Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Darrell & Dads Family Guide Service
Cindy and I made another one of our Sunday rides (boat that is) up to the lower pens. It is a great way to get out and relieve some stress. With salmon running, there isn't much of a crowd at the launch site, and not much traffic on the water. On the run up river we saw deer, eagles (both immature and adults), lots of pelicans, and beautiful scenery. Air Temp was in mid 60s when we launched, but rose to the upper 80s - lower 90s before the day was out. There was a smoke haze, so the sun was filtered at times. Pulled into the lower pen area with only two other boats in the area. Both were anchored below the pens. We went above the pens and floated down as usual. There was little to no current, so movement was by electric bow mount. First fish was a 3-4 pounder that fell to a dark jig cast to the shoreline. After that it was SLOOOOW. No hits or follows. We fished above the pens, around and down the side of the pens, below the pens, and along the shoreline below the pens. Cindy hooked up with a small--12 in or so-- that was a self release, then we worked our way back up along the outside edge of the pens. Hooked into the 3 1/2 pounder included in the limit at the lower end of the pens about 30-50 yards out in the river from the pens. The lil feller swallowed a 1/8 oz jig, so on ice it went. I was able to hook up with a couple more that were C&Rd due to being lip hooked, and it was around 2:15 or so that we started getting a hit occassionally. We used spinners, super rooster tails, KastMasters, Crocodiles, Jointed and stick Rapalas, Flies of various shapes and colors, Plastic tube jigs, Maribou Jigs, and about everything else in the boxes. We're going to have to start carrying power bait or something to have another alternative. LOL . We only caught fish on the jigs. Cindy caught hers on Plastic on a 1/16 oz Jig head, and I caught mine useing a pink Marabou jig, A black Marabou jig on 1/16 oz jig, and the B-2 Squid in Root Beer color on a 1/8 oz jig head. we saw one other fish picked up by the folks below the pens, but otherwise it was a hard earned limit. No complaints though as the day was gorgeous, and we have some nice fillets in the brine to smoke. When we would mark fish, they were holding around 20-30 feet, and most of the ones we caught we were fishing deep and slow. All in all, not a bad day's fishing for us on RW for this time of year as we usually have to work harder in these higher temps to get the RW fish to cooperate. And the current flow--or lack there of--slows the action down also. Tight lines and lots of fluid
Available Fishing Guide:
Website: Darrell & Dads Family Guide Service