Mack Attack Magazine

By Jason Brooks

The famed Buoy 10 fishery starts in August and will only improve as it nears September. From Astoria, all the way to the red marker near the Columbia River Bar, which is designated with the number 10, this fishery is famous for its big chinook and abundant coho. It is also notorious for its rough water, lots of boats, and big tides. The techniques used here are simple, but the fishing is a bit more complex and can even be dangerous if you need help understanding tides or paying attention to other anglers and boaters. The reward is hard-fighting chinook bound for upriver stretches, bright and right out of the ocean. If coho are your target later in the season, be ready for some fast action and prepared with silver rockets to do battle.  

The tides will determine where to fish. With each incoming tide, more fish push up into the river. Here, the high tides are so strong that the fish will face downriver, as that is where the current is coming from. Do not think you must always troll in one direction; let the tides tell you which way to point the boat's bow. It is best to fish the incoming tide through the high slack as this pushes colder ocean water, bait, and salmon upriver. Fresh chinook that are still feeding makes for an aggressive bite. But when the tide turns to the ebb, be ready to head to port or learn how to navigate turbulent waters. The seas turn rough quickly if a west wind comes in off the ocean and a strong outgoing tide. Small boats should get off the water, and those in larger craft should be ready to find some softer water or hang on. The outgoing tide also flushes the weeds down the river and can make a mess. If the tide exchange is softer, fishing the outgoing can be productive as salmon stack up and prepare to enter the river for their journey upstream.