When it comes to fishing Spring Chinook what you may not know about guide Eric Linde (call 360-607-6421), is that given the right run size and conditions, he’s known to spend more than a little time fishing the Columbia west of the John Day Dam. According to Eric, “This area of the Columbia is a lot less crowded than the lower river and can yield quick limits. When conditions are right, I’ve had some really good luck up there.”
Eric usually waits until the fish count at The Dalles Dam hits 3,000 to 4,000 total fish before giving it a try. “Of course, at the same time you should be seeing a big push of fish passing Bonneville and it’s pretty certain that in just a few days the numbers west of John Day Dam will start to quickly multiply,” he said.
According to Eric, what makes the area stretching from the Highway 97 Bridge at Biggs Junction to John Day Dam such a popular destination for bank and boat anglers seeking Spring Chinook, in addition to the dam slowing migration, is the narrowing of the river in this area makes it more river-like as compared to the big, slow moving lake the dams have created along the majority of the Columbia River.
For boaters, it’s an anchor fishery where most drop the hook in 12 to 20 feet of water and trail bait-wrapped salmon plugs in the current. Just rig your salmon size Kwikfish, FlatFish or Mag Lip on a 50- to 60-inch leader in combination with a 24-inch weight dropper line. A dropper line of 30 to 36 inches or a leader of 48 inches might work better if your plug choice is an extra deep-diving Mag Lip – especially where/when currents are fast moving.
Although you’re not dealing with ocean tides here, the hydro system can fluctuate water levels a lot, which may have everything to do with your success. For example, if the river is up and hard running, anchoring along a current edge would be much more important than times when the river is slower moving.
What most boaters do after hooking a salmon is to cast away from their anchor buoy and float downriver to play and land their salmon. If there is another boat or hog line anchored downstream, you should steer your boat to either side of them using your trolling motor for propulsion, so as not to tangle your salmon into their anchor rope as you float along playing your fish. This works fine when the area isn’t too crowded with boats anchoring helter-skelter.
In the better anchor locations and on days when it’s more crowded, many boaters will form hog lines where they anchor side-by-side, rather than randomly anchoring everywhere. The idea behind anchoring in a line 90-degrees to the current is that a lot fewer fish are lost due to tangling into someone else’s downstream anchor rope.
Anchoring in a hog line should only be attempted if you have the appropriate river anchor, at least 200 foot of rope, anchor buoy, boat bumpers — along with a fair amount of anchoring experience. If you decide to join a hog line, what many do (including me) is idle up to the boat you intend on anchoring next to and ask if they mind. The majority won’t have a problem with it, as opposed to you anchoring 100 yards downstream from them.
Due to the ease of access and water moving fast enough to work stationary lures, this area of the river attracts bank anglers seeking salmon. Most fish close to the dam on the Washington side of the river and downstream from the Rufus boat ramp on the Oregon side.
The right water depth for plunking is in the range of 6 to 20 feet deep. Remember salmon will likely be running closer to shore when the water is up and hard running and further from shore when, or in areas, there the water is slower moving.
Most bank anglers plunk a size 2 or 4 Spin-N-Glo tied to a 30-inch leader, swivel and 6- to 8-ounce bank-style sinker. A few of the more successful colors include: fire tiger, flame chartreuse (Stop N Go), and rocket red.
With the above Bonneville run expected to number 200,000 or more fat salmon and water conditions that are already causing the salmon to show early and move upriver quickly, this might be the year to try your luck east of The Dalles.
Check current regulations to be sure, but as of this writing, the river is expected to remain open for fin-clipped spring salmon until May 6.
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