We just entered the month of October, which many consider to be the best month to fish the Hanford Reach. There are usually very good numbers of big fall Chinook in this stretch of the Columbia by then, and fishing can be excellent. This could be the best year since 2015 to fish the Reach. The run forecast had been upgraded again, and a total of 514,000 fall Chinook are expected to enter the Columbia River this year. This time of the season can be when to switch from Super Baits to back trolling eggs. This is a highly effective technique for taking fall Chinook. I have just posted a link to a video I did a few years ago with guide Shane Magnuson on fishing eggs at Vernita. Look for it on the Fishing TV Page on my Home Page. I did a check on the Icicle River to see if there were any coho below the hatchery. I talked to a couple of anglers that had spotted a few, but there will be more arriving soon. The rain that is in forecast toward the end of the week should help pull these coho into the river and fishing will really improve.
This stretch of the Icicle River, just below the hatchery, will soon be crowded with anglers twitching jigs for coho.