Went out again in Irrigon on the Columbia

[lizardman]

Saw a lot of nice fish, most showing some color but still good for baking or barbeque (they aren't boot leather yet). Saw one on (crackered off), one caught (bobber and eggs.. looked like home cured roe), and saw a catfish caught (nice 10 or so pounder) that got released.

I had one take down early on with store bought cured roe but didn't even have the bail on the reel closed when the bobber went all the way under and then came right back up.

Water is warm in the main river; the area I am fishing is fed by five wells the hatchery uses to fill and operate the raceways and then dumps the water in the Columbia so it is colder and clearer water than the river. We are fishing the river right where the man made stream comes in (a few feet past the stream toward the middle of the river).

I still need some Mr. Bubble with the fishing skunk removal properties.

Tight lines to all,
Dave

 

[joesnuffy]

I think I"m headed that direction on Saturday. I'm not sure if I'm fishing near Irrigon though. I"ll most likely be fishing the lower portion of the Unatilla and trolling the mouth in the kayak.

Are there may boats out there trolling around?

 

[lizardman]

I think I"m headed that direction on Saturday. I'm not sure if I'm fishing near Irrigon though. I"ll most likely be fishing the lower portion of the Unatilla and trolling the mouth in the kayak.

Are there may boats out there trolling around?

Joe, not a lot of boats trolling around below the dam. There are a few, but most are targetting Walleye. Above the dam the boats are trolling salmon and steelhead.

The mouth of the Umatilla is extremely slow and the water level on the Umatilla is way down, but would be fine for a kayak or small boat. remember also that the HWY 730 bridge that crosses the Umatilla is the zone change between the Columbia Zone and the North East Zone (everything north of the bridge being the Columbia Zone).

Good luck to you, give me a shout for a cup of coffee/ soft drink when you pass by.

Dave

 

[joesnuffy]

Last fall I caught a nice Chinook on the Umatilla R side of the bridge and had to let it go. 200 yards downstream and it was going in the freezer. lol

If the fishing isn't doing good on the Umatilla/mouth, I might load back up and launch the yak just downstream of the Irrigon hatchery. Then I can troll up and down in front of the hatchery where you were fishing

I'll stay back a little bit so as not to **** of the bank guys. they don't really cast further out then 30 yards.

 

[lizardman]

Joe,
Good luck to you. This Saturday I am taking my boys to see the Prosser Balloon Rally to get some photos to promote my photography business.

Days are kind of a blur unless I write an event down now that I am unemployed.


Dave