Dabney

[morglum_s]

I went to Dabney yesterday (10/4) evening to practice my spinner technique. It was pretty quiet. I am new and still trying to identify potential holding water, but the river here looked ill-defined: shallow and uniform with few noticeable features. There was maybe one decent looking tail-out just upriver of the boat ramp, but I saw no signs of fish.
Further upriver I found a section that was swift and deep and on my first cast I could have sworn I saw a fish jump at the lure _before_ it even hit the water (like it was attacking a fly?). I spent some time fishing that area, but it was a little quick to get deep enough, and I never got another look…

 

[nativefish]

This is what i would do. Park at dabney. Go down to the river, look down river towards the bridge. See if you can wade across the river and get on the sand bank right above the bridge and look back across the river. You are now on the opposite side of the river from the road, looking at the road. the side closest to the road is deeper and swifter, some might call it a little run. Pitch your spinner in there and hang on

 

[eggs]

You could also go to the top of the park.... at the top of the long straight shallow stretch and wade out to the island and fish 'hole in the wall'

 

[morglum_s]

Eggs; That is the spot where I thought something jumped at my spinner mid-air... I started on the river to get there though and had to climb over a huge knot of downed trees (= dangerous...). On the way back I hiked inland to avoid it.

 

[eggs]

I swear that spot holds a fish year around! Lol

 

[Homebrewmike]

I was out there this morning with out seeing a single live fish. I did see a dead coho that had swam into a shallow area and couldn't get out. I'm looking forward to the rain in the forecast!

 

[morglum_s]

Was at Dabney before dawn Sunday. Crossed the river in the dark and headed toward the bridge. Saw somehting jumping right around the bridge area, but could not get it interested in my spinners... Did catch a (steelhead?) smolt barely bigger than the lure. Told him to bulk up before he tries that again, and got him safely back in the water. Walked back up river to "the hole in the wall" but got no action there either. Still it was a nice brisk morning and I got to try out my new waders...

After packing up I tried to find a way to get the mouth of the Sandy. I tried hiking in just east of the airport, but that looked like a trek. Then I drove around the Fedex station, but it didn't look there was any access there. Is there a way to get there, and is there any bank fishing to be done?

 

[Roolinghills]

You can park at the construction site where the on-ramp to I-84 westbound is. Then just walk towards the river and down the bank. There's quite a few squatter tents but everyone I've seen or talked to was pretty cool. Getting to the mouth is quite a walk tho..

 

[Homebrewmike]

Did catch a (steelhead?) smolt barely bigger than the lure. Told him to bulk up before he tries that again, and got him safely back in the water.?

I was there a couple of weeks ago and asked a few guys what they were fishing for, and when they said "trout" I knew they were really after the steelhead smolts. It is a shame that there are people who would target these fish at an early age and not let them grow bigger and try to catch them when they come back.