Fishing trips are always an adventure, but sometimes the greatest part of the adventure is getting there and back. My trip to fish with Chris Turvey was no different.
Chris is from Yakima and spends most of his time fishing the Columbia and its tributaries. Aaron, Brent and Heather with a nice catch of coho salmon.
I left Edmonds on a cool but dry fall morning and headed over Snoqualmie Pass, just ahead of forecasted snow. The drive was easy and picturesque as the trees were showing brilliant fall colors. I made my way through Ellensburg and up I-82 into Yakima, turning towards Goldendale. It had been many years since I made the trip South to Goldendale, and I forgot how rugged and steep the drive is over the mountains that separate the Yakima Valley from the Columbia River Gorge. It was beautiful and the higher elevations were already blanketed in a coating of early snow.
Buzz Ramsey Series (BRS 360)
At Goldendale, it was time to fill up the fuel tank for the second time and make my way down into the Klickitat River canyon. This was my first trip into Klickitat and wow was I amazed. The drive reminded me of a drive through the Yakima River canyon, only much steeper and more rugged. Again, the fall colors were on full display and the beauty is hard to describe. I finally arrived in Klickitat after a 4.5-hour drive at the Klickitat River Inn, a charming little inn on the river. From my room, I could walk out the back door and the river was about 30 feet away. There is a deep, slow-moving pool out in front of the inn that holds salmon and steelhead during the different runs of the season. I was there at the tail end of the summer steelhead season and in the middle of the coho run. With a tailout just below the inn, the slower water provided a good place to rest as the fish made their way upstream. I watched coho after coho roll and jump out of the water. Despite my efforts to throw spoons and spinners, they were not in the mood and a lone driftboat just upstream, struck out with eggs suspended beneath a float.
The Inn is a magical little place that I highly recommend. Check them out at www.klickitatriverinn.com and work with Guy to set you up with a guided trip and lodging package. I promise that you will not be disappointed. Just a note that there is no phone service in the canyon, but there is WIFI at the Inn, so email, text, Facetime, and internet all work.
Chris saw fishermen in other boats getting frustrated as they could not buy a bite. He hollered at them with the depth to fish and a few tips to help them put fish in the boat. This is the sign of a true professional and someone with humility. Rush hour on the Columbia.
The following morning I made the winding trip down the canyon to the town of Lyle, on the banks of the mighty Columbia River. It was a cold, wet morning, but I was excited to get on the water to fish the gorge for the first time. My previous two trips were winded out.
I met Chris Turvey at the Lyle Boat Ramp, a rugged and primitive launch. It was super dark until about 7:30 a.m. Knowing that it was going to be a long trip back, I asked Chris how long that he thought we would be on the water and his response was that we should see limits by 9:00 a.m., though the barometer was falling, so it could be a bit longer. I was shocked and now very excited.
I reached out to Chris about a month prior after watching an episode of either Angler West or Northwest Fishing where he was guiding the group for fall coho. It just worked out that Chris could get me in a few weeks later.
As I normally do, I told Chris that I wanted to jump in with some of his clients so that I could watch him interact. As luck would have it, the weather was changing and his group from California cancelled on him, so Chris had Heather Hall and her son 17-year-old son, Aaron Paullin, come up from Oregon City to spend the morning with him.
Chris is from Yakima and spends most of his time fishing the Columbia and its tributaries. Aaron, Brent and Heather with a nice catch of coho salmon.
We motored out into the mainstem of the Columbia out in front of the mouth of the Klickitat River and began trolling 360 flashers and spinners. There was a lot of traffic on the water, but Chris was a master of the dance. It did not take long, and my rod went off with a very feisty hatchery buck that made quite a few runs before I brought it to the net. It was a great fish, chrome bright and full of energy, weighing somewhere between 11-13 pounds. Not a bad way to start the day. From there, it was a bit slow, until the bite hit. Once it did, it took no time to limit all of us out and we were headed back to the beach by 9:15, with enough fish to last the winter. I really enjoyed spending the morning with Chris. He is very friendly, like many great guides, he is a good teacher, and he is patient. He is certainly a guide that I could see myself fishing with quite a bit if the drive was not so far for me. Also, Chris was very specific in every detail of his rigging and bait. This is a common trait in the best guides I have met and fished with. When in doubt, switch it out!
Chris is from Yakima and spends most of his time fishing the Columbia and its tributaries. I would say that he spends most of his time in the Gorge, from spring into winter for Chinook, coho, and steelhead. It did not take me long to realize that Chris really has it dialed in and is one of the better guides on the water. Also, I met Shane Manguson at the ramp when he came over to visit with Chris. You can tell that a guide is respected when other guides are friendly and open with them. This is a quality that we as fisherman should value.
Chris started out his career as a machinist and worked on CNC machines, making parts. As a result, he began to play with ideas that he had and invented or designed many of the products that we all have on our boats today. He is an innovator and a thought leader when it comes to simple products that make our lives easier. As an example, Chris designed the first offset rod holder for his boat, utilizing his machinist background and became a popular guy as others wanted him to make similar products for them. Over the past 15 plus years, Chris has worked with many manufacturers, including some who are displayed on his boat graphics to design, test, and fine tune products that we all rely on to catch fish. Chris transitioned from aluminum and steel to plastics, designing flashers and different types of baits that are most used today.
Chris also shared that he has innovated techniques on certain tributaries that were never used before, but with which he had great success and eventually changed the way that fisherman fished those rivers. I could have easily listened to him talk about these things for days as I was intrigued at his approach, his curiosity and willingness to constantly tweak and modify techniques to get more out of them. If there is a label that I would put on Chris, it is that he is an innovator.
What all this means for all of you fishermen out there is that Chris is a fishing guide that you MUST book a trip to fish with. He is a super dude who is going to put you on fish. One thing worthy of mention is during our trip, as we were hooking fish after fish, Chris saw fishermen in other boats getting frustrated as they could not buy a bite. He hollered at them with the depth to fish and a few tips to help them put fish in the boat. This is the sign of a true professional and someone with humility.
Chris has been guiding full time since 2005, other than a short stint where he worked for Brad’s. He continues working with manufacturers even today, while spending as much time as he can, guiding clients. Chris is a proud father of an 11 year old daughter who lives on the east side.
To book a day on the water with Chris, you can call or text him at (509) 571-6198 or connect with him on Facebook or Instagram at Columbia River Guide Service.
To nominate your favorite guide or to request a day on the water and an interview, you can reach out to me at bknight@iss-safe.com.
