From the stairs Looking for fish above coffer dam, I could see a big Chinook with a flashing spoon hanging from his dorsal fin. Looking harder I saw spawning salmon backed up on the gravel ramp just upstream of the coffer spill over. 20 feet upstream, 6 more salmon hung in the eddy line about 30 feet from shore. No one was fishing down here. I Took up a position 15 feet upstream from and 6 feet back from the guy who had waded out in front of me while I untangled my tackle. Below the coffer, a Salmon powered through the rushing turbulent flow up the steep incline of rip rap boulders. Each tail fin stroke shoots up a spurt of water. I saw that rapid rhythm of water jets just before a salmon slid over the steel lip of the coffer dam.
I tried 2 jigs before the #6 Nuke Minnow Jig. Then bobber went down on the eddy line where the salmon were laying. I fought the head shaking salmon, holding him close until breaking him off when he ran.
4 teenagers came down throwing spoons. One kid did a great job landing a salmon. The spoon hook had caught in the eye of a swivel that was attached to some other hook someone had left in the mouth of that salmon.
Upstream in faster deeper water I hooked 2 salmon on beads. One in very close, only briefly "on" after flashing a few times as I tried to get tension on her. The top 10mm Yellow Painted Glow Bead bead was jammed back against the hook. The other was a huge male, a salmon of a lifetime, hooked somewhere near the mouth. I fought him hard on two runs and cranking him back close. I broke him off on the 3rd run. He was hooked on the top 10mm Pink Half Hat Painted Glow bead. I hooked 2 trout on trailing 8mm Pink Half Hat Glow beads. A 14 inch brown shook loose and I got a 10 inch brightly colored rainbow. Make Painted Glow Beads starting with 8 or 10 mmWhite Glow Beads, paint a light coat of UV nail polish, tint them with a UV Neon Sharpie. A contrasting spot of contrasting UV nail polish is nice.
Back downstream, there were crowds of fishermen wading out to within 10 feet of where I saw the salmon holding this morning. The crowds swelled, the fish seemed to be hiding and I left at 6:30 after a long spell of no action.
I wouldn't recommend a crowded spot like this during salmon season on a weekend or a Friday afternoon.