The Oregon Sportsman 



Volume III MAY, 1915 Number 5 



SEA TROLLING FOR SALMON. 



Trolling for Chinook salmon off the mouth of the Columbia 

 river furnishes excellent pastime for sportsmen who like to land 

 these big fish. For many years the fishing below the falls at 

 Oregon City during May has afforded recreation for many 

 people, but it was not until during the past two or three years 

 that fishermen discovered they could make big catches on the 

 other side of the Columbia river bar, just before and during the 

 time the spring Chinooks were entering the river. 



Since the Oregon law does not permit net fishing in the 

 Columbia river between March 1 and May 1, many fishermen 

 from Astoria go out beyond the bar and troll for salmon for 

 commercial purposes. It is not unusual for some of the commer- 

 cial fishermen to land three to four hundred pounds of salmon 

 in a few hours off the Columbia river. Of course, these men do 

 not use light tackle, but they have several poles set out like the 

 ribs of a fan with several hundred feet of line attached. When 

 a fish is hooked the line is heavy enough to haul the fish aboard 

 without much delay. 



Some of our sportsmen have also thought that the falls at 

 Oregon City was the only place where a Chinook salmon would 

 give a man a good lively tussle, but the spring Chinook seems 

 to be a gamey fish wherever he is. During the past two or three 

 years sportsmen have landed some of these fish by trolling above 

 the falls at Oregon City, especially along the rapids and in the 

 lower stretches of the McKenzie. The Willamette river between 

 here and Eugene has never furnished much of anything for the 

 ardent angler. If some of our sportsmen from Oregon City up 

 to Eugene should discover that during April, May and June 

 they could land two or three big Chinook salmon within as many 

 hours along the riffles of the upper river it might be something 

 worth while. 



Last summer some of the sportsmen from southern Oregon 

 made a trip to' the mouth of the Rogue river. Here they found 

 the big Chinook and steelheads lying in wait ready to take 



