2023 Fishing Seasons Not To Miss!

2023 is shaping up to be great year for fishing again. Favorable ocean conditions are providing good forecasts for Spring, Summer and Fall salmon which will hopefully lead to expanded seasons. With a lot changing I’m adjusting my schedule a little bit this year to take advantage of some of these increases in run sizes!

We’re starting our yearly show season and will be at the Washington Sportsmen’s Show and the Pacific Northwest Sportsmen’s Show this month and things are about to get really busy!

Starting with Spring Chinook, the Upper Columbia River and tributaries across the board are seeing increases. This is going to allow me to expand the areas fished and the length of time productive fishing will be around. Plan on great fishing clear through the end of May.

Willamette Spring Chinook has a forecast set around 71,000 fish and could provide good numbers of fish well through June. This is over a 20,000 fish increase over the last 2 years! Now, I’d generally fish for them all the way through the month but in the middle of June we’re going to see another season kick into high gear……

Summer Chinook forecasts are the 2nd highest on record! The season officially will start on June 16th, but with larger Spring Chinook forecasts, the first 2 weeks of June could see openers on the Columbia. Either way it’s going to be a tough decision to decide wether to chase big summer kings on the Columbia or numerous spring chinook in the tributaries. As with any of my fishing trips, I will always give you the option of going to the better fishing and since we’re always on the water, I’ll always have a good idea what that will be.

Even though we don’t have exact numbers yet, preliminary forecasts for Fall Chinook are looking similar to last years forecasts. In 2022, we experienced 3 record setting catch days in the Buoy 10 fishery and the 6th largest Chinook run on record. If this year is anything close to last years, we will have amazing fishing from August to November.

My bottom fishing trips are always a popular summertime fishery targeting rockfish and lingcod. Shallow water, light gear and hard fighting fish make this something not to miss. Since the Summer Chinook season is going to be so strong, I’m limiting these trips to the end of July when the tides are the most favorable. I will not have many days so if you’re looking to go, get on the calendar asap.

In 2022, Summer Steelhead saw a big improvement over recent years and the fishing was very good. We don’t have any numbers or forecasts yet but if this year is anything like last, it’s going to make June and July fishing even tougher with another great option to catch some of the hardest fighting fish we have.

Sockeye forecasts are strong and we will see a season in June adding even another opportunity to fill some coolers. I generally couple Sockeye with Summer Chinook and Summer Steelhead so if you’re looking to give them a try, anytime from June 15th through July 5th will be peak for these fish.

It is never too early to reserve your fishing date. In fact I have reservations for the 2024 season already! If a season gets cancelled or weather causes us to make last minute adjustments, I almost always have a backup plan for you. Also, by only trying to book clients in the peaks of the various runs, we hopefully won’t see any lousy fishing days and make your trip as enjoyable as we can!

Can’t decide what to fish for? Head over to my “Book a trip” page, fill out the form and I’ll get back to with any questions that you may have.

Looking forward to fishing with you in 2023!

Cameron