Lower Columbia (Buoy 10)
First things first - when & where you can
fish: It is common for WDFW & ODFW to open this fishery
August 1st & close it near Labor Day, but the closure is very dependant on the
projected run, quota set & the actual total catch. The best fishing does not
usually start on the opener, but picks up within a week or two, depending on
the weather & run size.
There is a agreement between the two states called shared jurisdiction. What
this means is that a Washington angler can fish in a BOAT in Oregon waters, &
the other way around. You can also launch on either shore & fish, with either
license. HOWEVER, you CANNOT bank fish on a shore that you are NOT licensed
for.
Washington & now Oregon have fishing regulations in effect on the river as
described by the new Oregon regulations. "Each angler aboard a vessel may
continue to use angler gear until the daily limit of fish for all legally
licensed & juvenile anglers aboard has been achieved. However no individual
angler may exceed any personal daily bag limit.
In the chart below, the buoy 10 north south line is very close
to the LH edge of the picture.
When to fish: The best
time to fish this area would be for on a low slack tide at early morning,
Fish from Buoy 10 at the start of the incoming tide & slide upriver along a
rip, as the tide comes in. Fish from Chinook to the Washington side of
Astoria bridge up until & thru the high slack. You can then mooch back the
outgoing tide in 30' of water off the "Church". For the Oregon boaters, the
main shipping channel from buoy 20 up to 29 seem to be productive.
Weather Conditions:
The weather here can at times be windy & therefore choppy enough that the
average small boater should be very observant. If you are on the middle of the
river & the wind comes up, it will behoove you to move closer to your launch
point before it gets dangerously rough.
The wind typically picks up between 1:00 & 3:00pm and depending on the tide,
especially if it is in the middle of an outgoing tide, there WILL be
chop on the water when you head back if you launch at any of the first two
launches listed below. With a smaller or an open boat you WILL get wet.
This wind usually dies down later in the evening, usually around 7:00PM.
A deep 16’ boat would be considered minimal, and it should be mandatory
operational bilge pump and a fully functioning kicker motor be attached &
ready. A convertible top can be a of a help if you are running with any chop
on the water. A VHF radio would be mandatory.
Water Conditions: This is
a large river with LOTS of water moving during any exchange. A small skipper
miscalculation or inattention for a moment could be deadly. It is prudent to
have all on board wear a Personal Floatation Devise. The
new suspender inflatable type are becoming more popular since the Coast Guard
has now approved them, (if being worn).
Commercial Vessel Traffic:
One thing to keep in mind is that this whole river is a means of commercial
water travel for many different types of vessels, including ocean going ships
& tugs. The normal shipping lane depths may be dredged & kept at a minimum of
40 ft. The ships will be coming in at any time of tide but upriver & downriver
traffic can increase during the high tide. These shipping lanes are just like
a highway, with upriver designated for the Oregon side, & downriver designated
for the Washington side of the lane.
If you as a small boater plan on fishing & or anchoring near these shipping
lanes, it may be a good idea to become familiar with the US Coast Guard "Rules
of the Road" as far as who has right of way & the boat whistles governing
them.
Method of Fishing: Most
of this Salmon fishing will be trolling a whole or a cut-plug herring off a
diver trolled with from 25’ to 40’ of line out. The use of a Fish Flash
no-drag flasher has now become widespread. When using it behind a diver, you
may need tie a short length of line (12") between the diver & the Fish Flash
to allow it to get out of the diver’s turbulence so that the Flash will rotate
properly.
An Apex plug in chrome, blue prism/chrome or a Coyote spoon in cop car, or glo
in the dark green/white can also be very productive here using the diver, or
off a downrigger if you are fishing an area that is out of the heavy
concentration of boats.
Mooching a cut-plug herring is of course another viable method practiced by
some.
Where to fish: Close to
Buoy 10 can be called "Combat Fishery", meaning the boats will be maneuvering,
trolling/mooching in close proximity to each other, & some boat operators do
not watch where they are going. Charter boats seem to tend to squeeze the
sport boats, with their rods almost touching the smaller boats. Others boaters
may seem to not be aware of what is going on around them, as when a big fish
is being played within 20' of their boat. This can be compared to a large
dance with MOST of the boats all hopefully going the same large circle & close
to each other. Occasionally a blind operator may want to troll across thru the
trollers or a mooching dance floor, which may even get more than under the
breath exclamations toward him. It is not uncommon to look out & see 300+
boats in an area of 1/2 mile. One thing, if anyone fell overboard, they would
not be in the water over a few minutes.
Most Salmon fishing early in the season will be near Buoy 10 at low incoming
tide, some prefer just north near buoy 11, while others prefer near or south
of buoy 10. When fishing for Chinook early in the season, a trend is to be at
buoy 10 at low incoming tide & allow the tide to carry you upriver along the
Oregon side, (buoy 12) sliding across & over to the Washington side just above
Chinook. There seems to be good bait holding spots off the breakwater piling
#1, #3, & #5 on the Washington side near both Big & Little Sand Islands & up
to the Chinook entrance on the high ebb.
When the Coho are in, they of course will be intercepted first at the buoy 10
"Firing Line", then they follow a rip upriver as the tide comes in. Later on
in the tide & or season, the fish seem to congregate near the northern end of
the Astoria/Megler bridge.
The worst, as far as concentration of boats, will be near Buoy #10, which is
the westernmost WDFW /ODFW boundary & the first shot at these returning fish.
It seems to be human nature to be there at the starting gates when the gun
goes off. The jetties' shore ends, would be about between buoy #11 on the
north & buoy & #12 on the south. Buoy #10 is located about 1 mile outside or
west of these two buoys. This area, however, seems to be one of the best
locations to fill a limit. Most of the charter boats will work this area.
Many people will bypass the buoy area & fish upriver near the middle of the
river and near where the the "Yellow Can" (D) buoy, 46-14-40 123-57-30, used
to be, (they have removed it in the last few of years). It still shows on some
older charts, which designates a dredge dumping area and is in 25-30'. It is
about 1/2 mile off the breakwater near the town of Chinook entrance.
There is also a 50'/60' slot at the "Church Hole" which is between the Chinook
entrance & upriver to the bridge on the Washington side, where many chinook
Salmon are taken. There is a old church on the Washington shore that is right
on the shore & its steeple is very visible, hence the name. The charts may
only say "Spire" on the shore in this location. The other area where many fish
are taken is again from the church to the bridge but farther away from shore
in the 30' slot just downstream of the bridge where the high bridge spans meet
the lower pilinged spans.
Some nice chinook have been pulled by back bouncing a herring along the bottom
thru this Church Hole slot on an outgoing tide.
As the tide nears & goes into high slack, the fish then seem
to congregate above the bridge & up to the WDOT rest area.
There seems to be an imaginary line from the Washington side high spanned
section of the bridge to Tongue Point that the upriver Salmon seem to follow
and cross over the shallows at high tide to the main channel on the Oregon
side. The few that stay near the Washington shore in the upper end of the bay,
will probably be Deep River or Grays River fish.
The river's deeper channel splits at about the Chinook entrance. It is wide &
deep enough at this area that many fishermen do not realize this split takes
place. The main shipping channel follows the Oregon shore up past Astoria,
Tongue Point & on east of Rice Island & then onward toward Cathlamet. The
center of the river below & above the bridge are dotted with sand spits at low
tide.
The deeper water on the Washington side terminates above the bridge just above
the WDOT rest area. This channel is sometimes called the "Blind Channel". This
shallower channel then runs upriver toward Portuguese Point & then on into the
mouth of Deep River & Grays River
The water temperature recorded at Bonneville Dam this time of the year usually
will be 70 to 72 degrees, but on the incoming tide at Illwaco, the cooler (56
degree) ocean water will come in & back upriver on the high tide, cooling the
river water to below 60. As the tide turns and starts running back out the
temperature will raise to about 62-65 degrees. Once the fish move above this
cooler water where there isn't the cooler salt mix, this is really warmer for
them to comfortably stay in. So the early fall chinook above this estuary will
more than likely then be found in the deeper holes or at the mouths of the
rivers dumping into the Columbia.
Boat launches in the area:
There are many launches on both the Washington & Oregon side of the river in
this vicinity.
(1) Illwaco:: Port of Illwaco 165 Howerton Ave., Illwaco, WA 98624
360-642-3143 $5.00
(2) Fort Canby:: (State
Park)
$5.00
(3) Chinook:: Port of Chinook 1 Portland St., Chinook, WA 98614
360-777-8797 $5.00
(4) Deep River:: Eva's Bait & Tackle 121 Onieda Rd., Naselle, WA 98638
360-465-2582 $5.00
(5) Cathlamet:: Elochoman Marina P.O. Box 651, Cathlamet, WA 98612
360-795-3501 $3.00
(6) Hammond:: Hammond Marina 1099 Iredale St., Hammond, OR 97121
503-861-319 $5.00
with a parking fee of $5.00
(7) Warrenton:: Warrenton Marina 550 NE Harbor Pl., Warrenton, OR 97146
503-861-3822,
harbormaster's cell 503-791-1925 launch fee $5.00
(8) Skipanon Marina:: Skipanon Marina 200 NE Skipanon Drive,
Warrenton, OR 97146 503-861-0362
(9) Youngs bay Yacht Club:: Youngs Bay Park Astoria, OR
503-325-7275 free
(10) John Day River (Tongue Pt) (county
launch) $3.00
The launch at Illwaco is off the main road into town just after you drop down
off the hill, take a left at the sign that says launching ramp. If you miss
that, then just go to the stop light, turn left and the frontage road at the
dock area, follow it to the eastern end & around the boat basin to the launch
on the south east side. There is a nice new two lane ramp, also a sling, &
with lots of paved parking.
For Fort Canby, you have to go west thru the town of Illwaco, at the stop
light, west & south & then back east, winding thru the park then down to the
ramp. The State Parks is planning to improve this launch in the early summer
of 2004. The plans are to install a 3rd lane & to increase parking.
The Chinook launch is off Portland Street. It has a new concrete ramp and a
sling, parking has been expanded & some overflow is along the streets. Also
the channel out of the Chinook harbor was being dredged as of 9-08-03, so
navigating out of here for the small boat should be a lot better.
Bait: Bait is available
at both Illwaco or Chinook thru Ed's bait. The Illwaco location is open at
5:00AM & is on a dock that is close to the launch area. The Chinook location
is out of a small grocery store on the west side of the main road north of the
launch road. It is the Chinook Country Store, phone 360-777-2248, you can call
ahead before closing time which is around 7:30PM & reserve bait for the next
day. There are other bait shops in Chinook, one being on the main road in
town, & the other on Portland Street, which is the entrance to the Chinook
boat launch.
Gas: The
fuel dock at Illwaco is just north of the launch ramp & sling.
The other alternative is Deep River:
It takes about 30 minutes for the average boat to run from this launch
downriver to the Astoria bridge. This launch is located off State Highway 4
between Naselle & Cathlamet. If you are coming from Longview on Highway 4, you
would go thru Cathlamet, Skamokawa, up over a large hill, & there is a
community called Rosburg. The next river you cross will be Deep River, this is
a low concrete bridge. This is 25 miles from Cathlamet. TAKE A LEFT AT THE
WEST END OF THE BRIDGE ONTO ONIEDA RD.
The pay/bait shack is on the top of a hill a couple of miles south of the
hiway & before you get to the ramp area. Launch fee is $5 and camping is $10,
or $13 with power. Eva, the lady that runs it, makes a trip to Chinook every
morning & has fresh bait at about 5:30AM during the season. This is a private
blacktop ramp, small loading dock, & a reasonable parking lot. But a large
mowed field behind the dike road is an overflow lot of about 5 acres with room
for dry camping.
This launch is popular with Sturgeon fishermen as well as Salmon fishermen &
this time of the year you may have to wait to launch or load at the prime
times. There is not enough dock area (only 2 to 3 boats) to tie up to & then
only for launching & loading purposes. You would have to load your boat back
on the trailer if you were going to stay overnight. They do not allow power
loading because the rock off the end of the ramp can be washed out. There are
Sanicans for restrooms here. A fish cleaning station is also provided.
The one drawback here is at a LOW minus tide, the channel as you enter the bay
is navigable, but narrow by some standards. There are three deadhead logs that
have one end floating, but they appear to not be submerged at high tide & are
always showing. One is near #16 in the center of the channel & the others are
between Rocky Pt & Portuguese Point in more open water.
The piling markers for the Deep River channel seem to use their own numbers, &
after you get in the bay some of these numbers may be repeated.
When you run out of the river from the launch & enter the bay you need to
follow the piling markers close, stay on the right hand side going out, water
depth will be between 6' & 9' on a normal low tide. These markers are all
within sight of each other (150 yds) unless you get fog, which may be
occasionally in the mornings. The 1st piling out will be #16, then #14, & then
#12. From here you start into a right hand corner to #10. Between #10 & #8 is
where it is sanded in. If you swing toward the RH shore from #12 to loop
around #10, then toward #8, staying to it's right, you will be in deep enough
water to travel. Now from here you can follow the RH shore piling on down to
Rocky Point. Do not hold tight to the shore marker here, as it sits on a rock
outcropping near shore. Make another right hand corner beyond the point & head
Southwest for about 500yd to within 100yd of that shore. You will turn to the
left & head South keeping the shore on your right, heading toward but keeping
west of piling marker #14A, which is about 150 yards off the shore.
GPS readings for the marker piling for the Deep River channel are as follows.
#16 = 46-18-58 123-42-61
#14 = 46-18-36 123-42-56
#12 = 46-18-13 123-42-62
# 8 = 46-17-31 123-43-62
The point of land here is Portuguese Point, a flat grassy area with the #14A
off shore on one side & #13 around the corner next to the shore. A different
piling marker #12 is out away from the shore & downstream. Around here is
where some Sturgeon fishing usually takes place. There is a 90' hole off the
point, most Sturgeon are not caught in the hole, but around the edges of it,
or into the 14A channel & then down to the #12 piling.
From Portuguese Point, you can see the Astoria bridge, to run to the bridge,
head to the north end of it, keeping the WA shore on your right & don't expect
to approach anywhere near the center of the river or cross over if you are
using a prop driven boat.
Later when the DFW closes the Buoy 10 area, you will have to fish above Rocky
Point on the Washington side to Tongue Point on the Oregon side. The middle of
the river above & below the Astoria bridge gets shallow & changes yearly, & at
a LOW tide it may have much sand showing, so it is not really practical expect
to cross over to fish the main channel above Tongue Point from the Deep River
side with a prop boat. Therefore it might be best at that time to launch at
Tongue Point or at Cathlamet & run downriver.
The one good thing about this upper area is that if you use it to fish down
to, or below the bridge, WHEN the wind picks up in the afternoon below the
bridge, you can then slide back upriver toward the launch without bucking any
rough water. And as you head back upriver above the bridge the water
conditions usually lessen. Then from Portuguese Point to Rocky Point you can
drop in & fish for Sturgeon if the season is open.
Misc.: Numerous motels,
RV parks, gas & accommodations are available at Illwaco or just north into
Seaview & the Long Beach peninsula. Others are West into the town of Chinook.
Usually the RV & motel accommodations are booked solid for week-ends many
months ahead during this season.
There are restaurants or cafes & motels in Ilwaco, Seaview, Chinook, &
Naselle & at of course a Mini Market or two.
For those of you who have communication radios in board, VHF channel 68, 69 or
72, with CB channel 6 or 10 seem to be the chatter channels.
last updated 08-16-04
LeeRoy Wisner
