Straddling the boundary between Washington and Oregon, the Columbia River has provided food in the form of fish ever since the days of the Indians. Now the river attracts thousands of sports fishermen every year. Popular fish include trout, sturgeons” and salmon. We will discuss only the last in this article.

The first thing that a prospective sports fisherman seeking to try his luck with salmon wants to ask is, what are the best places, along all the river’s 1,214 miles, to catch those fish?

One of the best sites is the Buoy Ten Salmon Fishery. Huge numbers of Chinook and coho salmon pass out the tides here on their way upstream. You can get a reservation at this fishery, but be sure to make yours early in the season, before they run out. The season for salmon fishing” at least for Chinook salmon” lasts from March to May, when the fish start their early migration. Fishing is at its peak, however, from August to September.

If you want to fish in British Columbia, you can stay at such resorts as Painter’s Lodge, on the part of the river that crosses that province. You can also go on excursions on the lodge’s Boston whaling ship.

The Columbia River Reports for March 30 of this year stated that “salmon fishing has been fair on the lower river.” And most often, salmon are found from 10 to 25 feet below the surface of the water, at least in winter, when the river is cold.

One more word before I finish. Woody Guthrie wrote about salmon in his “Columbia Talking Blues,” available on his “Columbia River Collection.” He said, “Them salmon fish are pretty shrewd, you know, they got senators and politicians too” just about like the president, they run every four years.”

Comments are closed.