“Like Fish in a Barrel”… That’s exactly what it was like fishing for upriver brights (URBs) at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers with Toby Wyatt owner of Reel Time Fishing Guide Service.
This URB was intercepted by Yas Suzuki below Bonneville Dam.
A Little History. I’ve lived on the outer fringes of the Portland area since birth and mostly fished within a two to three hours driving radius of favorite places. People that fish the “Lower River” of the Columbia drainage, from The Dalles to Astoria, have always revered catching Upriver Brights or URBs. When a Chinook, or steelhead for that matter, swims as much as 1,000 or more to its natal spawning ground it gains two things 1. Size 2. Brightness. Both go hand in hand. Size adds strength for the journey and brightness comes from not spawning for some time to come. Chinook that spawn in the “Lower River” can come in dark and ready to spawn. Called “Tules” they ride the ocean tide in and out several times and are ready to spawn within weeks or days of entering freshwater. Steelhead return to freshwater rivers from winter into fall. Idaho is famous for its B-run steelhead that enter the Columbia from late summer into winter. They are larger than their A-run cousins that begin entering the Columbia in mid-June. So, there you have it URBs are special.
Great News!
The sun has a solar cycle. Approximately every 11 years it swaps its polarity at the poles. The cycle changes from hot to cold and can be monitored by solar flare activity. What does this have to do with URBs? EVERYTHING! Salmon and steelhead thrive in cold ocean water. A cold green North Pacific Ocean is alive with life from plankton to whales. A blue ocean is alive with predators. With the colder temperatures this year we had a record run of sockeye salmon, nearly 1 million. Another personal gauge I use is when the skiing/snowboarding in the Northwest is good so is the fishing. What does this all mean? It means get out there and fish. Don’t wait. Headed to Lewiston/Clarkston. For coasters or valley dwellers like myself, it can be a bit of journey to drive to the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers. But what a drive it is. For me it meant heading east on Interstate 84 while driving along the mighty Columbia River. I’m sure that many of you reading this article have been on that drive more than once and as “locals” we start to take for granted what an absolutely amazing drive it is. A friend from Utah visited me some years ago. I picked him up at the Portland airport and as we were driving along the water he asked me, “what lake is that?” Hearing the question I was taken aback and answered… That’s not a lake that’s a River…
When combing a cooler solar cycle with good rainfall, cooler temperatures and habitat restoration salmonid runs thrive.
Time to Fish
I met Toby at Steelhead Park on the Clearwater River and for those of you who fish from out of state you can buy a day license at Stinker (store) right next to the park, which opens early in the a.m. Onboard was Toby, Bryce (Toby’s bro), Jordan, Evan and John. Anticipation was high as we loaded up in the darkness of early morning stars and the smell of sage. Toby runs a large inboard jet boat with a big block and we headed out to the fish like we were on the movie set of Apocalypse Now minus the smoke.
After a 3 or 4 mile run to the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers we started gearing up. Toby had been fishing for several days before I had arrived and the bite the day before was achieved by using slip bobbers with a 2-hook coon shrimp setup. The engine was turned off and we started casting our bobbers out around the boat. Letting our setups drift beyond the boat as daylight crept up. While demonstrating his coon shrimp rig Toby said… “They’re salmon which means they can change their minds at any given time.” And of course, even with a few different flavors of coon shrimp, the bite was off at that moment. Being the pro that Toby is he shifted gears to 360 trolling.
We trolled for about 30-45 minutes and had one lick on Evan’s rod. So once again we changed it up. Keep in mind that Toby has a LiveScope type sonar that he can turn alongside the boat and see everything around it while fishing. When fishing the coon shrimp we could literally see salmon right up at our baits but not hitting. At this point the heavy artillery came out, eggs. Once again Toby had two or three "flavors" and that’s when the fish bowl turned on. Evan was the first to hook a big brute and I’ll be honest after that I lost count of who got bit and who landed which fish.
Time to Catch Fish - Lots of Them
The technique is called hover fishing or hanging eggs. It’s essentially a drift rig that you hang over the side of the boat with a few ounces of lead and eggs in an egg loop. After Evan landed our first fish Toby began watching his screen and literally calling out which rod would get bit next. It was also amazing to see how many salmon would come right up to our eggs, look at them and swim away. Was technology helping us catch fish or were we just being entertained by seeing them on the screen? If a fish turned away we would reel in the bait and try a new flavor of eggs or reload with fresh ones of the same flavor. It was also helpful to know if fish were suspended or cruising on the bottom. We knew exactly where they were.
Evan hooks and lands our first fish.
The current we were fishing was maybe a few miles an hour. If the wind blew it would have moved the boat faster. The huge plus to this was we were using light gear and could fight the Chinook without having seals or sea lions around to pester or steal fish. The gear was simple. Steelhead spinning reels and rods with braided line and mono leaders. Heavy enough to handle salmon or steelhead. Toby simply removed our floats and the rig was ready for hover fishing. If you hooked a fish with big shoulders you could let him run and work him back to the boat with the strong line and maybe a little more reel than rod. River bottom was around 20-35 feet and Toby would literally tell us when to stop lowering our eggs as he was watching the salmon and their depth.
Nine times out of ten the bite was a subtle nibble and your timing had to be just right when setting the hook or you just "whiffed it." Occasionally a salmon would do a drive buy take down and drop its tail to the metal as if headed for the freeway entrance. This caused everyone on that side of the boat to reel up their eggs as fast as they could. It’s big water in that area so not a lot of worries about hooking your neighbors, but it can get a bit tight at times. Other fishermen are mostly courteous, and it always helps to repay the favor.
It’s all smiles at the boat launch with a limit of URBs.
By the end of the day, which was about 1:30 p.m. we had all lost track of bites and how many fish were fought. We made some new friends and had a day that everyone should experience at least once in this lifetime. There is something to be said about a bite that feels like a bluegill and fights like a 20-pound or larger salmon.
Things to Do in Lewiston/Clarkston
Special thanks goes to Michelle Peters at Visit Lewis Clark Valley for setting up this trip. On the boat with as were Michelle’s son Jordan and his friends Evan and John. We all had a great time. Susan and I took the trip together and Michelle took us to two wineries just outside of town. The first winery we visited was on the Clearwater River. It had an absolutely stunning view. The second was above town and the familiar lyric “amber waves of grain” could have been coined at that exact location. From the winery all the way to the Clearwater River Valley were rolling hills of golden grain. Not only are there great wineries to visit, but you can also go on whitewater jet boat trips, golf, hunt, hang out in town and eat lunch or dinner or go on a Columbia River cruise. Lots to do with your family or a fishing and/or hunting friend.
Lewiston, Idaho and Clarkston, Washington are neighboring cities located at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater rivers. A Sportsman’s paradise known for its scenic beauty, outdoor recreational opportunities and rich history located on the Lewis and Clark Trail. This is the gateway to Hells Canyon, North America’s deepest river gorge offering scenic jet boat tours and fishing charters. The cities host various events and festivals throughout the year, attracting visitors with their natural charm and friendly communities.
Salmon are a staple of life in Lewiston/Clarkston.
The view from Rivaura winery on the Clearwater River.
Huge thanks to Toby Wyatt for getting us hooked into the fish. To set up a trip for salmon and/or steelhead visit reeltimefishing.com or call 208-790-2128.
Professional fishing guide Toby Wyatt.
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