Top 10 Pacific Northwest Kayak Salmon Fisheries
By: Tyler Hicks
There is no fish more synonymous with the Pacific Northwest than salmon. Several species ply the region’s waters and with varying runs you can nearly spend every month of the year targeting salmon from the kayak somewhere with success. Whether you prefer to kayak fish in the salt, on tranquil sounds and bays, big or small rivers, or on inland lakes there is a salmon fishery here fit for you. You don’t even need to be close to the coast as several opportunities exist to harvest salmon hundreds of miles inland. I’ve highlighted ten kayak salmon fisheries that I’ve selected for their ease of access to kayak anglers, their consistency in producing world class fishing, and the natural beauty of the surrounding area. Be sure to check with state fish and game regulations regarding salmon harvest as they vary substantially year to year depending on the strength of the salmon run.
1. PORTLAND SPRING KINGS
Slicing right through the heart of Portland, Oregon is the Willamette River. Below the thunderous Willamette Falls, on the south edge of the city, the Willamette meanders its last 25 miles before dumping into the Columbia River. Even during spring runoff the current here is manageable for most kayak anglers. In early March the first push of spring Chinook Salmon hit the river. These are the Wagyu salmon of the world with hefty fat loads to help fuel their long journeys to distant streams, where they may not spawn for another five to six months. The best fishing runs from April through early June. Trolling larger rotating flashers with spinners, Superbaits, or cut-plug herring trailing 30-40” behind is the standard and most productive offering. Target 15-40’ deep along the shoreline in areas from downtown Portland to the mouth. There are several easy launches located along this stretch. It can be quite an experience to be battling a twenty pound King Salmon under one of the many bridges while morning commuters bustle overhead gnawing on voodoo doll shaped donuts. It’s weird, embrace it.
2. BREWSTER POOL
Upper Columbia River: Over 500 river miles from the Pacific Ocean the Brewster pool settled in a desert like landscape looks and feels nothing like a classic Northwest salmon hotspot. Here a large pool is formed in the Columbia as it makes a 90 degree turn south along the east side of the Cascade Mountains. Starting in July large numbers of summer run King Salmon and Sockeye Salmon begin to arrive. Most are on their way up the Okanogan River, which joins the Columbia River near the town of Brewster, Washington. However, the slow meandering Okanogan heats up quickly in the desert heat and is often so warm it’s lethal to salmon. This traps the King and Sockeye Salmon in the Brewster pool until the first cold rains of September arrive. It’s quite literally like fishing in a barrel, a really large barrel filled with hundreds of other anglers. The Sockeye Salmon generally hang shallow 10-20’ deep and can be caught using 8-10” silver dodgers trailed with pink hoochies with red hooks tipped with shrimp on 15” leaders. King Salmon will run deeper and are best targeted using rotating flashers and tuna stuffed Superbait or Spinfish lures on 36” leaders. Primitive launches are available one mile upstream from the Brewster pool on the Okanogan River. Fishing is best from mid-July through mid-August.
3. BARKLEY SOUND, BRITISH COLUMBIA
Located on the west coast of Vancouver Island, Barkley Sound is a kayak angler’s paradise. Numerous islands break up the sound and offer protection from the rarely pacified Pacific Ocean. In late July and August large numbers of ocean fresh Coho and Chinook Salmon move into the bay following schools of baitfish. Trolling traditional flashers or dodgers with cutplug herring or anchovies works wonders here as do white hoochies or spoons. I’ve done particularly well simply flatlining crankbaits that look like baitfish and trolling along kelp beds during the flood tide. The bay can be reached from the north at Ucluelet where you can find some companies offering shuttles for kayak anglers out to distant islands and camps. Alternatively you can drive a long dirt road to the town of Bamfield, a half-mile paddle from here puts you on prime fishing grounds. Fishing here feels like a true wilderness experience and if the salmon are not biting there are always plenty of hungry rockfish and lingcod.
4. BAKER LAKE SOCKEYE SALMON
The most likely reason you will get skunked here is that you will be distracted by the stunning scenery of this mid-summer Sockeye Salmon fishery. The towering and perpetually snow-capped Mt. Baker looms over this aquamarine lake’s west shore while endless rugged peaks of the north Cascades guard its eastern flank. Sockeye Salmon start arriving here in July and they are quite literally trucked in from a fish trap that lies below several dams downstream that have no fish passage. In good years many tens of thousands of fish will be trucked up from the Skagit River into the lake. There are numerous launches all of which lie near productive fishing grounds. Eight to ten inch silver dodgers trailed by pink hoochies with red hooks tipped with shrimp are the ticket here but when the fishing is really hot all you need are bare red hooks 15” behind the dodger and its fish on!
5. SEATTLE PINK SALMON
Every two years the Puget Sound fills up with several million Pink Salmon. These 3 to 5 lb salmon run only during odd years and are one of the most numerous salmon in the Northwest. The first Pinks, sometimes called Humpies by the locals due to their distinct humpback during spawning, usually start showing up in catches in late July or early August with peak fishing in the salt running from mid-August through mid-September. They can easily be targeted out from any one of the numerous marinas and launches available on the Seattle waterfront. Pink Salmon tend to run in the top 20’ of the water column and often in schools. Trolling white dodgers with pink hoochies is always effective but you can also watch for schools busting the surface and throw one ounce pink buzzbombs or spoons at them on medium-light tackle. In fact they will hit just about anything pink and moving. Despite a bad culinary reputation they are excellent canned or smoked if properly bled and kept on ice.
6. WARRIOR ROCK FALL KINGS
Lower Columbia River: From mid-August to the end of September is prime time for Chinook Salmon fishing on the Columbia River. You can target these large powerful fish anywhere on their path from the mouth at the world famous Buoy 10 fishery (not the safest kayak fishery) all the way up to their spawning grounds on the Hanford Reach, several hundred river miles upstream. My favorite spot for fall kayak Columbia Kings is just above the Warrior Rock line, which is an invisible line just upstream from where the Lewis River flows into the Columbia. It’s above this line that it is often possible to legally retain wild fish and more often than not a limit of two fish. Even during the fall the current here can be challenging. Despite being almost 90 river miles inland, the river is still tidally influenced here. During the flood tide the current drops to nil or will even cause the river to flow in reverse. During this slackwater window I like to troll rotating flashers with Superbaits, spinners, or Spinfish in the top 30’ of water column as the Chinook Salmon suspend in the absence of current. You can beach launch at nearby Austin Point or pay to use a private ramp just upstream on the south bank of the Lewis River.
7. TILLAMOOK BAY, OREGON
Five coastal rivers feed into this large estuary on the Oregon coast. Chinook Salmon fishing ramps up in September and runs through November and Coho join the mix in late September and peak in October. Tidal influences are a major player here and important to understand. The mouth of the bay, affectionately known as “The Jaws”, is best avoided by kayak anglers as currents and swell from the Pacific Ocean here can be deadly. Kayak anglers should focus their energies on the 10-20’ deep channel running along the east side of the bay from Hobsonville to Bay City, locally known as the “Ghost Hole”. Trolling flashers with cutplug herring or spinners work well here especially on the flood tide. Be wary of big tidal swings which can amplify the current. A more mellow option is fishing the lower sections of the Trask or Wilson Rivers on a flood tide by either trolling Blue Fox spinners or drifting cured salmon eggs under a bobber.
8. LEWISTON, IDAHO
Another one of those unlikely salmon fisheries far from the ocean. While there has been increasing potential for Chinook and Coho Salmon fishing here in the fall the real star of the show is actually sea-run Rainbow Trout, aka Steelhead. At the junction of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers is a slow water fishery, running from September through October, perfect for the kayak angler. Depending on the year tens to hundreds or thousands of these 5 to 15+ lbs trout pour through here on their way inland to spawn or to regional hatcheries. Trolling the confluence of these two rivers with brightly colored or crayfish patterned crankbaits that dive 8-10’ is a great way to target these fish and cover a lot of water. The other option is to slow troll a bobber with a pink, red, or black marabou jig 8-10’ under it tipped with shrimp. Launching is possible just across from the confluence at a small marina on the Washington side of the Snake River.
9. KLICKITAT COHO SALMON
As mid-October rolls around most everyone in the region has just about had enough with salmon. The first Arctic air rolls in, people become distracted with hunting big game or football, and winterize their boats (something us kayak anglers don’t worry much about). The Klickitat River located in the heart of the scenic Columbia River Gorge goes from a milky blue to clear as the glaciers that feed its headwaters freeze back up choking off the sediment flow. Where the river feeds into the Columbia River large numbers of Coho Salmon stack up from October through November and can be caught trolling rotating triangle flashers with prawn spinners trailing behind. However, be prepared for some wild weather as winds can rip through here and it’s not uncommon for temperatures to struggle to get above freezing in the latter half of the season. You can launch at the nearby town of Lyle and be sure to wear proper immersion gear.
10. HOOD CANAL CHUM SALMON
Combat fishing at its greatest. Each fall, in November, hundreds of thousands of 10 to 20 lb Chum Salmon stack up at river mouths in the Hood Canal of Puget Sound. These aggressive and powerful salmon are an absolute blast to catch. Most kayak anglers will anchor up in front of the small streams feeding into the Hood Canal where these salmon will run up to spawn, the most famous being at Hoodsport, WA. Bobber fishing with shrimp tipped purple or chartreuse marabou jigs or a whole herring works but you can also twitch jigs or throw spinners as well. While not the tastiest salmon in the world they are absolute terrors on the end of a line and pound for pound fight harder than any salmon in the world. They are vividly colored green, black, and purple and the males have gnarly teeth. It’s a must do fishery for any kayak angler in the region.