The Weekend Warrior 5

By Ray Gombiski. Over the last ten years I was fortunate to have employers that allowed me to pick and choose my days off. Having the ability to fish only prime conditions with less pressure made for many excellent fishing trips. I was able to drive to Alaska, fish Cabo, and chase Steelhead throughout the Pacific Northwest.  Throughout these many trips and experiences I took for granted that I could take off and fish whenever the fishing was on fire. It was a great run, a run I hope to duplicate between now and the time I hang up my boots.

Recently I took a job that requires me to be at work from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. My new job is great and I work with great people and enjoy what I am doing. When I took the job I had no clue that my fishing world would be turned upside down. With a Monday through Friday job I was forced to change the way I go about fishing. I now have to plan trips far in advance and be a little more creative with how I go about making every trip count. In this blog I hope to share my weekend experiences and how they come to fruition. I will cover preparation, knowledge, and tips for making you a better "Weekend Warrior".

As I write this we are in the last week of February in the Northwest. There are still many Steelhead trips ahead of me as the season is two months from being over, so why would I be planning my entire year of fishing? RUN TIMING!

Run timing is possibly the greatest weapon the Weekend Warrior has. Fish runs are predictable, be it for Salmon or Sailfish, fish migrate and create peak numbers at specific times of the year in specific locations. I try to plan most of my trips around the peak of the run. Peak run timing is not something that we, as fisherman, should have a hard time finding. I have found that gathering data via the internet is one of the easiest ways to find peak run timing, pair that with the seasons set by your local department of fisheries and you should be able to fish during the best part of the run.

Let’s use the example of Spring Chinook: Spring Chinook salmon are fairly consistent with their timing. When planning my springer trips I usually depend on the seasons set by the managing agencies of the Columbia River. I know the season is set to allow us to fish during the upswing of the peak of the run and I've learned this through the dam counts provided at the Bonneville dam. I use the historic data from the Fish Passage Center on the Columbia River and compare it with the seasons that have been set to determine when the best time for the trip will be.

Dam counts and seasons are usually a good starting point for my Springer trips. I then refer to the archives of fishing reports that the public posts on the internet or in print. These reports usually will have detailed information about water color, temperature, weather and sometimes even barometric pressure.  

This is a report I pulled from an April 12, 2007 Seattle Times article:

"We're seeing catch rates from half a fish to almost a fish per boat average, and that includes fish kept or released," said Joe Hymer, a state Fish and Wildlife biologist. "Catches have ramped up from Vancouver down to Cathlamet, and water conditions are pretty darn good right now."

This simple quote tells me that April 12th is a good starting point for me to plan my trip.

Lastly I recommend that you keep a log of which days and times of year have been good for you. My log always consists of location, date, water visibility, temp., barometer, and success. If you are fishing an area where you know you have caught fish in the past you will fish with more confidence and more confidence equals more fish.

I encourage feedback and questions, feel free to email me at rgombiski@hotmail.com. 

Hours of research helped put Ray into this trophy king salmon on Alaska's Kenai River in 2009.