Astoria
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Trips from
US $175
Captain
River Wanderer Outdoors
Astoria, United States
Angler's choice
25+ reviews
As a third generation captain, fishing is a part of my identity. My earliest memory is reeling in a spring chinook on my grandpa's boat. The memory of the purple back, shine of the scales, and delicate scent of that fish are still treasures in my mind.
I was too small to hold the rod so he left in in the holder while I cranked the reel. His shouts of 'don't stop reeling' still echo in my mind. When the fish was netted and on the deck he smiled, told me good job and covered it with a damp burlap sack to keep it cool. Somewhere in a shoebox there is still a picture of me holding up one end of the handle of a garden hoe with the other end rested on a wheelbarrow and the fish hung in between. That fish was nearly as big as I was and it had hooked me as much as I had hooked it. Even now, after thousands of fish ranging from trout to giant sturgeon, I feel that same sense of excitement every time the line goes tight.
While I learned about knots, lures, presentation, reading water and tactics from my grandfather and father. They also taught me that the most important part of fishing isn't the fish. It's being connected to the water, to nature, the people you share time with, and the world around you. The best parts of fishing are the moments spent with your son or daughter when they feel that line go tight for the first time. It's watching as your best friend's eyes go wide when the fish rises up out of the water or takes a long run. It's that ear to ear grin on your parent's face coupled with a deep sigh of relief when the net finally contains that shimmering collection of scales. It's the stories told while waiting for some action to happen. It's watching seabirds, otters and seals play and feed. It's watching the seasons change along the shoreline. It's meeting with new friends and old around a shared past time. Sharing all of this is with others is why I keep on wandering.
Jerad S.
Captain
Charter
Rating
4.9
39 reviews
4.9
Boat & Equipment
5.0
Captain & Crew
4.9
Fishing Experience
Anglers' gallery (66)
What anglers say
100%
Recommend this charter
97%
Caught fish
All reviews (39)
Showing 1 – 5 of 39 reviews
James LyonsRepeat angler
Oregon, US•Member since 2025•2 trips5.0VerifiedNEWJared Salmon Whisperer
Buoy 10 Chinook & Coho Shared • 2 adultswe left the dock about 630 we hooked our first fish before 7 o’clock and we fought 10 fish by 10 o’clock. Jared knows exactly where to go and if it’s not hitting, he moves even before you wanna move. This is our second year with him and I’m looking forward to next year. and for the second year in a row, we tapped out he was gonna take us further down the river to catch our last fish after fishing for that Fish for an hour and I said no, we’re good 
Reported catch:
Response from CaptainI had a lot of fun with you guys again! I'm so glad you came back and I can't wait to see you and Cruz again next year!
David NeuhauselColorado, US•Member since 20265.0VerifiedNEWAmazing experience
Fall Astoria Coho Shared • 3 adults • 1 childWhat a great fishing trip. Jared is an absolute dog! This guy has it all.. A great set-up, a great conversationalist, and he has a stellar side-kick Sadie (an eager chocolate lab) who hates sea lions bit loves catching fish. And, behind it all a fierce determination to find the salmon. Humble and kind, Jared is your guy. take a trip!
Reported catch:
John GrantOregon, US•Member since 20265.0VerifiedNEWamazing experience
Buoy 10 Chinook & Coho Shared • 2 adultsWe caught a blend of chinook and coho salmon. My daughter who is 22 had never caught a salmon from the boat. She was beeming as she had the hottest pole of the group. As well as getting a kick out of Jerad taking water in the face as we returned to marina. What a great day! Everyone on the boat was smiling 😃
Response from CaptainI really enjoyed having you guys! I can't wait to see you again. I love the fact that everyone just enjoyed the trip and each other on the boat! The good fishing didn't hurt either!
Yuan YaoNew York, US•Member since 20265.0Verifiedgreat cap and will recommend to everyone
Lingcod & Rockfish Shared • 2 adultsI had an amazing bottom fishing trip out of Astoria and could not recommend this guide service more. From start to finish, everything was professional, organized, and fun. The captain was extremely knowledgeable about the local waters, tides, and where to find fish, and he worked hard all day and take extra time to make sure everyone had a great experience and got the fish we wanted. will recommend to everybody who want to experience offshore bottom fishing.
Reported catch:
Response from CaptainI'm so glad I was able to meet you! That was a fun trip and seeing the gray whale in addition to all the fish just made it special. Bobby had a blast meeting you and fishing with you as well. I can't wait for the next trip when we keep a few more of the big rockfish and get you on some more Lingcod.
Timothy WeigRepeat anglerNew Mexico, US•Member since 2022•3 trips5.0VerifiedNEWGreat salmon fishing at buoy 10!
Buoy 10 Chinook & Coho Shared • 1 adultJared runs a great relaxed fishing operation. He knows how to put fish in the boat and is a genuinely good dude to be stuck on a boat all day with. I highly recommend everyone to.bokk a trip with River Wanderer and I look forward to another trip with them soon.
Real catches shared by our community
- River Wanderer Outdoors Astoria FishingAstoria, OR
- River Wanderer Outdoors Astoria FishingAstoria, OR
- River Wanderer Outdoors Astoria FishingAstoria, OR
- River Wanderer Outdoors Astoria FishingAstoria, OR
- River Wanderer Outdoors Astoria FishingAstoria, OR
- River Wanderer Outdoors Astoria FishingAstoria, OR
- River Wanderer Outdoors Astoria FishingAstoria, OR
- River Wanderer Outdoors Astoria FishingAstoria, OR
- River Wanderer Outdoors Astoria FishingAstoria, OR
- River Wanderer Outdoors Astoria FishingAstoria, OR
What's biting with River Wanderer Outdoors Astoria Fishing in Astoria
Excellent angling opportunities can still be found around Buoy 10. Get a taste of the action and then head offshore for Dungeness Crab, Tuna, and the last of the Halibut, if the annual quota still hasn't been met.
Top catches for September
Fishing reports
Chrome as far as the eye can see
Sep 1, 2026 • Astoria
We set out around 7AM with a hot tip from a buddy of mine and immediately dropped into a multiple hookup trolling pass with one in the boat and a couple lost before I could even give instructions on how to reel in a salmon. To say we were "on fish the whole day" would be an understatement. As soon as the bite died down in one spot it was time to land on another massive batch of fish in another. Between releases, missed bites, and fish in the boat the rods dove for the water over 30 times.
Our crew ended up with 12 nice salmon, including one upriver bright chinook that looked to be as near as perfect quality as you can get for a fall salmon in the Columbia River. To make it even better, the Coho are averaging around 10 lbs now which means we're in for some amazing fall coho action with lots of quality fish to the boat.
Today's crew was made up of some repeat clients and new friends that they brought aboard. It's awesome to see folks come back year after year. This is the type of experience I live for. Not only did they have a great time, but they somehow even had a better time than last year. I can't wait to see them again with smiles on their faces when they get on board and when they leave with another 30 lbs of fillets!
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Hottest bite of the season!
Aug 19, 2026 • Astoria
The buoy 10 season is building very well and today was the best yet. We finished the day with a captain's tagged fish along with full limits for our guys. This was a great birthday present for dad, and he even decided to reel in some fish himself this year. The Chinook were biting fast and furious. We even had to let a double go while we were trying to chase down some bonus coho.
If the rest of the season shapes out like today it's going to be a banner year in Astoria and on the Columbia River
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Quick Boat Limit and some first time sal
Aug 16, 2026 • Astoria
To say there are a lot of fish around would be an absolute understatement. We set out with a crew of half accomplished fishermen and half newbies. The salmon didn't care who had experience though and every single rod ended up pointing towards the water with either a coho or a chinook on it.
Multiple double and triple hookups were on offer throughout the morning, and we even found ourselves into a quadruple hookup at one point. The beginners did great and spirits stayed high whenever a fish escaped. Everyone got nice big fish to the boat with three people catching their first ever Salmon. Since the action was so quick, I tagged two fish for this crew and sent them home with them as a gift as well. The day ended with a total of 14 salmon (9 Coho and 6 Chinook) in the bag, 20 fish to the boat, and well over 30 bites. This is truly an amazing time to be Salmon fishing in Astoria!
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Ocean Salmon are still ripping
Aug 9, 2026 • Astoria
We made the decision to go to the ocean the last two days in a row. Even though Buoy 10 has been open for a week, the coho are just starting to enter the river and this crew needed to fill a freezer. Full boat limits of salmon came quickly on both days with the ocean being much less rough than forecast.
The action on Sunday was nearly non-stop until we moved to try to find a few more Chinook, running one shy of the maximum on Chinook, but filling the slot with a nice Coho. Saturday turned up an even split with the maximum for Chinook and the rest of the boat limit filled out with Coho as well.
To top it off, both the humpback and gray whales decided to take a visit and check us out. Between the good weather and great crews, this weekend was all I could ask for!
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Fish are just fun!
Aug 8, 2026 • Astoria
Some days the goal isn't limits. The goal is to just be flexible and have fun. Today was one of those days. We started out going for ling cod and rockfish and ended up playing with a sabiki rig to catch anchovies, because it was just too much fun.
To make things cooler, we got to see a huge selection of sea birds, Wells, porpoises, seals and sea lions throughout the entire day. This crew came all the way from West Virginia, and this was a completely different experience for them. It was also one that they won't soon forget. I can't wait to see them on the boat again. I'm excited to see what happens the next time, we go out.
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Buoy 10? The Ocean was the best bet!
Aug 2, 2026 • Astoria
What a great, and fast day! 12 keeper salmon in 2 hours of having lines in the water with another 4 released. You can't hardly write the script any better.
While Buoy 10 has opened up, the best action has remained in the ocean with plenty of salmon stacking up outside before making their way into the river. We left early to make the bar crossing before the tide started pulling too hard. Once out, we stayed close to the Cape Disappointment lighthouse and circled schools of Coho and Chinook Salmon with our longest wait for a bite staying at less than 20 minutes.
The fish highlight was a beautiful upriver bright Chinook with spots so small that she could almost have been mistaken for a Coho. Not only was this big female the biggest fish of the day, the fillets had some of the best color you could ask for in a fall Chinook. We ended the day with full limits of Salmon including an even split of Chinook and Coho.
These guys are going to have some amazing eating when they get back home and I can't wait to see them again
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