Photo by Dave Kilhefner

Did you miss out on the springers?

Do you need a salmon fix right now and can't wait for the fall Chinook to start heading for their home waters?

Don't despair, because relief -- in the form of hard-striking, hard-fighting summer-run Chinook -- is on the way.

Blessed with three biologically distinct Chinook salmon runs -- spring, summer and fall -- the Columbia River is a salmon angler's dream come true. For years the summer-run fish were not available to sportsmen because too few fish returned to meet spawning goals. The good news is that aggressive management, favorable ocean conditions and hatchery supplementation have rebuilt the fish stocks to levels that allow Chinook salmon to be caught nine months of the year.

A SALMON PRIMER
Knowing more about the object of your desire makes catching fish more likely. Making up the earliest run, springers begin to show in the river in mid-February and are in spawning tributaries by mid-June. The first run of 5-year-old fish head for lower river tributaries, followed by smaller 4-year-olds. The majority of these early fish are caught in the Willamette River with April and May being the peak migration months. The spring fish also head for other lower Columbia tributaries, such as the Cowlitz and Kalama in Washington and the Sandy and Clackamas in Oregon.

To confuse matters, there is another spring run, known as upriver spring Chinook, which includes wild and hatchery fish heading for the Snake River, numerous tributaries above Bonneville Dam and the upper Columbia above the Snake River.

The latest run, fall Chinook, enter the river to make their way for the Hanford Reach, their primary spawning area above Tri-Cities. The bulk of the fall run starts to show up in August, and fishing runs through October. These 4- and 5-year-old fish bust upriver, traveling sometimes 60 miles in a day.

The middle run, known in fish management circles as the upriver summer Chinook, faces the arduous task of negotiating 500 miles of dams, commercial and tribal fishing, sports fishing and natural predation to spawn in the Okanogan and Methow rivers. Run sizes averaged fewer than 20,000 fish during the 1980s and 1990s, but hatchery fish and dramatically improved habitat have allowed runs to rebound. The predicted 2006 run is 49,000, down from the last couple of years, but still capable of supporting a fine sports fishery.

Average fish size varies annually. But each year, lucky anglers land some fatties that push 50 pounds, with lots of 20- to 30-pounders boated. Make sure you fill your ice chest with plenty of ice to keep your prize fresh for that summer barbecue.

BONNEVILLE POOL AND BELOW
Joe Hymer, a Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission biologist, has been studying these fish for years. Historically, most sport-caught fish were taken in June and July below Bonneville Dam. But as anglers learned more about the fishery, the pressure started to spread out with more anglers experiencing success.

Hymer's data shows some distinct trends as to what works in the lower river. The early-run fish prefer spinners in shallow water, say 10 to 25 feet deep. As the summer sun heats up and water temperatures rise into the 60s and 70s, tactics shift to lures in deeper water. Popular spinners are Colorado-type in a variety of blade sizes and colors, with rainbow, black and brass being the most often used.