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Upper Columbia River and Tributaries, Washington You probably won't catch a 10-pounder, but during prime time, you are likely to cast over pods of gulping trout numbering in the consisting of hundreds of native rainbows averaging 16 to 18 inches, and frequently over 20 inches. At its mouth, the Columbia River is the largest river on North America's Pacific Coast. Formed by the confluence of the Columbia River just below Hugh Keenleyside Dam, and the Kootenay River below a series of five hydro-electric dams, the huge reservoir system upstream and the volume of water coming from the bottom-release dams make the Columbia the biggest tailwater trout fishery in the world. While the flows change with the seasons, the river level doesn't noticeably  fluctuate through the day as they do on other tailwater fisheries. The regulated flows provide moderate water temperature throughout the year to provide trout with optimum growing conditions. The trout gather in the Columbia's huge back-eddys because they offer protection from the Columbia's powerful current and coral suspended and floating food sources.The Columbia River supports several types of mayflies as well as midges and stoneflies but caddis are the most prolific and dependable aquatic insect. When the weather begins to warm up in late March through April, the river is at its lowest point of the year, and the trout are holding along the edges of gravel bars prior to spawning or still in the long sweeping runs they wintered in. April is a prime month to go after the biggest trout in the Columbia--not with dry flies but swinging flies steelhead-style through the best holding areas using sinking-tip lines and spey rods if you like. Dedicated swinging of flies on the bottom can potentially bring up to a dozen good solid tugs per day per angler. This fishing usually continues until the end of April when rainbows move out of the holding areas and begin to spawn in earnest. By the time the spawn is over mid May, the river will have at least tripled in volume and anglers must wait for the water to recede and the fish to begin keying on surface food in late June. Come June, mayflies, midge, and caddis by the millions become trapped in this proverbial Lazy Susan and the trout feed for hours at a time. Some of these backeddys are 20, 40, 60 feet deep or more. When they rest, the trout descend into the protected depths of the eddy. When they feed, they fin quietly near the surface, grabbing a mayfly here, and a caddis there, as the food makes its rounds. To find rising trout, you must find places where the current acts to collect hatching insects and the trout can easily hold near the surface to feed. In late spring, summer, and fall, that means fishing the dozens of football field-sized backeddys. When the trout move to feed erratically in the midst of a blizzard like July caddis hatch, the fishing becomes outstanding and difficult simultaneously. At times there can be hundreds of snouts poking out of the water within casting range, and you can't get a sniff. The fish are not leader shy and not particularly pattern-selective. The problem is coordinating a meeting between an open mouth and your fly, with millions of competing naturals on the water. Don't get caught changing your fly every two minutes because you think you don't have the right pattern on. More likely than not, you just haven't hit the trout right on the nose, yet. In late June the water drops and by July the caddis hatch is in full swing. In the mornings you'll find risers still eating the leftovers from the hatch and egg-laying flights of the previous evening. Between 10 A.M. and 2 P.M. there is often a lull in surface activity, but by late afternoon the caddis begin to stir, and the trout respond accordingly. By 6 P.M. the hatch is heavy enough to bring hundreds of trout to the surface of a single backeddy and in the hour before dark, the prime feeding spots are a frenzy of trout backs, dorsal fins, and snouts. In early fall, the hatches begin to taper down until only midges are left, and in November, the trout move out of the backeddys and into the main river channel where they hold near the bottom through the winter to await the arrival of spring. Also see the following pages for other options in the area: Pend Oreille River Kettle River Desert Spring Creeks Clothing and equipment checklist -- Summer, Winter Spey Line Specifications Pricing:
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Contact Info info@emeraldwateranglers.com 206-545-2197 office 206-601-0132 Dave's mobile Seattle, Washington |