Your Fishing Guide Takes You Where The Fish Are
We work very closely with a group of Oregon FIshing Guides, having this network is a very big help on these large Oregon rivers. I will do whatever takes to put my clients on fish, that may be getting to the ramp hours before other guides just to get the best spot or even staying out and figuring the fish out on any given day. We will get it done. We fish out of spacious 24 foot Alumaweld Super Vee fishing sled with top of the line electronics to find the fish no matter where they are. Portland has many rivers and we will be fishing on the most productive water possible on the day of our trip. Some days we will fish and cover miles of river if that is what it takes. I will do everything in my power to make your time on the water with me a complete success.
Fishing the Willamette River
The Willamette river runs right through the heart of Portland Oregon. It is home to some of the best Sturgeon, Salmon and Steelhead populations found anywhere in the world. The Willamette river is one of my favorite rivers to fish in the winter time for Sturgeon. The water in this river fluctuates nearly 30 degrees each year. When the river gets cold the Sturgeon stack in the many deep holes the river has, this makes for some absolutely epic fishing when you get on them! The Willamette also gets a very respectable run of spring Chinook Salmon. These fish start to show in early february but will be found most abundantly in late March to early April. Springers as we call them are fantastic table fare, some say that they are the best tasting fish that the Willamette river gets all year! Springers are aggressive and fight hard all the way to the net! The city of Portland offers many activities to do after your trip whether that be a night out or a nice hike the city has something for you to do!
Fishing The Clackamas River In Portland
The Clackamas river offers some of the best winter Steelhead fishing in the state. The Clackamas is a fun river to fish, it is often very shallow and has lots of white water to navigate. Steelhead begin to flood into the Clackamas in late December and will be in the river in high numbers until late March. On the Clackamas we will be fishing out of our 24 ft aluminum jet sled. There are a few different tactics used for fishing on the Clackamas, the two most popular being back trolling and bobber fishing. When back trolling the bait of choice is either a prawn fished behind a diver or fishing a mag lip with a shrimp tied to the belly. When bobber fishing we typically use steelhead roe or a plastic bead fished under our float. These tactics work great because they allow you to fish a lot of water very effectively. The limit for Steelhead is usually 2 hatchery Steelhead per person.
Fishing the Columbia In Portland Oregon
The Columbia river has a great fishery that is right in the city of Portland as well. The Columbia offers good catch and release Sturgeon fishing and Salmon fishing within minutes of the Portland airport. Sturgeon can be caught in this area from early March all the way through September. This section of river usually does not get rough like the upper portions of the Columbia so the river conditions are almost always prime. Salmon can be caught on the Columbia near Portland from March all the way through September. All these months offer great fishing for Salmon. There are two different techniques used in this area for Salmon fishing; these are anchor fishing and trolling spinners. These are both very effective techniques that have their time and place. Typically I anchor when the river is high and the current is faster. The fish travel along the edges of the river in these conditions. When the river is low and flows are down trolling spinners and 360 flashers is a great way to target Salmon. The limit is usually one Chinook salmon per person on the Columbia near Portland Oregon.