2022 Willamette/Columbia Spring Chinook Reports

If I can ever put the steelhead rods down, I plan on dedicating a week or two to honey do lists and then beginning my springer season. I know there has to be a few die hards who have been catching. Let’s share some reports!

I haven't put my steelhead rods down either. Not my video but I saw this a couple weeks ago...not sure if it counts as a report.

Nice!

Steelhead are my favorite fish to chase but I definitely got the springer bug last year too. It was my first season and for a half dozen trips I only hooked one fish trolling on my Old Town PDL120. Of course it was the day I left my net at home and I lost the fish trying to grab it by the gill plate multiple times.

I only fished the Willamette last year but I’m hoping to get out on the Columbia and maybe Tbay this year.

I might get out this Saturday, depending on the weather. I have only been on the Columbia in August so this could be some new territory for me.I would imagine that the water levels and flow are much stronger this time of the year. I live over an hour from the Columbia so I haven't seen it for some time.I was able to catch a nice Chinook last summer on my first trip maybe I can be lucky and catch a springer on my first trip.
forever the optimist.

Going to hit Columbia on Sunday. Saturday wind looks pretty unpleasant right now, but this is OR/WA so it could change a lot. Looks like on the vid it was a launch at Blurock which is awesome. If I go I will probably launch at Austin Pt and maybe try my new AP120 Spotlock for wobbler fishing for a bit. \

Definitely taking Wed or Thur off next week and get a sunburn!

That AP with spot lock is such an awesome tool to have at your disposal. I keep hearing about how dangerous anchoring up a kayak in moving water can be. Spot lock pretty much removes all the danger. That feature alone makes the AP very intriguing. Let us know how you do!

I need to figure out some good spots to launch from on the Oregon side of the big C. Only fished the Willamette last year.

Spot lock is a game-changer. Have not used it in the river yet, but sitting right on top of a reef in the ocean without doing anything is incredible. Depending on conditions I may try wobblers/kwikfish on Sunday. I would never think about anchoring in the Columbia

The only launch sites I use are on the WA side. Blurock park is great and really close. Austin Pt at the mouth of the Lewis is a bit further but right at the Warrior Rock deadline. The only downside to the AP is when in the sand I usually make two trips from the truck. One for boat, one for battery and motor. Another plus for Austin Pt where you can drop the kayak right in the water.

A quick Columbia report from two days ago.

With sunny skies and very light wind I decided to make a short afternoon trip to the Columbia and fished off Sauvie Island on the Oregon side during the incoming tide. Water color was beautiful (while the Willamette and Multnomah Channel were brown and murky).
I systematically scanned various depths but could not find any fish. Also the fish-finder did not show many marks. Very few boats around and the only boat that came within talking distance also had seen no action. Many bankies plunking but they also had not seen any bites.

With conditions as they were I don't think anyone really cared. It was simply great to be out. The river was as glass.

A highlight was the number of bald eagles on the beach or in the tree tops along the shore. Their number seems to be growing year over year and  I had quite a few staring at that weirdo in his kayak.

It is still early in the season and things should improve soon.   

I may just take the hit and buy a Washington non Res license if all the best places to launch are on that side. I believe Tyler from Spilt Milt has a video where he uses spotlock to wobbler or plug fish on the Columbia.

Nice pics SH. Thanks for sharing. Looked like a beautiful day to get out.

I may just take the hit and buy a Washington non Res license if all the best places to launch are on that side. I believe Tyler from Spilt Milt has a video where he uses spotlock to wobbler or plug fish on the Columbia.

If you are fishing the Columbia, it doesn’t matter which side you launch from.  Having either Or or Wa fishing license will work.

The regs are very clear: if you are a WA or OR resident you can launch on BOTH sides of the Columbia with your state license. You only cannot fish from the BANK of the other state if you only have your resident license. So DO NOT BUY a WA license in order to be able to launch in WA on the Columbia. Your OR is valid to launch from both sides!

To make thinks more complex there is one addition: if you are not from OR or WA, so let's say Montana, and come to the PNW to fish then you must launch from the river side of the state that you purchased your license for. 

The benefit of also having a WA would be that it gives you access to waters as Drano Lake or Lake Merwin.

WA: COLUMBIA RIVER - Pacific CO. - where the river coincides with the boundary between Washington and Oregon, the license of either state is valid. Anglers must comply with the laws of the state in which they are fishing. An angler licensed only in Oregon may not fish on the Washington shore or in Washington sloughs or tributaries, except Camas Slough, where the license of either state is valid from a floating device.

OR: 1. In the Columbia River where it forms the state boundary line, not including tributaries, sloughs and lands, the following rules apply:
a. Both Washington and Oregon resident or non-resident fishing licenses are valid except when the other state’s season is closed. Any anglers other than Washington residents must have a valid Oregon angling or shellfish license when landing fish or taking shellfish by boat in Oregon;



Thanks for the heads up.

To add to this:

Sauvie Island has several excellent kayak (beach) launch sites, where you only need to move your kayak over a short piece of beach. This includes: Willow Bar, a bit upstream of Collins Beach and Warrior Rock Trailhead.

In spring or summer they put you right in where the fish are. In fall you'll need to cross the river to reach the more productive waters.

Willow Bar has a barrier arm at the end of the parking lot blocking car access to the beach. You can move your kayak underneath, but not when it is fully rigged (at least in case of my Hobie). So I push the kayak underneath and then rig up on the other side. A little inconvenient but also not too bad. Only in spring (like NOW) the barrier arm is up and you can drive (and park) along a half a mile of dirt road directly next to the beach.
Once the the typical summer sun bathing crowd starts to show up they close this barrier.

For all these locations you will need a Sauvie Island wildlife area parking permit.   

Awesome info SH

Today was bust for me.The rain stopped  as hoped, right when I was going out for the incoming tide.However the wind was so much that i could not navigate my kayak. It turns out that my net and or fish bag are such a sail that it prevents me to turn the way I would like.I had to grab my net and hold it over the bow to turn.I soon realized that this would not be good for fishing and just a source of frustration I do not need. so I headed back to shore.I waited there for over an hour  to see if it might calm down. Heck it was a nice day at the beach.
   So can anyone help me with some tips to avoid this problem with the net. Mine is not large but it is rubber coated with small mesh. I thought these supposed to be better for the fish.
   As they say hopefully better luck next time.

report note there were 5 guys plunking at the beach when I got there, with no fish.