Willamette River sturgeon fishing November 2010

As i anticipated the fall opener for keeper sturgeon (Nov 4th) was red hot. The migratory fish shot up river with all of the recent rains that we have had. There was still a bunch of hold over fish from last years fall movement due to the shut down at the end of March. There was a lot of pressure all throughout the river with very good success. Here are a few pics from last week. Thanks and see you on the water.

Charlie Foster
503-820-1189

Columbia Sturgeon Reports

As anticipated the keeper opener on the Columbia was pretty good. There was a bunch of pressure and continues to be. If you were fortunate enough to get into some fish there were some big keepers caught. The migratory fish have still not shown them selves but they will be coming as the water temp has dropped down to 60. I fished the Willamette four days this week and we landed 30 keepers and 23 oversize. The weather has been great and looks like it will continue for the next ten days. Here are a few pics from the last few days. Thanks and see you on the water.

Columbia sturgeon report/September

The September anticipation for over size sturgeon was well worth the wait. With all of the good water opening up September fist above Skamania Island there were several spots that continually produced big numbers of big fish. We ended up fishing 28 days in September landing 178 over size with the biggest being a big 11 footer. Several 10 footers and a lot of 7 to 9 footers. our best day was 15 over size. If you did not want to target the big boys or in some cases needed a break you can throw small baits and catch 50-60 small fish. There are quite a few keepers that are hold overs from this spring that will provide plenty of action for the October opener of retention. The water temps were cooler in September than normal and have been stable for the last month. The migratory fish have not started moving and will not move until the water temp starts dropping. Most are going hunting this weekend so it will not be as crowded as normal. We are going to be test fishing some new baits this fall and hope to discover the new secret bait. Take care and see you on the water.

Charlie

Columbia River sturgeon reports August 2010

With very little pressure below Bonneville Dam for sturgeon i have had the river to my self. The keeper fishery shut down the last Saturday of July and go figure that's when we start getting a few. The over size fishery still continues to produce up to 6 fish days when the bite is good. The last few weeks we have been targeting the flats 25-35 feet of water with very good action. There are plenty of fish in all size ranges to keep you on your toes all day. A special thanks to Ed and Drew for taking time out of there vacation to see what sturgeon fishing is all about. We decided to through squid all day on the light rods and ended up landing close to 20 fish. Drew landed a nice keeper in the 50 inch range and then put the icing on the cake with an acrobatic 105 incher. Ed being the wiser Dad let the youngster do all the hard work and took care of all the small guys. It was a great summer day and there will be more of them to follow. Thanks and see you on the water

Charlie
503-820-1189

Columbia/Willamette Sturgeon reports June/July 2010

As most of the effort has been concentrated on Summer salmon and steelhead both rivers have been wide open to battle with some beasts. As the Columbia water levels kept coming up there was a huge surge of fish that made it up in to the spawning grounds. There is a huge amount of keepers in the upper section below Bonneville Dam. If water levels drop to quick these fish are going to be on the move fast. Need less to say fishing for over size on the Columbia for over size has been great. I fished yesterday with Max and Carl with high expectations with the falling water levels. I was everything they anticipated and just a little more than they expected. We fished two rods and landed 6 fish between 6 1/2 and 8 feet. The Willamette was fishing very good through last week but as water temp hit the 70 degree mark the bite diminished by mid morning. I will be back on the water the rest of the week to deal with the heat but here are a few pics from the most recent hook ups. Thanks

Charlie
503-820-1189

Columbia/Willamette Sturgeon Reports May

Here are a few pics from the last few weeks.

Charlie

Columbia/Willamette sturgeon reports

Oversize fishing is in full swing with the arrival of the shad run! The Willamette is producing 4-6 oversize a day. Water temp last week dropped down to 53 degrees F creating a slower bite. As of today June 1st, the water temp went back up 57 degrees F. Keeper fishing has been spotty due to the decline of water temp, but with-in the next week fish should be on the move, and provide plenty of FAST action. With all the recent rain fall, the Willamette is going to be to high for a few days and force efforts onto the Columbia! Shad run is going STRONG on the Willamette and should continue through the month of June. The catch and release fishery in the Willamette and above Bonneville Dam has been OUTSTANDING to say the least! OK here are a few pictures from the last few weeks. Stay DRY and keep your lines TIGHT.
See ya on the WATER!
Thanks Charlie

Columbia/Willamette Sturgeon Report

Sorry i have not posted any thing lately but i had a sudden illness lay me down for a while. The catch and release fishery in the Willamette is on fire for both over size and nice slot sized fish. If you are looking for non stop action this is the place to be. We have been waiting for the Columbia to come up and it started Tuesday. Still a little early but by mid next week there will be fish scattered all over. Thursday and Friday provided plenty of action with 70 fish caught but no keepers. This is the highest the water has been since last June so watch out for floaters. Here are some pics over the last month with some pretty happy folks. Thanks

Charlie

503 820 1189

Sturgeon fishing report Feb 9 2010

The weather last week was to good to resist to be on the water. With water levels dropping and the fish on the move up stream anglers with a little bit of luck and knowledge of the river had some fantastic fishing. Thursday and Friday it was hard to do wrong. Saturday the morning bite was great but slowly went away. Monday was good fishing but we had to deal with some wind. (It was worth it). Total fish for the week was 26 keepers (16 were released) 5 over size (biggest 7 1/2 feet and 90 shakers. If you were lucky enough to get any of this years smelt you are gold.Here are a few pics and thanks to everyone who came out this week. See you on the water

Charlie

503 820 1189

Jan 29 2010 Sturgeon Reports

The wind was howling this week but if you were fortunate enough to have some sides on your boat and a windshield it was well worth the trip. Over the three days we landed over 150 shakers and 28 keepers. With the quota being watched so close be selective on the fish you take home. Here are a few pics. Thanks

Charlie
503 820 1189

Columbia/Willamette Sturgeon Reports.

January 25 2010

I lucked out and got a calm day on the water this week. Just as predicted the fishing was on fire once again. I had 6 people in the boat and in 3 hours we landed over 50 fish with 5 legals. There was very little pressure but every boat i drove buy was doing battle. I am getting ready to start advertising my custom built sturgeon rods soon so if you are in the market for some new rods be looking out for me. See ya on the water.

Charlie

503 820 1189

Columbia Sturgeon Report

Have spent the last three weeks making both keeper and over size rods for the up coming season. Time to get back on the water. I went to an undisclosed location because of a certain tip that i got. I am glad that we made the move because i have not seen action like this for quite a while. Day one we landed 30 fish for 5 anglers, 7 legals and 23 shakers. I thought this was good but the next day fishing was insane. For 3 anglers we landed 81 shakers and 11 keepers in 5 hours of fishing. We managed to run out of bait (9 pounds of squid) which normally is not a welcome site but today it was well desired by my self. I started getting the famous Columbia river smelt last week. If you can find them you better buy them up, this will probably be the last year for them. Here are a few pics from January 16 and 17. Thanks and see you on the water.

Charlie

503 820 1189