One of the biggest mistakes I see on the river fishing for winter Sturgeon is people staying in one spot all day waiting for the fish to come to them. If you are not getting bites or constant bites after 20-30 minutes move on! The fish are not going to travel far in the cold water so the key is to use your fish finder and find structure/holes where fish may migrate wating for food to come to them. Also look for fish on the bottom, it seems the easiest thing to do yet time and time again I see the monkey see monkey do I'll anchor next to you! Find new areas,with less pressure and I guarantee you'll catch more fish if you spend some time looking for them! Also carry more than 1 bait, just because last week's bait was hot does not mean next week it will be the same. Could you imagine eating the same thing everyday? Also bring scents with you like anise, garlic, sturgeon feast, shrimp oil etc) sometimes extra scent is all that it takes for the fish to inhale your bait instead of just doing the light peck....peck....peck that drives us all crazy in the winter.
Good luck Gator hunting!!!
Pat~

 Feb/March is the beginning of Spring Chinook season!!!!!
This month tips to catching more spring Chinook are as follows:

* Use the freshest bait you can find  (If you are using herring) look for those that have all of their scales still intact in the package, and check to see if the eyes look white or are some what clear!! Any form of freezer burn, or previous thawing stay away!!!
* Keep you lures clean!!! Use either lemon Joy on them after every use or clean with tooth paste!!
* Fish can be found in depths from as little as 6ft up to 40ft. Stay out of the shipping lanes early in the season. Learn to use your fish finder as a fish finder not only a depth finder. When marking fish take note to where the fish are compaired to the bottom. You want you bait/lure in the zone or just above...Fish can look up but can't look down!!
*Most importantly be courtious to others and enjoy yourself. It makes for a better day for everyone!!!
Tight lines....
Captain Patrick~


April/MayJune
If there is one word of advise that I could give anyone fishing this time of year for any fish its:
LOCATION,  LOCATION, LOCATION!!! Spring Flows, runoff, melting snow, whatever you want to call it this is the time of year that the rivers rise and fall with the weather be it sun or rain. When the rivers rise look closer to shore and shallower when fishing for Salmon/Steelhead and go deeper when the rivers are on the drop. Again with more flow/higher water levels increase the bait/lure offering and don't forget to add more scent! When the water drops, downsize both! Use the chart below for choosing colors for different water conditions.  "A" being the best "D" is the worst.  There is also specific variables such as sunlight/water temp/shade but these are a good baseline to start with. Other colors such as blues, purples and whites etc work in these conditions. Have a great and safe spring fishing season!!

Clear water:                         Green Water            Muddy Water
Chartreuse   A                     C                                 C
Pink Pearl     B                     A                                  B
Black              A-                    D                                 D
Fire Red        B                     B                                 A