If you want to go with the best Columbia River salmon fishing guide near Portland or Astoria, Marvin’s Guide Service is your No. 1 choice among charter fishing companies.
Marvin Henkel Jr. has been chasing salmon on the big river since he was a little kid. His customers have been getting in on the action since he launched Marvin’s Guide Service more than 24 years ago.
Marvin knows Columbia River salmon fishing like the back of his hand.
Columbia River Spring Chinook Fishing
In the spring, Columbia river salmon fishing guide Marvin will pilot you on his 27-foot Alumaweld Intruder to his favorite spring chinook spots on the Columbia River near Portland and Vancouver, Washington.
By the way, spring in the Northwest can be wet and windy, but that’s no problem if you’ve booked your trip with Marvin’s Guide Service. His roomy boat is covered and heated, so you can wait for that next rod to double over in comfort.
You’ll fish with the highest-quality rods, reels, and tackle, not to mention only the freshest bait available.
If the Columbia River closes to fishing, or even if it slows down, you still can catch one of the tastiest fish that swims. That’s because the lower Willamette River is nearby in Portland and has equally excellent spring salmon fishing.
Most spring chinook salmon weigh between 10 and 25 pounds whether caught in the Columbia or Willamette rivers.
Columbia River Fall Salmon Fishing
Your Guide Marvin Henkel JR.
In the fall, anglers have a great opportunity to catch two types of salmon, big coho salmon (also known as silvers) and even bigger chinook salmon (a.k.a. fall kings).
The runs of chinook include plenty of 20- to 30-pound fish, with some even larger. Coho salmon aren’t typically as large, often weighing 5 to 15 pounds. Both types often return in the hundreds of thousands, and good years like we’ve seen lately can bring more than a million salmon into the river.
Marvin starts his trips in the Astoria area, where his slip at the Hammond Marina is a short walk from your car and a quick boat ride to salmon arriving by the hundreds of thousands.
Marvin’s boat is safely outfitted for ocean trips, as conditions allow, and his earliest trips starting in July, take advantage of the massive schools of hungry coho salmon that assemble just offshore.
As both chinook and coho salmon make their way into the Columbia River’s wide estuary, Marvin is one of the most experienced guides you’ll find in the immensely popular Buoy 10 fleet.
The Buoy 10 fishery in the Astoria and Ilwaco areas between Oregon and Washington is the best salmon fishing spot in either state in August. Marvin knows just where to find the fish and how to tempt them to bite.
As the season progresses into September and into the fall, Marvin will be able to put you on the best opportunities to catch Columbia River salmon.
At times that will mean taking advantage of the big pods of coho salmon that linger around Astoria until the first big rains. At other times, that will mean chasing giant chinook salmon upriver to Portland and to Bonneville Dam and beyond in the stunning Columbia River Gorge.
No worries, though, Marvin always knows where to find the best Columbia River salmon fishing.
See our Salmon Page for all of our salmon fishing trips.
Call today and Let’s talk Salmon Fishing!
Last Updated on by Marvin
