General Information

THINGS TO BRING
Appropriate clothing for the day
Appropriate fishing licenses
Catch record cards
Food and drinks
Camera
Cooler for taking your catch home

WHAT NOT TO BRING
No glass bottles
no fried food ie: fried chicken etc
No sunflower seeds
no spray on sunblocks
NO BANNANAS

 

CALENDAR

SPRING CHINOOK
SUMMER CHINOOK
FALL CHINOOK
WINTER STEELHEAD
STURGEON
RAINBOW TROUT TROPHY KOKANEE
SHAD
SOCKEYE SALMON

APRIL - JUNE
JULY – AUGUST
SEPTEMBER – OCTOBER
NOVEMBER – MARCH
JUNE – OCTOBER
JANUARY - JUNE NOVEMBER – MARCH
JUNE
JULY - AUGUST

COLUMBIA AND SNAKE RIVERS
MID TO UPPER COLUMBIA RIVER HANDFORD REACH COLUMBIA RIVER
SNAKE RIVER-HELLER BAR & COLUMBIA MID-COLUMBIA RIVER
LAKE ROOSEVELT
LAKE ROOSEVELT
MCNARY DAM COLUMBIA RIVER
UPPER COLUMBIA RIVER

CHINOOK SALMON
The Columbia River System and her tributaries have the largest Salmon and Steelhead runs in the lower 48, and offer the sportsman the opportunity to enjoy some of the most prolific fishing opportunities anywhere.  We start the Salmon season with Spring Chinook.  Renowned as the top prize of any fish in the system for their superb table quality and taste.  "Springers" weigh between 8-30 pounds. These fish start to enter the river system in March and end in June.  We start fishing these great Springers in April below Bonneville Dam on the Columbia and follow the run all the way up the river and into the Snake River as the season permits. 

We then move into Summer Chinook mode.  "June Hogs" as they are called are strong powerful fish that test any angler with patients and reward.  These fish average 12-40 pounds with fish caught every year that break the magical 50 pound mark! We target these Hogs from Wanapum Dam, on the Columbia, up to Brewster WA at the mouth of the Okanagan River.  Our season starts on July 1st and ends in late August.

Our Fall Chinook season starts September 25th and runs through the third weekend of October.  We focus totally on the Hanford Reach of the Columbia River.  This section of the Columbia is the last free flowing stretch of this magnificent river. These fall Chinook are BIG and even BIGGER.  Their sheer power is unmatched.  This run continues to get better every year.  Every year fish in the 40's are routinely caught with true 50+ pound monsters not uncommon.  My personal best is a 65 pound monster buck that I caught in 2007.  There is no need to travel to Canada or Alaska for your opportunity at a chance at a trophy Chinook King Salmon.

WINTER STEELHEAD
We focus our efforts on the Snake River and Hells Canyon.  The Snake River enjoys one of the largest runs of Steelhead anywhere in North America.  These scrappy fish average from 6-14 pounds with fish in the upper teens, even 20's, a possibility.  We mainly free drift for these fish with ultra-light tackle which adds an extra bit of fun.  We then fish for spring Steelhead at Ringold on the Mid-Columbia, the Grande Rhonde River, and also the Methow River.  The Grande Rhonde and Methow offer great opportunities for the fly fishing enthusiast.

SHAD
These fish flood the Columbia River with reckless abandon in early summer and provide the angler lots of action packed fun.  These fish weigh 3-5 pounds.  They are eager biters and fight as hard as any fish.  This fishery is perfect for the family and for kids.  It’s usually nonstop action from start to finish, and a ton of fun.  This is a perfect fish to introduce a new person to the sport of fishing. We fish Shad below McNary Dam on the Columbia the month of June.

STURGEON
We fish for sturgeon from McNary Dam on the Columbia River to Priest Rapids Dam.  This stretch of the Columbia holds a very strong population of both keeper and oversized sturgeon.  What makes this fishery so fun is when you hook up you don't know if it’s a 3' baby or a 12' giant behemoth. These prehistoric fish are very acrobatic, athletic, and with strength that will test the single angler.  Many clients have to team up to land these giants.  We fish for these fish from June through October.

TROPHY KOKANEE & RAINBOW
Single handedly the number 1 top Rainbow and trophy Kokanee fishery in the Northwest is Lake Roosevelt in Washington State and this is where you will find me fishing from November through late Spring. What makes this impoundment so special is the extremely high food base coupled with more than 750,000 fish planted here each year. The Rainbow/triploid hybrids grow super-fast and are true eating machines. These fish run 17”-24” and routinely top 4 pounds. The table quality of these fish is second to none. These hybrids have a high fat content and have a super mild flavor. We routinely have 30-50 fish days fishing these Rainbows. With a generous 5 fish limit you can plan on having fish to eat for a while. The trophy Kokanee fishing here on Lake Roosevelt is hard to explain because it is so awesome. These Kokanee average 18”- 25” and run 3.5 – 6 pounds! Most Kokanee will be 4 to 5.5 pounds. The Washington state Kokanee record was caught here in Lake Roosevelt and I believe the next state record is swimming in the lake right now. I have personally caught 4 Kokanee here less than 6 ounces off the state record. Fishing can be fast and furious when these fish are on the bite. We will start fishing trophy Kokanee at the end of January and go through June and sometimes July. These trips are definitely catching trips and provide the client with some of the most consistent fishing anywhere. These trips are perfect for the novice all the way to the expert fisherman. We put the top on the boat and turn the heater on so fishing is super comfortable. Book one of these trips and you won’t be disappointed.

SOCKEYE SALMON
This is one of my favorite fisheries of the year. This salmon run keeps getting bigger and stronger each year. This Sockeye run continues flirting with a whopping half a million fish each year, with the majority of these salmon destined for the Okanagan River tributaries. These salmon are the smallest of the salmon species with the average being 3-5 pounds, with an occasional fish topping 7 pounds. Although they are the smallest of the species, many claim that they are at the top of the flavor and quality scale of all of the salmon species.

These delicious fish have very deep red flesh and high oil content. The Sockeye salmon fight as hard as any of the other species pound for pound. We target these fish with ultralight tackle which adds to the challenge and fun when you also hook into a big bright Summer Chinook (June Hog). We target these fish in conjunction with the Summer Chinook fishery.

We usually start fishing Sockeye in mid - June (in the mid - section on the Columbia) and the season is in full swing by July 1st (usual opener) and will continue through the third week in August. Because these Salmon are destined for the Okanagan river system we do focus a lot of our efforts in the Brewster area (mouth of the Okanagan River). Because of the strong run returns the state allows liberal retention limits. Anywhere from 3 to 6 fish daily limits. This is one of my personal favorite fisheries of the entire season. This fishery promises great warm weather, lots of action, and tons of fun.

We also fish for these great fish in Lake Wenatchee starting around the third week of July and go until the quota has been met (usually around August 15th). Lake Wenatchee is one of the most beautiful pristine places to fish. There is no other place in the Northwest where you can catch these magnificent fish and have the feel of being somewhere so remote and primitive. Lake Wenatchee is awesome. Book this trip. You won’t be sorry.