I'm going to be in Oregon and have time for a day of fishing on the Columbia near Pasco. I have never fished for steelhead and i want to give it a shot. I'll be in Pasco on the 18th of January....Am i too late for the fishery?

If i'm not to late any sugestions on where to look for the elusive fish. I'm going to be fishin from shore and I have all the gear, thanks to some friends that fish that area. They fish it by boat so they could't tell me much on what parts of the river is fishable by shore.

I know everyone is very secretive of this area and the fish,,, I'm not looking to take them all. I just want to catch my first steelhead

Thanks everyone for your help

Ps I'm willing to trade some secrets on fishin some of the rivers in my neck of the woods. I did pretty good this year on the Samish and Stillguamish

If you are dead set on the Columbia there are two spots. Best bet for fish is to brave the BNSF Railroad police and a trespass ticket above McNary Dam on the north side right below the irrigation pumps. The other spot is on the south side of the river west of Wallula Junction. Find a wide spot in the road and cross the tracks to the river. If you want to fish the Snake pick a spot from the jetty at Charbonneau Park to Ice Harbor Dam.

Thanks .....I'm not dead set on the river just the area as I have to be there for a day of work. The next day I am avavlible to fish pretty much where I want

Thanks .....I'm not dead set on the river just the area as I have to be there for a day of work. The next day I am avavlible to fish pretty much where I want

I'd recommend bringing bobber/jig/shrimp gear and going on the Snake River above Ice Harbor dam. As Pasco_steelhdr said, you can fish any or all of a dozen spots starting right at the dam on the south shore, the point right above the dam, the roadway near the gate, the jetty at Charbonneau Park, walk into Fishhook park, or go all the way up to Lower Monumental Dam. All should be fishing fine still at that time. My favorites are a black/purple bucktail jig (Rock Dancer or similar) or a bead body Beau Mac jig (red beads with either black or pink/purple body). Run it anywhere from 5 to 7 feet below a bobber and tip it with a dyed purple coon shrimp. Be sure to pinch down the barbs on the hooks.

If for some reason the Snake blows out (rare but it happens some years) you can bring drift gear or flyrod and do well at Ringold, on the Columbia north of Pasco.

Let us know how you do!

Thanks guys.....I really appreciate all the advice. I will try the snake and fish till I drop

Thanks Again, I'll let everyone know how I did.....Hopefully with some nice pics

Not sure what your preferences are for tactics or style of fishing. If you tend to prefer to sit back and let the fish come to you, Pasco and Starfish nailed the best options. Plus, those are your best chances at a whopper B-run fish. If you prefer to chase them down, you may want to try the Wallowa, or Walla Walla rivers. The Wallowa is a bit of a haul from the Tri-Cities, but if you prefer to walk the streambed, it's a great option. The Walla Walla will have some fish too. There are a couple of WDFW access points on the Walla Walla just off of HWY 12 as you head toward the town of Walla Walla.

Thanks E-mann, This trip I think I'll sit back and see what happens, I don't think I will have time to chase them. I'm back down in the area again the next week and might be able to squeeze in a couple of days to chase em down

Did anybody mention Ringold? For a bank-bound angler it's a decent choice if he wants to drift eggs or shrimp.

Doh! Good catch.

Now, if only I could catch fish like that!!

Thanks Pasco and Adipose.....You guys talkin about the king in my pic ? If you interested let me know and I will tell you when they are bitten. Are average was 21-25 lb this year for about three weeks straight. The silvers were small on the 10 lb side

Looks like my comment a few days back about trying Ringold in the unlikely event the Snake blows out might come true... I noticed the Palouse crested pretty high this morning so the Snake might get a bit murky in a few days. It takes a lot to muddy up the Snake but it takes a long time to clear if it does. If it's not too windy tomorrow I might try it for a while tomorrow before it gets too bad.

I suspect McNary is also going to get a bit ugly with the Walla Walla and Yakima dumping some mud.

Thanks Starfish......I'll keeep my eye on this thread and see if anything looks good for when I'm there.

Let me know if they do crest...I hope they are back down with the cold weather the next two weeks. I'm there on the night of the 17th. Is night fishing ok on the snake

Well-- I was pleasantly surprised today. The wind wasn't nearly as bad as originally forecasted so I went below Ice Harbor and we scored four for six, with two keepers, two nates released, one broken off (looked wild) and one lost halfway to the boat. All were on black/purple or pink rock dancer with dyed bait shrimp. Water was up a bit (perfect level actually) but still clear... no telling how long that will last but I'm sure glad we went!

We also tried trolling plugs for an hour but no luck. We fished from about 8am to 1pm.