SPRINGERS FROM SHORE

Trolling is the most popular way to catch the Columbia’s earliest Chinook, but plunking rings in its share.

By Buzz Ramsey

One bucket list goal I realized last spring was to catch a spring Chinook while fishing from the bank of the Columbia River, like I did during my teen years. You see, all of my early trips for salmon (other than one ocean fishing adventure) were from shore. In fact, plunking the Columbia was how I caught my very first spring Chinook, summer Chinook and summer steelhead – all while still fishing a Spin-N-Glo from various locations along the shore of the Lower Columbia.

What kept me from fulfilling this goal prior to last season was always chasing springers from my boat. Being mostly retired last year, I took a break from boat fishing and drove down to Bonneville Dam to check out bank fishing action and bring myself up to speed on the latest tricks and tips, which I’m sharing in this article.

And while everyone I saw while scouting the bank was plunking a Spin-N-Glo (just like I first did 55 years ago), there are some important differences in how most anglers rig up these days. The first thing I noticed was

Plunking rods line the Washington side of the Columbia River below Bonneville Dam during 2021’s spring Chinook

Author Buzz Ramsey caught his very first Columbia springer while plunking a Spin-N-Glo off Hayden Island, not far from where the I-5 Bridge crosses the big river, back in mid-April 1966. “I remember my mother dropping me off to fish. When she returned in the afternoon I’d landed my first spring Chinook and lost a second,” he recalls. Joining him for a celebratory photo was neighbor Cal Hanson (left) and Buzz’s younger brother John Ramsey.

(BUZZ RAMSEY)

that every bank angler I saw had their Spin-N-Glo rigged in combination with a hoochie squid. In addition, all were rigging two size 4/0 single hooks in tandem, about an inch apart, below their Spin-N-Glo. Interestingly they were adding scent via a sardine or tuna ball positioned between their hooks and hoochie squid.

I was told by a friend that it was important to have the bait ball sized such that the hoochie squid tentacles drape over the bait sack and therefore flutter in the current. Threaded onto their leader above this was a plastic bead, or perhaps a Corky and bead, and a size 2 Spin-N-Glo.

Following this example, my rigging included a single siwash hook crimped to a swivel, hoochie squid, bead and Spin-N-Glo. The reason I went with a siwash hook rather than two singles was due to the Columbia River’s barbless hook rule, as I’ve found that the long point of the siwash hook is less likely to fall out during the battle. I rolled a 1-inch square of tuna belly around the swivel and added some canned tuna for good measure, securing my scent ball by first wrapping spawn netting around it and holding it in place via multiple wraps of stretchy thread.

NOT SURPRISINGLY, THE weight dropper

lines I saw varied in length from 6 to 12 inches. Leader lengths were in the 30- to 36-inch range.

Most anglers I saw last season were employing sinkers from 8 to 12 ounces; however, given higher water levels it might be wise to have a few 16-ounce sinkers handy.

To keep your sinker from rolling along the rock bottom and strong current found near Bonneville Dam might call for some innovation. What most anglers do to keep their sinkers in place and not rolling downriver is to drive nails into them.

Some crafty anglers pour their own lead sinkers using molds modified so they can add three or four sections of wires down the middle and which they bend outward in order to keep their sinkers stationary. So that their wired sinkers will fit into their tackle bags, most keep the wires straight and bend them outward as needed.

Based on a friend’s recommendation, what I did instead was to use a tapered punch to drive two holes in my sinkers and then hammer nails in, which I soldered in place with a hand torch. The soldering step may not have been necessary, as I talked with anglers that used nails with no soldering, but my nails also held firm.

If you fish from one of the many sandy beaches found lower down in the Columbia, you may only need a selection of pyramid-style sinkers in the 3- to 8-ounce range, with no nails needed.

A SAND SPIKE capable of holding your bar rod nearly vertical is important. The holders used these days are unique, as most consist of a 24- to 30inch steel forming stake (available at building supply stores) combined with a separate slip-over rod holder tube slotted for easy rod removal. The tube is held onto the stake by a tightening bolt located at the bottom of the tube.

My homemade version consisted of a 36-inch forming stake with a 2-inch-diameter aluminum tube strapped on it, and held in place with zip ties followed by three hose clamps. I covered the sharp edges of the hose clamps with tape.

It’s a good idea to have a bell you can attach to your rod so you don’t miss the rod shaking when salmon strike. I didn’t have a bell – I couldn’t find the one I used back in 1966 – which is why I might have missed the first salmon to hit my outfit. I guess I thought the shaking might have been my sinker not holding.

The long-handled rods used when plunking the Columbia are called bar rods and are of a stout action. Every rod I saw was in the 11- to 12-foot range. All but one of the over 70 rods I viewed during my scouting trip were equipped with baitcasting reels filled with monofilament (no one was using super braid). Of the anglers I visited with, all were using 25-poundtest mainline in combination with a 40-pound-test monofilament leader.

ONE THING I quickly realized was how important having a highspeed baitcasting reel can be, at

Bonneville plunkers primarily use Spin-N-Glos, hoochies and tuna balls wrapped in mesh; here is what the setups look like before (above) and after (above left) adding the bait. The green material on the winged drift bobber is moss that got snagged on the setup. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

Some innovative anglers create their own sinkers using molds modified so they can add three or four wires down the middle, which they then bend outward to prevent their sinker from rolling along the bottom. In their tackle boxes the wires are kept straight. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

least when fishing areas with rocky bottoms and riprap shore structure. It’s all about being able to retrieve fast enough to keep your sinker from possibly hanging bottom. This proved difficult with the 4.4-to-1retrieve-speed reel I used on my first trip. Realizing that hanging up my weight was a possibility, I did employ 15-pound-test mono for the dropper line extending to my sinker, which I hoped would break before my mainline if I did hang bottom.

Since that first trip, I switched to baitcasting reels having a 5- or 6-to1 retrieve speed – faster is better. Although I did not see a dominant reel being used by others during my trip, I called Fisherman’s Marine and Outdoor to find out what might be a favorite. Robert at the Oregon City store (503-557-3313) told me that the Shimano Torium 20, Avet MXL and

The rodholder at right is the style the author observed most used by Bonneville bank anglers, while the one at left is the one he fashioned from a ground stake and 2-inchdiameter aluminum tubing held together with hose clamps, zip ties and tape. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

Penn Fathom 15 are popular among the bank fishing crowd. To facilitate long casts, all of the above baitcasting reels are open face, meaning they do not have a levelwind line-guide feature.

I’ll admit, it took me a few tries to make a decent cast. In fact, not having the screw-in casting control set hard enough, I ended up getting a backlash on my first try. (Although I didn’t take a picture of the mess, I described it to friends as a professional override.) After some reel adjustments, I managed to pitch my outfit out far enough to get beyond where I figured the riprap met the bottom of the river.

This is important, as having your sinker rest on the riprap rubble can result in a hangup. In addition, you want your outfit to rest just beyond where the riprap meets the natural river bottom, as fish will often hold there and use this break as a lane of travel – just like warm-blooded animals will follow a fence line.

Ramsey caught this Columbia springer while plunking a size 2 SpinN-Glo in combination with a hoochie squid, tuna ball and 5/0 single siwash hook just below

the dam. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

NOT HAVING A bell meant I had to keep close tabs on my rod. There was one time when my rod shook a little, which might have been a fish, but in the moment I thought the current might have dislodged my sinker. It wasn’t long after that that my rod shook enough for me to think it might actually be a fish, which is when I pulled back hard and started reeling.

The fish didn’t resist too much at first, but as it got closer it made a couple impressive runs before tiring enough for me and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife game warden that showed up to land my fin-clipped salmon. It was only after the fish was secure that he checked my license and hook for no barb, and took my picture, all after I’d punched my salmon tag.

As of this writing it’s impossible to know how long this year’s spring salmon season will last on the Lower Columbia. However, given that the upriver run is predicted to be 50,000 more than last season, I’m thinking the west-of-Bonneville season might last until mid-April. NS

TOP NORTHWEST FISHING GUIDES

Refresher: Back-Trolling Plugs For Steelhead

Back-trolling plugs from a boat is a fishing method that late-season steelhead, especially bigBUZZ boy males, respond RAMSEY to by violently striking what they consider to be invaders to their territory. For example, two of the three largest steelhead I’ve caught, including a 30-pound 5-ounce monster, fell for a plug back-trolling into their space.

And while you might catch a big steelhead at any time during the winter season, the biggest of the year are often caught during the March and early April timeframe. Not surprisingly, male steelhead react to plugs more aggressively than females – think bull elk during the rut – in regards to their territorial behavior. For these reasons and more, fishing plugs might represent your best chance at catching a giant.

Here is another reason to give plugs a try: Given the popularity of winter steelhead fishing, it’s seldom that your favorite river will be void of other boaters trying their luck. But with the broad use of fishing methods like bobber doggin’ and side drifting, it’s a good bet that most or perhaps all other boaters are using drifted baits instead of back-trolling plugs.

By back-trolling plugs you might convince fish, especially a big male, to give your intrusive plug a shot rather than turning their nose up at yet another lookalike egg imitation drifting along in the current. It’s more than a few times that

Brent Wilson holds a 20-pound “beast” of a wild winter steelhead he caught on a Southwest Washington river while back-trolling a Mag Lip 3.5

I’ve found fish willing to hit plugs after ignoring what others have previously shown them.

IN CASE YOU’RE not familiar with the method of back-trolling plugs or need a refresher, here’s how to do it, along with a few tips that might up your odds of success.

By rowing or with the aid of a trolling motor, hold your boat steady in the river current upstream from an area likely to hold fish. It’s then that you free-spool your diving plug out in the current behind your boat 40 to 50 feet before engaging your reel. It’s the current passing your boat that will cause your plugs to dive. Since steelhead hit plugs with a vengeance, you will want to hang on to your rod tightly – we’ll get to why I prefer anglers to hold their rods than put them in a holder in a bit.

With your plugs wiggling and diving near bottom, you then need to slowly allow your craft to slip downstream. If you are new to back-trolling, keep in mind that backing downriver too fast might not produce as well as slowly dropping them downstream. Given experience, you may learn to cover some areas a little faster than others, but when reaching spots where you have caught fish, or seen them caught by others, it’s important to stop the boat. Holding your boat steady in these areas allows your plugs to wiggle and dive, which can produce explosive strikes.

And although the average plug distance from your boat should be 40 to 50 feet, you might try a shorter distance – say, 30 feet – when back-trolling short runs where there is just not room to get a drift boat stopped and plugs out the full distance before reaching the end of the hole. Likewise, to facilitate a deeper dive or when fish might be spooked due to clear water and/or heavy fishing pressure, a 60- to 90-foot letout might provide you with an advantage – something jet boaters do on crowded rivers.

Some of author Buzz Ramsey’s favorite plugs and plug colors for winter steelhead are shown here, a lineup that includes size 30 Hot Shot, K-11 Kwikfish and 3.0/3.5 Mag Lip. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

SOME CONSIDER PULLING plugs a mind-

less fishing method, but believe me when I say that doing this effectively is harder than you might think, at least for the boat operator, and will absolutely make you a better oarsman or trolling motor operator. After all, with a drift boat that includes all your gear and friends, your job will be to maneuver a 1,200-pound boat in a way that positions a ¼-ounce plug, or multiple plugs, where you want it.

What friends and I often do is take turns rowing, where it’s your turn to row after landing a fish.

Keep in mind, this fishing method works best when river levels are medium to low in height; meaning the color of the river should range from steelhead green (3 to 4 feet of visibility) to gin clear.

An important element when backtrolling plugs for steelhead is to run all your lures the same distance from your boat, which, as the theory goes, will intimidate territorial fish to strike. Keep in mind, however, that if the water is clear as gin, smaller plugs might produce better than big ones, as large plugs can exhibit too much intimidation.

Providing that the line guide on your baitcasting reel travels back and forth when in free spool, you can determine distance out by counting the number of

Linecounter reels can be a big help when back-trolling plugs, telling you exactly how far out your lure is. You can also make an educated guess by counting passes of your line guide and multiplying by how many feet of line each pass lets out. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

Many back-trollers use rodholders, but you won’t find them on the front of Ramsey’s drift boat for winter steelhead. He has anglers he’s fishing with hold their rod while “bracing the midsection against the drift boat gunnel,” which he says “goes a long way in ensuring the hook points get initially started … This forces my friends to catch more fish.” (CHASE GUNNELL)

passes of the levelwind line guide across the face of your reel. For example, an Abu Garcia 5500 reel will pay out 7 feet of line with each pass of the line guide, so seven single passes of the line guide will be the right amount of letout for most situations. While you can count line guide passes to determine distance, the easiest and most accurate way of gauging distance is to use reels equipped with linecounters.

And while there are a number of excellent linecounter reels available on the market, what I’ve recently employed are the all-new low-profile, digital linecounter reels offered by Abu Garcia. This new reel is called a Max DLC and comes in two sizes. What’s appealing to me is that this reel is slim enough to use for casting or trolling. In addition, the counter screen is sealed so it will not fog and the counter includes a light.

Bob Rees shows off a winter steelhead taken from Oregon’s Wilson River that fell for a

plug. (BUZZ RAMSEY)

many fish don’t get hooked, given how ferociously steelhead strike plugs. There are several things you can do to up your hook-to-land ratio. First, it’s important to wait until the rod tip bottoms out before setting the hook and to have your thumb firmly planted on the reel spool when doing so. It’s only after the hookset that you take your thumb off the reel spool and let the drag work. You don’t want to set with a quick snap, but rather pull the hooks into the fish with a strong yet firm upward motion.

While it’s not mandatory, many guides and anglers who focus on this fishing method employ magnum taper rods, that is, rods having a heavy butt section that will yield strong hooksets combined with a light enough tip so you can clearly see the plug work. You should also realize that a rod having a light tip will allow the plug to wiggle and vibrate more violently than a rod having a stiff tip.

Another factor worth thinking about is rod angle and how far you let the rod tip dip before coming up tight when fish strike. Limiting how far the rod can bend by bracing the midsection against the drift boat gunnel goes a long way in ensuring the hook points get initially started, and the reason I don’t have rodholders mounted in the front of my drift boat. This forces my friends to catch more fish.

What I do is have my passenger friends hold their rods with the reels positioned in their lap with their thumb on the reel spool. Holding the rods steady and braced against the gunnel makes it a lot easier for the person rowing to see the rod tip and know the plugs are working properly. Sure, I sometimes pull hard on the oars to help set the hook and you should too. Doing these things can make a big difference in improving your hookto-land ratio and might help you catch that big-boy steelhead. NS

Editor’s note: Buzz Ramsey is regarded as a sport fishing authority, outdoor writer and proficient lure and fishing rod designer.

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Author Sara Ichtertz prepares to gently release a wild buck.

(SARA ICHTERTZ)

Embracing Wild And Free

FOR THE LOVE OF THE TUG

Wild: (of animal or plant) living or growing in the natural environment; not domesticated or cultivated.”

“Free: not under the control or in the power of another; able to act or be done as one wishes.”

Things in life that are both wild and free are so very special. They are rare. They are beautiful. They are truly captivating and – being exactly who they are – they often find themselves in vulnerable situations. They are so very needed, though, in this cookie-cutter, wooly world we find ourselves in. To be both wild and free, one does not stop to question things. Their purpose and quest are so strong, they will never waver from it. Even though they possess great strength, they are quite fragile and the care you give them, both good and bad, directly affects

A mountain stream pours through a mossy, snowy gorge. (SARA ICHTERTZ)

their journey of life.

All of us in life have come across such a creature in one form or another. Am I speaking of wild winter steelhead? Am I speaking of human nature and the relationships in our lives? Honestly, both, and the only reason I can figure that I relate humans and steelhead to one another is because they are whom I care about most. I know cause and effect matter greatly when it comes to both. How we treat our creatures says everything about us and very little about them. When life presents you with something so special, may you realize the impact you will have on them. Take pride in the ways you handle something you claim to care about. If you can’t, then maybe you should rethink what it is you are doing. Having their best interest right alongside your own allows for total growth. In both giving and taking, you are bound to flourish without ever needing or wanting to waver in who they are or what they mean to you.

WE CAN’T REHANDLE these creatures, just as you can’t take back some things in your own life. The way you treat them now will be forever with them. Much strength can be gained for all if we realize the true importance of them and the relationship you seek. In not taking their gifts for granted, nor trying to alter who they are, your life will be enriched simply by having them in it. You presented them with what they wanted; you will never land one of them if they didn’t directly choose you. That is one of the beautiful things about such a connection. Remember that.

In their greatest moments of vulnerability you have a choice. You can literally absorb that wild and free connection, letting them empower you, ultimately bringing out the very best in you as you grow. You will experience true beauty amongst real pain but you will not be hurt. You will grow personally in a glorious way. They want you to grow. They want you to learn. They want you to smile as you learn to thrive. Why wouldn’t humans want that when we are as complex as we are? Why try to dominate and force them, disregarding the true growth that was placed before you?

But when someone does this, they are ultimately hurting the creature they so badly wish to possess, as well as hurting themselves even if they could never admit it. If victory is simply to possess more so than to embrace, then they are selling their adventure of life short. If only we could see that true victory comes when we are able to submerge ourselves into others’ worlds and let them connect with us more so than us taking them out of their own world. Forcing them to interact with us in ways they know nothing of hurts them; remember, they are both wild and free, so chances are they might knock you on your ass or even hurt themselves as they try to elude you and that horrible place you put them in. It might not have hurt you much, but the damage and fear they swam off with could forever change them. Why not submerge yourself into their world, allow them to feel safe, and take in the glory as you connect, as you grow? If you are

“Why not submerge yourself into their world, allow them to feel safe, and take in the glory as you connect, as you grow?” writes Ichtertz, here cradling another native winter-run.

(SARA ICHTERTZ)

unwilling to grow with them as you learn, you will never grasp onto the true magic that awaits you. Sad thing is, you believe you have a firm grasp on them and think that you have won, but you have not.

IF YOU FEEL that you are deserving of something that is wild and free, may your actions be a direct reflection of that worth. We are human, we cannot ever be perfect, and so sometimes all it might take is to set that fear aside and learn something new, changing your perspective. If you can change the way you see things, then possibly that is all you need. We cannot undo the past but we can very much learn from it. We can improve. We can be the change and impact the future in a positive way. We can learn that words aren’t even truly needed if our actions speak our truth.

There are few things left on Earth that are both wild and free; may we embrace them with great care, knowing we may never get the chance to truly connect with them again. My heart is on the river and I couldn’t change it, even if I tried. NS

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