Oregon & Washington Fishing Guide

Crazy! Here it is almost Christmas and we’re talking about Spring Chinook salmon fishing in Oregon. That’s because Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife is predicting a run of 83,400 Chinook Salmon on the Willamette River this Spring. That number is slightly higher than last year’s return of 80,254. With Chinook salmon numbers like that they should be high enough for a seven-day-a-week fishery and a two fish limit when the fishing season in opens in January.

Tillamook Bay witch is on the Oregon coast has five different rivers that flow in to it, the Kilchis River, Trask River, Tillamook River, Miami River, and the Wilson River. The mixing of freshwater from the rivers with the ocean’s saltwater makes the bay an estuary. With the number of rivers flowing into Tillamook Bay, large numbers of salmon run through the bay to head back to their spawning grounds,this makes for some excellent salmon fishing.

Now that the Chinook Salmon season is shut down on the Columbia River below Tongue Point, and I have to say there was some great Salmon fishing down there, it is time to start doing some salmon fishing in the Portland, Oregon, area.

Summer Chinook Salmon Season, June 16 – July 31 it look like it could be a great season for Salmon fishing.

COLUMBIA RIVER MAINSTEM, Astoria/Megler Bridge upstream to Oregon/Washington border

Salmon fishing on the Columbia river follows.

COLUMBIA RIVER MAINSTEM, Tongue Point-Rocky Point line upstream to Beacon Rock deadline (boat and bank), plus the Oregon/Washington banks between Beacon Rock and Bonneville Dam

When anchoring for Chinook salmon it is all about having a good location. Salmon swim up river in lanes. So if you are anchored and see other boats catching salmon, and your not, sound out the area, and get a good idea of the depth they are in, then try to duplicate it in a nearby area.

Here are my top 3 places for Spring Salmon on the Columbia river in the Portland Oregon area.

One of the first places I like to fish for Spring salmon is on the Columbia River, trolling between the 205 bridge and the I 5 Bridge. This area has become very popular the last few years. So if you plan on fishing here, you better get your boat in the river Early in the morning.