(I get the sense this is more of a report than a request for advice, but I'll put my 2 cents out there anyway..)
I've found the Sandy to be a tough (but not impossible) nut to crack unless A) there's a strong run moving through at the time you fish it, B) you have a watercraft, or C) you combat fish at Cedar Cr...if none of these are the case on a particular day, I would advise doing a lot of moving around among spots
On a different note, if your buddy was new to fishing the NW, what a gorgeous river to spend some time getting a feel for it