Recently moved from Spokane to the Tri-cities, so thought we'd (wife and i) give the big river a go - while living here a few years ago we had good luck with wallys and smallies below the 71 can to Irrigon and sometimes as far as the Patterson slough. Actually fished both the 25th and 26th - starting around 6:00AM, launching on the WA side. Current at that time was around 1.4-1.6, but by 10:30 all spillways were open and the power plants whizzing away and fishing was done for the day as current ranged from 2.4-2.8. On Wednesday we fished between #73 and 71 - slow on both species until wife nailed a 27 1/2" lean, mean and fast running walleye.

The real story of the trip though is about salmon, especially the poaching. We sportsman can't fish for salmon because of the low returns this year, fully understandable, hopefully the cycle will start to turn around next year - in the meantime had to be content to watch "McNary Dan" from the Yakima tribe net 'em and sell 'em and the two boats camped at the dry camp park just below the pipeline crossing do their thing, both days. Their M.O. was to anchor mid channel just below the 71 can - boat #1 had three guys and boat #2 had two - when boat #1 hooked up, they went through the routine - release the boat from the anchor line and go for the fish, simultaneously boat #2 would leave the shore and go pick up the anchor line and start the back troll routine until they hooked up, meanwhile #1 went to the camp- ground, "processed" the fish and prepared to get ready to go back to work - the sad part of it all there was nothing subtle about this routine at all.

Talked to a lot of folks at the launch ramp and the average/mediocre results for wallys and smallys seemed to be the same all the way down past crow butte. Next few weeks we'll keep doing what what's been working up about 10:00am and then head up below the dam for shad. We fished from 10' to 40' and all colors - best depth seemed to be around 20' and the best color was chartreuse/green - blades and single hook +treble stinger outperformed smile blades and slow death hooks.

Catch what you eat and eat what you catch. above all, keep fish'n

rojomojo

6/28/2019 3:44:10 PM

I'll say it: no matter how many ways we manage smolt and seals, which are making big moves to help, native and commercial netting is destroying the salmon in our area. Look at South America and the salmon they introduced from Columbia River stock. Their returns are in the millions (they consider it an invasive species). The difference between PNW and South America is there are no nets. Commercial netting and native nets need to be completely removed. We go from half a million fall run chinook a couple years ago to a questionable fishery this fall. Half a million sockeye the same year to no season this year. I'll admit that our catch limit was set high those years (5 kings and 6 sockeye), but when I see a box full of fish and articles like this:

rojomojo

6/28/2019 3:45:02 PM

https://www.thedalleschronicle.com/news/local/two-arrested-in-poaching-bust/article_a4bdb6fe-7b8a-5d08-8445-dfd7c1c1a7b0.html

outtheresomewhere

6/28/2019 6:56:31 PM

Pogo pegged the problem years ago, " I have met the enemy and he are us"

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