Battling Salmon at Buoy 10 on the Columbia River

Close-quartered battles are packed with action in the low-key coastal towns of Astoria and Warrenton, Oregon. Seth Ezekiel

“These fish have never lost,” Capt. Hugh Harris told us in the pre-dawn glimmer on our way down the mighty Columbia River to Buoy 10. The chinook and cohos we’re after have never lost—not to orcas, pinnipeds, commercial fishing or any other ocean predator. But they hadn’t met me or my daughter. These fish didn’t stand a chance.

There was an armada of river sleds by the mouth of the Columbia, hundreds of boats, thousands of anglers. The battleground was Buoy 10, only a few minutes’ ride down the Columbia River from Astoria and Warrenton, Oregon—historic logging and cannery towns now retrofitted with hotels, breweries, restaurants, and state parks. For both locales, catching salmon at the height of the season is a rite of summer. It has been for thousands of years. 

Tidal influence and weather profoundly influence the manageability and ease of fishing in the Columbia River estuary. Seth Ezekiel The Astoria-Warrenton Scene

In 1804, the Lewis and Clark expedition left from Camp Dubois, near St. Louis, Missouri, to discover a water route to the Pacific. In 1805, they traveled down the Columbia River and reached the Pacific’s shores, where they built Fort Clatsop near Astoria and wintered there, returning east in 1806. 

On our trip from the East Coast, we landed in Portland at noon, rented a car and drove two hours through mountains and lumber country to Astoria, stopping for lunch and blackberry picking on the way. By 4 p.m. local time, we were walking the aisles at Englund Marine Supply in Astoria, buying caps and sweatshirts before dinner.

Connected by the New Youngs Bay Bridge, Astoria and Warrenton offer plenty beyond just the water. Eateries, breweries, and cafes are side-by-side in Astoria’s walkable downtown. Across the bridge, Warrenton is the historic fishing and logging town where nature abounds. For lay days, the two towns have historical sites, state parks, a zip-line park, beaches, day hikes and farmer’s markets —the best of summer on tap.

Hatchery chinook and coho are the spoils of navigating the crowded and dynamic waters of the Columbia. Seth Ezekiel “Big, Feisty, and Fresh From the Ocean”

On the river at dawn, we were armed, caffeinated and ready. Most mornings, it doesn’t take long to strike action, some of it hot and heavy with chinook upwards of 30 pounds, and barely more than elbowroom between boats. If you love that style of combat fishing, the close-quartered battles, so close to other boats you can see anglers’ faces as they land or lose fish, you will not find it better celebrated than at Buoy 10. It’s about a 40-square-mile fishery, from the mouth of the Columbia, near Cape Disappointment, 10 miles up to Tongue Point. 

“Bottom line is,” Harris says, “Buoy 10 is and has been fantastic fishing despite salmon populations decreasing. Of course, there are slower days and bites, but fish are there. There can be literally tens of thousands of fish for the taking. Generally, these fish are big, feisty, and fresh from the ocean.”

Based on recent upriver numbers at Bonneville Dam, more than a million fall salmon consistently return to the Columbia each year. 

Navigating the Buoy 10 armada on a tiller-steered sled with six anglers fishing at different depths in crosscurrents and heavy incoming and outgoing tides might not be as complicated as flying a Sikorsky helicopter in the mountains, but it’s not for the novice or skittish either. Harris knows his way around the tides and currents and searches for the right conditions to produce, moving from spot to spot on different tide phases. Early in the summer, he may even cross the often-treacherous Columbia River bar to the open ocean if conditions allow, where the salmon stage for their upriver runs. But there’s really no need for that crossing once Buoy 10 opens.

Tidal influence and weather profoundly influence the manageability and ease of fishing in the Columbia River estuary. “If you’re a novice fisherman or captain, timing your adventure around mild tide swings and watching wind forecasts closely will help facilitate safety and success,” says Harris. Generally, the closer you are to the river’s mouth, the heavier the currents, with crosscurrents as well, and the more exposed you are to the wind and waves out in open water. Upriver offers some respite from these elements, which are blocked by coastal range mountains.

“The fishing and conditions are constantly changing at Buoy 10, depths, currents, temperatures, almost by the minute,” Harris points out. “You find a program that works and get the most action out of it. When it ends, you move and start figuring it all out again.”

Harris likes to use fresh whole or plug-cut herring or anchovies on incoming tides, when bait balls of anchovy, squid, and herring are pushed upriver. In his opinion, there’s no better method of tricking salmon to bite than “a tried-and-true anchovy or herring that’s presented with that perfect tight roll that mimics an injured baitfish.” 

Species abound beyond salmon. Other targets include halibut, cabezon, greenling, rockfish and lingcod. Seth Ezekiel “Stay Curious and Creative”

The whole operation—selection, rigging, baiting, deploying and fighting fish in strong currents—has an aspect of surgical precision that a good angler can follow if they pay heed to the captain’s instructions. I wouldn’t bring a novice angler of any age to the fishing and expect them to do well, and I wouldn’t want to have to coach my own kid battling a big salmon. My daughter had enough experience to handle the challenges of big fish in tight quarters.

To Harris and other experienced anglers in the fishery, it’s like a chess game, figuring out the salmon’s next move.

“On the outgoing tide, the fish become increasingly agitated as they’re forced to expend energy swimming against the strong currents,” Harris explains. Agitating lures such as spinners, Yakima Bait Spinfish, and Brad’s Super Baits become more effective in stimulating a bite. “I’m trusting my Garmin fishfinder and live sonar to ensure my gear is in front of fish,” Harris says. “If I can’t get these fish to bite, I will deploy unconventional lures or methods, shorten or lengthen leaders, or change my speed of troll, and I often learn something new. It pays off to stay curious and creative.”

Read Next: Silver Salmon Fishing in Southeast Alaska

Anglers are rewarded generously when targeting the Buoy 10 fishery. Seth Ezekiel

On our two days of fishing last summer, all six of us on the boat had our limits both days before 2 p.m. Limits were one hatchery chinook (marked by the removed adipose fin) and one hatchery coho per person, each day. My daughter, of course, caught the biggest chinook of anyone on either day—a 28-pounder.

The Buoy 10 season traditionally opens Aug. 1, but ocean salmon fishing opens earlier in the summer. For parents and kids wanting more fishing, there are albacore tuna offshore, and Pacific halibut, flounder, lingcod, rockfish, cabezon, and greenling—which are all excellent eating. 

At the trip’s end, my daughter and I knew each other better. She knew I trusted her with important things in life like catching big fish, and I knew how much she loved the Lloyd Hotel’s free chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon and picking blackberries by the cutting tables at the marina. 

Recommended Guides

• Capt. Bill Taylor, Osprey Guide Adventures, ospreyguideadventures.com
• Capt. Hugh Harris, True North Outdoors, truenorthoutdoorsllc.com

Seasons & Regulations: The Basics

For information on seasons, regulations, and licensing, visit the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (MyODFW.com). The most convenient way for visitors to get licensed is to create an account in the ODFW phone app. Buy your licenses in the phone app and ensure you are logged in with the option to “Tag a Fish” before embarking from the dock, as anglers are required to tag a fish immediately upon harvesting it from the water.

Travel Planner: Where to Stay, Prep, Eat, Drink and Relax.

Big Game Fishing, Hammond Marina: Bait and tackle and fish processor. Get fillets frozen, vacuum-packed, and ready for a freezer box as checked luggage for the plane ride — the least expensive way to get your bounty home.

Englund Marine Supply, Port of Astoria: Huge stock of boat gear, tackle, equipment, clothes and outerwear with a knowledgeable staff.

Lloyd Hotel Astoria Bayfront: Centrally located in Astoria and close to the bridge to Warrenton, the Lloyd has caring staff, free smoked salmon chowder and chocolate chip cookies in the afternoon, and free breakfasts for later mornings.

Oregon’s North Coast Craft Beer Trail: Navigate the Craft Beer Trail across 15 breweries and tap rooms in Cannon Beach, Seaside, and Astoria.

Cannon Beach: This spot about 20 miles south of Warrenton is worth a trip at sunset. Roosevelt elk are frequently spotted on the streets by the beach.

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