Weekend Fishing 3/7 -3/8

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When I’m planning a fishing trip there are a lot of factors that I consider. Here’s a quick preview of my thinking (this example is based on the Willamette river 3/6/20):

1. Wind conditions help me to decide which days I want to fish more than anything. If the conditions are 0 to 5 knots, fishing will be comfortable, from 6 to 10 knots it’s going to be a little bit of work, and above 11 knots it starts to be too much work for me. See the first two images above where I selected “Wind” to show the hourly wind conditions. Both days look good but Sunday looks to be the better day.

2. Water Temperature plays a big part in how active the fish are. In colder water the fish tend to expend less energy. In the early spring it’s sometimes wise to fish against the current to give Salmon a longer look at your bait. As the water warms, fishing with the current is my suggestion. I trust that an active salmon will turn and follow my bait in warmer water. Water temperature is important in deciding whether to use bait or hardware and how fast your trolling speed should be. For now, in early spring, troll slow and use bait as your first option. The third image shows that the water temperature is currently pretty cold but going up and that’s good news.

3. The river level is an important indicator for how salmon choose to move or hold. If the river is on the rise, the bite will likely drop off as the fish have an instinct to move up river. When the river is dropping, the fish tend to hold. Your chances of hooking a salmon should be better when the river is on the drop. In the forth image above you will notice that the river is overall flat if you disregard the tide variations. It’s currently sitting between three and five feet which is really low for this time of year. I feel that the low water level is good for fishing in our area.

4. Turbidity is a measure of water clarity. If the water is “dirty” from a blown-out river it’s more difficult for salmon to find your gear. The current conditions as pictured in the fifth image above shows the turbidity level near 3. That means the river is very clear. A higher number indicates that the water has less clarity. In clear water you would probably choose to use longer leaders from your flasher to your bait. If the water is murky (higher turbidity), you would probably choose to shorten up your leader. When the turbidity is above 10, it’s my opinion that fishing is going to be more difficult. I like the current turbidity level and feels it’s really good for fishing.

5. There are several other things to consider but I’ll save that for another post. Talk to your fishing network and try to find out where fish are being caught. Drive by different sections of the river and watch the fishing boats for thirty minutes or so. Use all of your social media tools to determine when/where/how fish are being caught in your area. My videos will give you lots of information about bait, depth, weight, color, and location. Even my older videos can give you information about where to fish during different parts of the season.

Best of luck to all of you fishermen. If you are lucky enough to catch a springer, send me a photo with your name & date caught. I’ll try to post pictures on this site. Don’t forget to use my youtube channel https:\\www.youtube.com\davidpyle.