I'm getting back into fishing and living in the Vancouver area. I'm a disabled vet and really looking for something to get my ass out of this chair! I loved to fish as a kid but did most of it in NC and VA, mostly pond fishing for bass and brim and small stream fishing for trout.

These days I don't walk that well. Wading up and down streams is out. I'd like to get in on some bank fishing in the Columbia, say from Bonneville down. I think I'm interested in Pike Minnows (paid to fish? Sure!), shad, and sturgeon. Salmon seem to be a little too erratic and scarce to interest me around here.

Suggestions on rods and terminal gear? I like to fly fish but for this I think spinning tackle would be best. I was thinking about a longer (8' or so) medium spinning rod with 10 lbs test line to start.

Thanks,

John

Hey jmpurser, welcome to fishingnw.com.

Bank fishing for sturgeon from the bank isn't for the faint of heart. The big ones can really kick your butt even out of a boat. Because of the current and possibility of hooking 10 to 12 foot monsters the two bank bank fishermen I knew used 13' rods with casting reels sized for 400 yards of 40-60 lb mono. They were probably filling the reels with 60-80 lb test spectra backed with a hundred yards of mono. Fighting belts are a must. A Google search should turn up lots of info about people banking it for sturgeon below Bonneville Dam.

No real clue about the squawfish (pike minnow). In your area I would think that you could plunk for chinook or bobber fish for steelhead a good part of the year.

I know this a old thread but i would suggest a w.w. grigg rod at 8' 6 inches tall with 8 eyes and a shimano 4000FI reel with 20lb power pro line