Spring Salmon

[dan365]

Hi - I've fished the B-10 / Astoria area sevaral times during the August / September run but am curious about the Spring run. All the Columbia Springers I've fished and caught have been Drano Lake / Wind River fish.

Is the Astoria area a popular Spring Salmon fishery? If no, why? If yes, are the same methods used as during August - diver followed by cut plug?

Thanks,

Dan

[TyBoo]

Dan - That is a very good question. Those fish have to swim by here, but nobody ever fishes them. The only response I can get from the local semipros is that you can't catch the things down low. No one has yet to explain why. Maybe your question will finally break the silence.

They do start fishing (and catching) the springers just above Tongue Point. Most of the fishing there is done behind the wing dams by boat or from a few select beaches.

Maybe I ought to go out and troll the estuary. Probably do just as good as I ever have up river. The only thing I have ever hooked up there is steelhead. They're kind fun, but they aren't spring chinook.

[B~C]

Anybody doing any springer fishing yet? rumor has it that a few are being caught.

dunno why nobody fishes the mouth, you would think a person would have a better chance of catching one, being downstream of Larry, there must be more fishies in the water

[UncleRichie]

Hi,
The reason I have heard is that they are spread out all over the place down low on the river, it gets easer when they have a smaller area to come thru. Down by Cathlemet they get squeezed in a little more so better chance to get your bait , lure in front of one. The willamete fish like to hug the Oregon side and the up river ones seem to preferr the Washington side.
Richard

[Helen O]

Salmon prefer cooler water. Approx. 40 to 56 degrees F. seems to make them the most fiesty and active. Below 40 they are more sluggish, above 56 the are more lethargic. That's probably a good reason why they turn north when they reach the ocean rather than south to the warmer water. You rarely catch salmon in the warm ocean currents (tuna water). Tuna prefer water 62 degrees and above. Warm water is also one reason that El Nino wreaks havoc on the salmon season, they stay out in the ocean in the cooler water.
In the Fall of the year the river temps get up in the 60 degree range. The salmon are used to living in the ocean which is somewhere in the 50 some degree range. So when they hit the warm river they seek out the cooler water which is going to be deeper. Warm water rises to the top and the cooler water heads for the bottom. Thus you have fall salmon swimmin at much deeper depths than in winter.
Last year the Columbia was running at about 39 degrees at this time of year. Spring salmon are not seeking the cooler water, so the cruise at depth from 7 to 20 ft deep mostly. Silt is a big factor for winter fish. For some reason they don't like it. In dirtier water you'll find them closer to shore and in shallower water. Stronger currents carry more silt, they'll be looking for slower moving cleaner water to hang out in til it clears.
Another difference is that the fall fish hold up in the B-10 area and wait for the right conditions to head upriver. The springers shoot right into the river.

[Pat Anderson]

A very elucidating post, Larry! But ya got me scratchin' my head over the difference between "sluggish" and "lethargic," which I though was pretty much about the same...could you explain that one?

[Helen O]

Elucidating? I didn't think we were allowed to use words like that in the pub. I had to look that one up.

A wordsmith I ain't. Not a fish biologist either. I was just remembering back to my subscriptions to Salmon, Trout & Steelheader Magazine.
But to clarify, "sluggish was do to the colder water and slowed metabolism.
Lethargic was due to higher water temps, lower oxygen levels in the warm water - causing the fish to act lazy. I have a few things in common with these fishies.

[rogerbum]