Coho limits hit on last‑minute trip

The expanded three fish limit for coho in the lower Columbia River is there for good reason. There are a lot of fish biting early and often. We chased the tide and the fish all day and managed to not only limit out our crew with their 12 fish, but I ended up tagging 2 on my own tag to add to the bounty that they were able to share and take home to their families. These guys were back for a second year and I love repeat clients. They were all pros getting the fish into the boat and it was just fun for all of us. I can't wait for their next trip!

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!

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