The natural world: Casting for spring chinook

Oct 03, 2023

Dauble

For over a month now, I’ve been waking up before dawn thinking about spring-run Chinook salmon. Analyzing fish counts at Columbia and Snake River dams and tracking updates about where and when I can fish has made me restless.

Effective forethought is hampered by the fact three buddies are no longer around to share fishing time. A favorite venue for Leroy and I was "The Wall" at Little Goose Dam. When spill gates at the dam are wide open and a back eddy forms in the tailrace, confused springers line up along the south shoreline, face downstream into the current, and refuse to swim backwards into the fish ladder entrance. Eager anglers gather on the lower deck of the dam with "tuna stick" rods capable of handling a Spin-n-Glo and cut plug herring rig attached to a 48-ounce lead ball dropper.

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Dennis Dauble is a retired fishery scientist, outdoor writer, presenter and educator who lives in Richland, Washington. For more stories about fish and fishing in area waters, see DennisDaubleBooks.com.

Dauble

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