A Day on the Water

Thursday evening I fished Tippy Dam with Beads and Jigs under a bobber.  I quickly got a 4 pound spawning female Brown in 9 feet of water on a 10mm painted  yellow glow Bead.  3 hours later I got a big hen Chinook on a #6 Nuke Minnow Jig, Egg (White) color.  Only a few fishermen there to bother the fish, not many hooked.  One guy left with 3 summer run Skamania steelhead caught earlier bottom bouncing spawn.  The Salmon were jumping but mostly not biting until I got the one big hen.     Pictures to post this evening.

Friday October 15 I was fishing the 5/0 Chartreuse Banger Waker-Popper through a spot I had not seen fish before, a big Musky arched his full body out of the water as she seemed to swim through the Popper without getting it in her mouth.  5 minutes later I came back with a 5/0 Black Popping Wedge, which she rushed but turned away only leaving a momentary bulge of water below the popper. An hour later I came back with a 5/0 Yellow Baitfish Bob's Banger, about 40 yards from where I found that musky, she or another musky made a...

Some dark Coho jumping but not biting, almost all Chinook are dead.  One Fisherman in a boat fishing bobbers was 2 for 3 on steelhead in the last 45 minutes of daylight. I got 3 typical brown trout, 2 on Painted Yellow Glow Beads and one on a small Black and Grizzly insect imitating jig called an Opal Demon. In the morning, I started down river ant Rainbow Bend and nobody got anything.

April 30, I saw no sign of steelhead until maybe a fish or two rolling near dusk.  I over heard talk of one or a few caught up stream.  A guy casting a Chartreuse 3 inch Paddle Tail Jig got a 3+ pound and an 11 inch walleye.  I got 3 smallmouth on white steelhead jigs drifted with soft taps under a bobber.  A Falshy Opal Minnow Jig got two and a White Mopworm got the bigger one.  Reports of white bass running earlier but none seen today.

Lots of Steelhead and fishermen in the river but by Sunday the crowds were gone.  Fish are spawning and eating eggs.  All colors of beads and jigs in brown in were working well.  High water levels have made fishing difficult and protected the fish.  The water rose to 2550 fps Friday. steady at 2500 Saturday, steady at 2400 Sunday and Monday.  Water temperature climbed to 47 degrees by Sunday evening but may come down a bit  with the next few cold days.  Expect lots of Steelhead and low crowds in the big rivers for the next few weeks.   Steelhead stay in the...