch guidelines approved for the popular fishery will allow anglers fishing below Bonneville Dam to catch approximately 9,100 hatchery-raised “springers” before an updated run forecast is completed in late April or early May.

Another 1,000 adult upriver chinook are reserved for anglers fishing upriver from Bonneville Dam to the Washington/Oregon state line, 17 miles above McNary Dam. Additional fish have also been reserved for the Snake River sport fishery.

After banner spring chinook returns in each of the past two years, the projected run of 299,200 adult fish for 2016 is still slightly above the recent 10-year average, said Ron Roler, WDFW Columbia River policy manager. However, while this year’s projected run of upriver fish is down by about 100,000 fish from last year, he said returns to some tributaries – notably the Cowlitz and Kalama rivers – show an increase this year.

“Salmon returns rise and fall from year to year, especially during the kind of cyclical ocean changes we’re seeing right now,” Roler said. “Even so, if this run comes in as projected, it will still be the ninth-largest return in more than 25 years. We’re expecting plenty of fish to support a great fishing season.”

As in previous years, Washington and Oregon will manage the fishery with a 30 percent buffer on the upriver chinook forecast until the results of the in-season run update are known.

“We’ll continue to take a conservative approach in managing the fishery,” Roler said. “If the fish return at or above expectations, we will look toward providing additional days of fishing on the river later in the spring.”

Cowlitz River Winter Steelhead

Anxiety levels are high!  We're only weeks or possibly days away from the flood of returning winter steelhead on the Cowlitz River!!

All of our Cowlitz River Fishing Guides have their big jet boats ready, engines tuned, leaders tied and new rods in stock to provide you with the best that the Cowlitz River has to offer.

You and your friends, family and customer will LOVE fishing with our Cowlitz River Guides.  We have guides Casey and Ryan with very nice big roomy sleds.  We have a 2 year old 20ft Wooldridge for smaller groups, a 24ft Willie Raptor for medium groups and a whopping 26ft 2015 Wooldridge sled for big groups.  We can even put two boats together for extra large outings.

The smolt plants on the Cowlitz River have remained at a very high level, around 700,000 fish, for winter steelhead for many years.  This year is the first year there are no fish returning for the A run which historically showed up earlier in the year.  So this year the Cowlitz River 2016 returning steelhead will all be coming in big waves starting sometime in early February and fishing will be red hot through April.

All of our steelhead fishing trips on the Cowlitz River start out at the Blue Creek Boat Launch.  We run up and down the river casting hand tied leaders, home cured bait (secret recipe) and gear to help you catch these beautiful winter steelhead.

We typically meet just before dark and you can plan on fishing for 8 hours or until you catch your limits of winter steelhead.  There is a really big WDFW parking lot at the Blue Creek Boat Launch o be sure to bring the parking pass that come with your fishing license.

WHAT:  Cowlitz River Winter Steelhead 2016

WHEN:  Early February through April

WHERE:  Blue Creek Boat Launch located on Osprey Ln Toledo,WA 98591

WHAT TO BRING:  Rain gear, boots, lunch.  Fishing license with catch record card for salmon and steelhead, Columbia River Endorsement, parking pass, camera and a cooler to get your fish home.  Be sure any kids bring and wear life jackets.  Sunglasses and sunscreen/protection are also recommended.

GROUP SIZE:  We can accomodate groups of up to 10 total people fishing in two boats. If you book a group of 3 people you get the boat to yourself with your guide.  Individual boats can hold a maximum of 4 and 6 people.

LIMITS:  The limit on the Cowlitz River for the Winter 2016 steelhead is 2 hatchery steelhead per person.  Be sure to mark your catch - the catch record code for the Cowlitz River between the mouth and Mayfield dam is 561.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Buy Your Washington State Fishing License Online Here 

Check Cowlitz River River Flows

Check Weather forecasts for Toledo Area

Directions to the Blue Creek Boat Launch

WDFW Steelhead Smolt Counts for the Cowlitz River

Tacoma Power Weekly Fishing Reports

Waters West Guide Service Cowlitz River Fishing Reports

Sign up for our Newsletters for most up to date fishing reports and promo codes for special savings

Book a Cowlitz River Steelhead Fishing Trip Online Here

Or Call/txt/email anytime with any questions:

jessica@fishwaterswest.com
253-389-0359

Three Fishing Trips YOU Must Book For Yourself NOW for the New Year

Your Love of Fishing will translate into a Successful trip because You booked one of these Prime fishing trips.

Winter Steelhead
When: November-April.  Some of the coastal rivers will start seeing catchable numbers of winter steelhead as early as November each year.  Other rivers on the peninsula won't start producing until January.  The Cowlitz River will be very good beginning in February and stays good clear through April.  The Humptulips, Satsop and Wynoochee Rivers are currently producing limits or near limits daily now.

Where:  Wynoochee through March and the Cowlitz through April

Why:  The Cowlitz and Wynoochee Rivers get the biggest returns of winter steelhead each year for their river sizes.  These rivers are easy to access with lots of public and private launching and fishing opportunities.  We catch 2 or 3 salt fish on these rivers almost daily.  The Wynoochee run is already in thick as of January 1st, 2016 and the Cowlitz will be good starting sometime in early February.  LINK TO SMOLT COUNTS

King Salmon
When:  Spring and Fall - the Chinook or King Salmon run in Washington State is broken up into 3 distinct runs of salmon.  There is Spring King Salmon aka Springers, Summer Salmon aka June Hogs and Fall Salmon frequently referred to as Fall Chinook.  

Where:  The best king salmon fishing can be achieve on the Columbia River and it's tributaries as well as the Humptulips Rivers.  We fish the Columbia River in March through August for King Salmon as well as it's tributaries including the Cowlitz, Willamette, Wind River and Drano Lake.  BUOY 10 is a very popular place to fish the Months of July and August for King Salmon near Astoria, Oregon.

Why:  King Salmon are high on the list of every anglers dream fish.  They are the biggest of all the salmonid species and are abundant in Western Washington and Oregon Rivers for 10 months of the year.


Humptulips River King Salmon
When:  September 1st-November 20th.  The Humptulips River opens annually on or around September 1st for the retention of King and Coho Salmon.  The Humptulips River is famous for producing huge king salmon and lots of coho and chum salmon each fall.  Besides Buoy 10 this is our most popular king salmon fishery of the year.  We catch King salmon here every year through Thanksgiving but the best months are September and October.


Where:   The Humptulips River is located in Grays Harbor County north of Hoquiam, Washington and east of Pacific Beach, WA.  Lots of people stay in Hoquiam or the Ocean Beaches for this fishery.

Why:  HUGE KING SALMON fishing on a remote creek -  you will love it!


CLICK HERE TO BOOK ONLINE >>

Or Call text email anytime: 253-389-0359

Winter Steelhead Fishing in Washington State 2016 - Smolt Counts

We've already seen some 2016 hatchery steelhead showing up in the coastal and Cowlitz Rivers in November/December 2015.   We've received draft smolt plants from 2014 which is the number of steelhead released from hatcheries for expected return in the 2015/16 winter season.

First Winter Steelhead of the Year Caught on the Humptulips River with Fishing Guide Casey 

We are very happy to see that the high number of hatchery steelhead smolts released into our favorite winter fisheries are comparable to previous years!!

Wynoochee River 2014 Smolts Released for 2015 Returning Winter Season: 171,730
Cowlitz River 2014 Smolts Released for 2015 Returning Winter Season:  747,185
Humptulips River "        "   :  130,000
Satsop River:  "         "  :  57,200

We are very excited to get you out and help you catch these steelhead that were released into the rivers to return fresh from the ocean for YOU to catch!

The Wynoochee and Humptulips rivers are best December-March and there are always winter run caught as early as November with summer run also being caugh in November on the Wynoochee.

The Cowlitz is best for Winter Steelhead December-April.  In the past the bulk of the first run was in December and the bulk of the second run started in February - with easy limits being caught through April and into May.

For the Wynoochee River we are going to meet at the Chevron in Montesano or the Black Creek Boat Launch.  For the Cowlitz we usually meet at the Blue Creek Boat Launch.

It's going to be another great season with a skilled team of guides to lead you to fish!  Come fish with the Waters West Team - Legendary Sport Fishing at it's Best!

Grays Harbor Fall Salmon Season 2015 Reflections

We have been on a bit of a wild ride this season.  Our fall salmon season usually consists of targeting Coho and King Salmon, but this year the Coho Salmon returns were much lower than expected.  Due to unfavorable ocean conditions and possibly other factors the actual returns of coho salmon were much lower than average this year as you can see from the best available source the Bonneville Dam Fish Counts.  The red line shows that this years' returns were much lower than last years' blue line and well below the 10 year average represented by the green line.

The Grays Harbor rivers including the Chehalis, Satsop, Wynoochee and Humptulips are our home rivers.  We can usually plan on staying close to home and catching lots of King and Coho salmon in September-December each year.  The local fisheries are co-managed by the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Quinault Tribe.  The Quinault Tribe has treaty rights to use gill nets to fish the same rivers we guide all of you on using hook, rod and reel and many locals fish year after year to provide additional food and recreational opportunities for their families.

Chehalis River October 9th, 2015

October 26th, 2015 the state was forced by the Quinault Tribe to close all Grays Harbor River to all species of salmon retention.  At this point the rivers were still open for the retention of game fish aka steelhead.  We were very happy that we were at least able to target steelhead because there are always steelhead in the Wynoochee and we have lots of customers who like to fish our favorite river.  During the days before and after October 26th we saw helicopters flying over us as we fished from our tiny boats with hook, rod and reel.  Were they looking for spawning salmon from helicopters or trying to patrol sport fisherman?  We don't really know but it was sure intimidating.  Then on October 30th the WDFW closed all Grays Harbor Rivers to ALL fishing.  Again they said they were forced to do this by the Quinault Tribal Fisheries Managers.

Chehalis River September 30th, 2015

On November 7th two small stretches of the Humptulips and Satsop Rivers re-opened for sport fishing for hatchery coho and steelhead.  The Wynoochee, lower Humptulips and Chehalis remained closed which are staples for the sport fishing community.

Humptulips River November 26th, 2015

Right now the Chehalis River is open for commercial gill netting by the Quinault Tribe.  They are allowed to used gill nets to catch fish in the Chehalis River just downstream of the Wynoochee River.  All of the Coho Salmon and Steelhead returning to the upper Chehalis, Satsop and Wynoochee have to pass the Quinault Tribes gill nets.  Sport fisherman are not allowed to fish the upper Chehalis, Satsop or Wynoochee Rivers.

As of December 3rd the rumors are that the WDFW will re-open these rivers on December 16th for hatchery coho and/or steelhead for sport fishing.

Humptulips River December 2nd, 2015

In closing we are a team of guides with families to support so we don't have the luxury of doing anything other than providing guided fishing trips where the tribe and WDFW allow us to fish.  We only have to catch 2 fish per person on most days and that is pretty easy to accomplish even with very low returning coho salmon.  We've had a banner coho salmon season and are grateful for everyone who has come out 1, 2 or 3 times this season and are also grateful that we have at least two small stretches of river to fish that just happen to be loaded with fall salmon.  If anyone reading this has the power or authority to affect change please do.  We will all be voting for those who support sport fishing.  We thank you all again for your support this season and look forward to seeing you all soon!