Chinook salmon, Coho, estuary fishing, bay fishing, 

Willapa Bay Salmon Fishing  

This fishery season officially, usually opens about the first of July, or when the adjacent ocean waters are open, but the main salmon run does not really enter the bay until the middle of August.  This is mainly a Chinook fishery.   There however can be a few "dip ins" of both Chinook & Coho from mid July until mid August into the mouth of the bay with a high incoming tide. 

The usual timing with enough fish to begin to be productive in the shipping channel would be about middle of August to the middle of September.   This can well change with the weather however.

Here the average fish will be 12-15# you will also encounter up to 35 pound big saltwater Chinook, hooked in 10 to 25 feet of water.  These fish return to the bay as the result of three major salmon hatcheries in Willapa Bay.   The forecast for 2008 year’s Willapa Bay Chinook salmon return is around 35,000, a healthy number compared to many other western Washington watersheds. 

The Willapa Bay/River above Tokeland can be fished with a smaller boat, even a car-topper, if you watch the weather & stay, within reason, close enough to one of the many launches.  Almost always the wind picks up to near 15 MPH in the afternoon like most coastal locations which can make for choppy water conditions.   And it can be foggy here, usually in the mornings, so take a GPS with you & mark some locations off a chart before you go.  Also when you stop at the Tokeland Marina, consider purchasing one of their laminated charts of the bay that list GPS locations.

Every year there are some nice Chinook & Coho taken each year from these waters.  The salmon runs coming in from the ocean to their spawning grounds in the river can be influenced by many things such as tides, ocean conditions, river water flows, water temps, light levels and more.  The biggest factors in some opinions are the temperatures, tides, and water flows.  As the salmon start entering the bays they are still feeding and following the baitfish in and out with the tides.  In these areas the most popular and successful method of fishing for salmon is using herring, anchovies or other food fish that the salmon feed on in the ocean.   The Coho won't normally start showing in any numbers until about the last week of September.  The Chum population has been all but decimated, but with WDFW plans of recovery in the planning stages to avoid a ESA listing.

Fish Travel Times:  It has been my observation that in the early part of the salmon season, (July) in the outer area of the bays during (first 2-3 miles) that fresh ocean salmon will "dip in" at a high tide following the bait.  They also move out with the outgoing tide.  You notice I said FRESH OCEAN fish, these fish are not anywhere near approaching the upstream migrating, spawning fish you will encounter later in say August or September.  These later fish are committed to entering their home streams for a rendezvous farther upstream on the gravel & travel differently.

Now remember that fish do not normally swim backwards nor downstream.  I believe the later fish will enter the bays on a high tide just after the tide starts to turn & run out.  They can now smell their home stream & by moving into the bay as the tide is going out have a method of following the smell & current upstream.  I further think that they move as far upstream as possible on this outgoing tide.  If they do not get above tidewater where there is no downstream river water movement at all times, they just stay there kind of like in a confused state until the next outgoing tide.  Once they get above tidewater, they move upstream pretty much all the time.  Someone has said that they tend to move better after dark.  I can not confirm this however.

Now taken into account of the aforementioned fish movement, the fish are not normally moving at either the high or low slack times.  It has been pretty well documented that in the bays the best times that fish bite is an hour or so before & after the high & lows.  This is probably because they are slightly confused & are milling around until the next tide change & the water is again running out where they can again become oriented.   During the outgoing tides they are on the move with other things on their minds.  Sure you may catch one between the tide changes, but not with as much regularity as you will at a slack tide.

Methods of fishing: Unlike out in the ocean where the use of downriggers and or divers is common, in the tidewater and estuaries the most common method is using lead on a dropper line with a three way swivel or sinker slider attached, and a leader of 4 to 6 feet to the herring.  You will see a few downriggers in use here, (and those that do are probably handicapping themselves) but only in the main or edges of the channel.   The few fishermen that use downriggers contend that the wire runs interference & collects the weeds before they get to the bait.   So try your choice, it may well work for you, but you more than likely abandon the idea.

Here in the fall, there are floating weeds, both on the surface & suspended.   The bulk of these weeds are the invasive Spartina Alterniflora, a non-native grass that is a perennial that dies at the end of the growing season & forms large rafts of seed-rich stems  which float out on the tide.  WDFW has become active in spraying this noxious weed for the past few years & headway seems to being made in eradicating it.

For those using a diver here, they can accumulate enough weeds so that the diver may well NOT release by the fisherman.   This then can become a problem if a salmon hits the lure, as you now are fighting a fish AND a large gob of weeds, which will give the fish the advantage & possibly loose the fish.  This is not to say a diver can not be used, but I would only use one on the few rare days that the wind has pushed the floating weeds out of the area.   It appears that at a high flood tide when things stand still the weeds are not as bad.  When the tide gets to running out on a high tidal exchange, on into a low tide is when the weeds seem to get worse.  If you watch your depthfinder, you will see many suspended weeds in the water column.   More than one rod has been broken when trying to pull a heavy gob of weeds in.

There are at least 2 schools of thought on fishing depth here.  The old school is when trolling herring, it is usually important that you keep your bait within a foot or so of the bottom.   This requires paying attention to your rod because usually the bays are very shallow with constant possible depth changes when you fish the edges of the channel, as viewed by your depth-finder so you must make sure that you are in that salmon zone at all times.

I know one lady who catches many fish here, but she uses the spectra type mainline, uses a cutplug herring for bait, fishes a foot off the bottom, never sets her rod in a holder & has developed the sense of feel that she can tell if any weeds have become attached & can also tell exactly when she has a fish tap the bait.  She however has an experienced skipper & she can concentrate strictly on fishing unlike most of us.

The other school adheres to the concept of somewhere above that.  Some Chinook are even caught near the midsection.  More than one fisherman says let the line out 15 pulls, (a pull being 2 feet) & use a 6 oz. sinker.   I personally tend to try a 3/4 depth depending on the water depth & that total depth will usually be from 20' to 35'.  Using this method a line counter reel proves it's worth.

This salmon fishery can be frustrating at times, as it can be hot & cold from one day to the other & this is possible due to the watershed being a very short as far as drainage.  You have to be there when the fish are.   The people who seem to do fairly well here are the ones who put their time in year after year from August 10th to about September 15th. & learn the few tricks required.  I hope I am able to convey a few in this article.

The official separation between the bay (Marine Area 2-1) & the river is at the South Bend launch.  This is where the fresh water is more prevalent than salt water, the use of spinners and lures starts being the predominant lure and most times will out produce all others.  This area upstream to the Camp One bridge over the Willapa near the Wilson Creek launch is fished differently & is covered in a different article.  When salmon hit spinners or lures they are getting out of the feeding mode and into the reaction strike mode this usually coincides with the influence of some fresh water & or a temperature rise.

There is Also a Commercial Gill Net Fishery Here:  So, go to Commercial netting schedule, Willapa or to check with WDFW at the Montesano office as to when the netters are on the river, which is usually shortly after the middle of September.   If you call the WDFW, be prepared for them to give you some dates & commercial areas that mean nothing to the sport fisherperson.   Just trying to run from the South Bend launch downriver & have had to weave thru 35 net sets at low tide is not fun.  If you are really determined to fish this river when the gillnets are in, it may be best to slide up the North River channel & out of their way.  Sport fishermen claim that for 4 or 5 days after the nets come out, the sport catch drops off to nothing.

Their commercial season usually runs from mid September for a  week, with the week-ends off for a couple of weeks & then for about 10 days straight onto the middle of October.  But by then the fish are homeward bound & are not very aggressive biters for the sportsmen anyway.

Legally a net can not be laid across the complete river, but you may see one netter lay his from the north side to mid river & another netter lay his from the south side to mid river & they tie up to each other for a coffee/BS session in the middle.  A recreational boater then will have to negotiate around the end of the net, usually in 2-3 feet of water if it is a low tide.
I have also seen floating dead undersize sturgeon after these netters have pulled out.

Launches:  There are actually at least 8 launches  that can be used in the Willapa Bay.  These listed below are in sequence from starting at the lowest one on the bay & then up the bay & then the actual Willapa River & finally into the southern part of the bay behind Long Beach.

            (1) Tokeland, Port of Willapa Harbor
            (2)  Smith Creek WDFW
            (3)  South Bend, City of South Bend
            (4) Raymond City Park  (not recommended for low tides, as it is shallow & MUDDY)
            (5) Old Willapa / Wilson Creek WDFW
            (6) Bay Center  (this appears to be a private launch)
            (7) Palix River, WDFW
            (8) Long Island, Willapa National Wildlife Refuge

Depending on what part of the bay you plan on fishing, you can consider any of these launches.  For the normal fishery the preferable ones would probably be #1 & 3, they are closer to the action & do not require running thru a narrow channel, or longer distance.

The Tokeland Launch:  This launch is owned by the Port of Willapa Harbor and a $5.00 fee is charged.  Pay before launching at the Tokeland Marina bait store next to the launch or at the drop box at the launch.  The preparation area is just south of the ramps, basically on the side of the main road leading in.  The sport dock has moorage and the commercial docks are also available.  There is plenty of grass for parking here.  Bob Cordova runs the Tokeland Marina 360-267-2888 & is the harbormaster also.  They take care of the launch fee, moorage, have frozen & fresh bait if you order before 2PM, ice & rent crab rings.   This is a busy place during the last of August & September, especially on the week-ends.   Bob also likes to fish, so on a week day after all the boats have shoved off, sometimes he & his daughter Vickie may just hang a sign on the door saying GONE FISHING.   For those of you who came in late & had planned on buying your bait there, tough luck.   CLICK HERE   for link to Tokeland Marina page.

In early 2000 the Port redid the ramp to include a 2-lane corrugated concrete ramp with docks on both sides.  The only drawback is that each lane is a single & the north side you had better be good at backing otherwise your pickup fenders will be hitting the sides of the docks if you have to maneuver a lot to back down. 

The port later dredged the whole boat basin.   Now the concrete ramp extends down to -2.0' with a bumper at the end of the concrete.  The picture on the left below was taken 7-02-04 at a MINUS 2' LOW tide.  The pole farthest out on the right has marks at 1 foot intervals. Using this marker system, the foam shown here is about 10' below the top mark.   However I would currently (2006) not recommend you consider trying to launch at any tide near the -1.0',  as it has mudded in a bit since this picture was taken as the dike just beyond the left hand side of this picture has blown a hole that has allowed mud to infiltrate the basin.  Look at the picture on the right for current conditions.  Talk to Bob & if it is that low, depending on the size of your boat, he may be able to re-rout you out under the dock walk down ramp & out past the mudded in area.

Fuel:  There is no fuel anywhere near this dock area for those who may moor here.  The fuel dock upriver at South Bend appears to be private for the commercial crabbers & or other commercial boats.  The closest land based gas station would be to haul it in from the the Local Store between Grayland & North Cove or from a service station in Raymond or the Westport Y.  

RV Parks:  In the small metropolis of Tokeland, there are a few RV Parks.  One just behind the bait shop & beside the launch parking lot, My Suzie Willapa RV Park,  3230 Front Lane, Tokeland, 360-267-7710, & the fees as of 2007 were $20 a day for full hook up, $120 a week, or $320 a month as of 2005.   Even the Shoalwater Indian tribe has a small amount of RV space available cross Hiway 105 from the Casino.

The other is Bayshore RV Park 2941 Kindred Ave. 1-800-638-2625, which about 1/2 a mile before you get to the launch on the south side of the road across from the old hotel.   Their website is www.bayshoretokeland.com .

The South Bend Launch:  This launch as been rebuilt the summer of 2004, with an extra wide single lane poured corrugated concrete ramp with a spot or two of parking for handicapped.  

The City of South Bend has revised it's boat launch and dock ordinance the spring of 2007.   Fish cleaning is NOT ALLOWED on floats, dock, ramp, etc. as this is in violation of the city ordinance.  There is now a $5 maintenance fee for launching at the ramp.  That maintenance fee includes one day's parking in the launch area.  One day is defined as 00:01 to 24:00.  If parking multiple days, a $5 fee is due each calendar day.  Unattended vehicles without trailers are also assessed a $5 fee.  If you have buddies, with their vehicles, it is suggested to have them park downtown and pick them up by boat at the main dock. 

A street light was added 2008 at the head of the ramp near the information board, making early launches and late retrievals easier.   Also one can read the info on the board in predawn times.   Previously, a few did not pay claiming the dark or the fog prevented them seeing the launch pay info.

As of 8-2009, the city has been expanded the parking area further south of the old parking area.   But now the DOT has posted signs prohibiting parking on highway shoulder (which previously happened week-ends around late August up thru Labor Day).  

This launch is located on the main Hiway 101 just West of the town of South Bend.  The main parking lot is just past the launch northwest of the main launch area.

It is a good ramp for boats up into the 20'+ class.  Even the 30' gillnet boats launch here.  The ramp is is angled out & downstream with a dock on the downstream side.  A loading/unloading float running parallel with the river as been added early 2007 off the end of the main launching dock.  The concrete ramp goes to just below the end of the dock with heavy gravel below the concrete that is angled down at about twice the ramp angle.  This launch would probably be the best for a minus tide launch of any launches on the bay area.

I also like the barber poles at the top of the ramp to guide you back until you can see the ramp itself.

Launching from this ramp will put you into the upper fishing area rather soon, as you will be running downriver & can be fishing at the big bend seen to the left in the picture within 1 mile.  The distance by water from this launch to Tokeland is about 8 miles.  However you will be fishing about 3 to 4 miles upriver from Tokeland.  If you are coming in on Hiway 6 at Raymond , it is a lot faster to run the distance to the fishing area than it is to drive around to the Tokeland launch, & then run out into the same fishing area of the river that you had driven by.

 Weather :  This time of the year (mid fall) fog can be there all morning, or it may set in later.   A times like this even a handheld GPS with your launch point & a few buoy locations will give you some references that in addition to your depthfinder will allow you to at least feel not as lost as you could be.  The mud flats on either side of the channel kind of reaches up & grabs some boat hulls & has taken their toll on depainting props if the skippers are not watching closely.

As the time slides into September & since this bay is exposed to the ocean & if you get a sample of fall storms of any southerly or westerly winds up into the 25 to 30 MPH strength, the outer bay will in all probability be unfishable.  The waters even off the Tokeland Marina entrance up to Willapa River markers #8 & &10 will also probability be unfishable.  You MIGHT find the water calm enough to possibly fish farther upriver close to the #19 up to #30 nearing the bend below the South Bend launch.

If the wind picks up in the fall of the year here, it will also usually be accompanied by rain.  That is good in that it also brings in new ocean fish into the bay/rivers.  So all the more need to consider sliding upriver as these fish are freshwater bound by then & usually do not linger very long in the estuary. 

If the wind gets too bad, then consider moving farther upriver & launch at the Wilson Creek boat launch on the main Willapa River above Raymond about 3 miles, & fish the upper reaches of tidewater LINKED TO HERE.  The one thing you should consider if you do this, is that with any boat in the 18' class, is to probably consider fishing downstream from that launch, because after you read this & others do also, there will probably be some competition there as the river narrows down above the launch where you will see many 12' & 14' aluminum boats.  Downstream from the launch the river is a bit wider & also less brushy debris in the water.  Up here the water will be more murky & the lures of choice are generally spinners.

 Water Temperature:  Water temperature will vary with the tide & how far upriver you venture.  Temperatures for the year 2006 taken off the Willapa River marker #13 east of Tokeland varied from 56 degrees at a high tide to 61 degrees at a low tide.  2006 saw a temperature of 61 degrees at high & 63.5 at low tide.  2007 saw a temperature of 59 & 66 degrees.  2009 I saw 56 & 66 degrees & 55 / 62.5.  This variation happens depending on the amount of cooler ocean water is mixed with the warmer river water.

Definitions of Areas & Background Information:  If you drive the Hiway 105 & stop at this rock breakwater during a mid outgoing tide, look off the end of the breakwater, you will notice a rather swift section of water.  Since this breakwater has been installed most of the fishing has shifted upriver after about the last of August.  There are a few "Dip In" fish that enter the outer bay ("Wash-Away") area  from the middle of July up until the 1st of September.  But this depends on the amount of bait available that they follow in.   Dip In fish are defined as ocean fish that follow the baitfish into & out of the bays on a high incoming tide.

My belief is that this breakwater has raised the water speed  & or turbulence to the point that the bait does not stay there in the locations/concentrations that it used to.  There will be a rip off the end of this breakwater that at times can become nasty for a small boat, depending on the tide.

The fall of 2006 saw some rip-rap being placed along the road below this jetty on the banks of Cranberry Creek.

On a low tide you are usually confined to fishing the river itself from Willapa River marker #2 to #28.   As a definition, the Willapa River is DEFINED IN THIS ARTICLE for clarity is anything east of the entrance to Tokeland Marina & marker #2, as observing the piling marker numbers, which seem to use this system as separate for (1) the bay, (2) the Willapa River, (3) North River, (4) & the southern rivers where each may somewhat duplicate the other.  As a point of interest there is a bay marker #15 & also a Willapa River #15.   Remember that the lowest numbers are closer to the mouth of each. 

The south bay would contain any part of the bay behind Ledbetter Point/Long Beach Peninsula leading to Bay Center & south to where the Nemah & Naselle Rivers branch off.  I am not that currently familiar with the markers for the south bay. 

However WDFW rules define marine Area 2-1 as anything in the bay west of the South Bend launch. 

At low tide it is not uncommon to see employees of the commercial oyster companies on the sand/oyster beds south of piling Willapa River markers #2 to #8 gathering oysters & putting them in large baskets to be picked up by large flat bottomed oyster barges using overhead booms & a winch later during the high tide.

During the summer of 1998  the Army Corp of Engineers placed a short rock jetty, known locally as Jacobson's Jetty, as shown by the black line in a picture below,  at the upstream section that used to be the fishing area.   Off the end of this breakwater/rock jetty is an underwater diversion dike, (brainchild of the US Army Corp. of Engineers) so if you are boating here at before a high or low run off tide, be careful of the turbulence.  This jetty has not done what it was supposed to do, in that the beach is still washing away downstream.   This jetty was not what was needed as the washing away was not caused by the river, but the southwesterly winter winds pounding the beach at Cape Shoalwater with no north jetty for this river for protection.  But the word was that since Weyerhaeuser no longer used ships to send export logs from this mill, there is now no commercial traffic & the US Army Corp. of Engineers has no authority to maintain a river mouth jetty.

The fall of 2006 saw some rip-rap being placed along the road below this jetty on the banks of Cranberry Creek.

It is a sad sight to walk the beach here at low tide & count the 1 1/2" to 2" metal pipes standing a few feet out of the water in line with the washed out roads.  These are well pipes that are all of what was left of the homes in that area that got washed away over the years.

In the map below you will notice the lower buoys, as purple dots, north side marker piling in round green dots, the south side piling markers in red, & the launches in purple.  The piling on North River are in yellow. The piling marker numbers are indicated on this chart.   I am hesitant to give the buoy or marker numbers for the bay unless accompanied by GPS numbers also, as they may duplicate the river marker numbers which can get confusing.  Also the map below is a satellite photo so you can see the deeper holes & or channels & exposed mud at which appears to pretty much be a high tide photo.

The Willapa River channel runs from just south of Toke Point in the bay, east to the upriver Range Point on the bay's eastern shore.  You will see the north side green piling markers #1, 7, 13, 15, 17, & 19 plus the red range markers on this upriver bend, don't try to drift to much north of these markers from #13 on, as it starts to get shallower & the mud is unforgiving on an outgoing tide.  The south channel markers will be #2, 8, 10 & 22.

Also do not use the previous  Fishing & Hunting News illustrated map of about the year 2000 or so.  The shaded area they list as motor mooching is really tide flats at low tide (MUD). 

The farther west & downstream in the bay you get, the more sand sharks you will encounter.   Most of the fishing that currently takes place in four general locations in this bay.   (1) Starting at Washaway Beach, then (2) just outside the Tokeland boat basin & west along the north shore to near marker # or back slightly upriver following the red marker pilings from #2 up to marker #10 (3) then up close to #15 or #24 off the mouth of North River.   Marker #13 is at 46-42-012 / 123-54-577 & is just east of the entrance to North River.  (4) There is a secondary fishing section on up to below the South Bend launch at #26 which usually takes place like most estuary fishing on the incoming & up thru the high flood tide.    Marker #19 to #24 is in the upper of this location & seems to be a preferred location for some, usually on the last part of the high tide.

The low tide difference from the ocean to this #4 fishing area is about another 45 + minutes.  The most preferred time seems to be the last one hour of high incoming flood tide & then 2 hours into the start of the outgoing probably.   Others fish the low slack tide, again about an hour before & 2 hours after.  This seems the time when the bites will occur.  So if there are few fish in the bay, this is the time to fish, however if there are fish moving in, then again the best, but you can then pick up fish all day long, only not in any quantity.

It is my experience that a low run-off tide of say 3', (the difference between the low tide & the previous high tide) will not be as good catching, & probably because of a lesser flow where new baitfish & therefore salmon do not move into the bay.  Trolling will normally be best WITH the incoming tide up until about high slack tide & then the troll becomes both directions.   Trolling however may be a problem on being able to go exactly where you want to go because of the wind or a large amount of weeds in a weed-line.

I personally tend to like the low slack tide fishery better as the fishable water is condensed, also forcing the fish into a more confined location.   This fishery appears to not really a time of the day fishery, but a tide fishery.   Most of the fisherpersons who set up camp there for a month & appear to be the dedicated ones who seem to catch fish, focus on the last few hours of the flood tide and the beginning of the ebb tide.

Probably the most common mistake is to get set trolling & not realize the tide has increased in speed & you are not covering much ground.  This may be attributed to a good slack tide troll in either direction, & then as the tide starts to move again the fisherman does not realize just how fast it is going unless he is using a sonar/GPS that has a MPH reading & will continue to fish in the easiest direction of travel.  But a GPS reading can also read a speed if you are loosing ground. 

It is best to pick up & run into the tide, set down & troll back with the tide.  Sometimes this troll back seems to fly by, & you begin to wonder if it is worth the effort.  One very observant young fisherman said that we are trying to reproduce the action of a wounded baitfish & that he has never seen a wounded fish swim into a current, but rather being carried by it.   Makes sense to me.

Then trolling with the current may well be hard depending on the time of the day & the tide if you have other boats in the area & you have the wind to contend with also.  Not saying you will not catch fish trolling against the tide, but your odds become less.  But you will have to adjust your motor speed to keep from just standing still.  This is not a fishery where you get a lot of upstream migrating fish passing under you.  As the tide nears either low or high slack, then there is an hour or so that you can effectively troll either direction.

Another not so well used method is to troll in a big zig-zag pattern across the tide.  This can be hard to do & yet maintain a civil relationship with other fisherpersons, if you happen to be in an area where there are a lot of boats.

The wind WILL pick up about 1 to 2 PM, so this also effects fishing.  It may lay down later in the afternoon at times(5:00PM or so if the tide is right), but do not count on it happening.   The worst days of catching for me happened to be with an east wind, maybe this was just coincidental, & no fish were in the bay, BUT?  The worst days of trying to control the boat when trolling is when the wind is coming from the west or south as the bay is exposed more from these directions.  The best is if it comes from the north.  If it gets so windy that you can not fish near the entrance to the Tokeland Marina entrance near marker #1 & #2, the only thing to do is move upriver,  It can at times then be fishable from marker #15 upriver.

The ideal situation would be when the high slack tide would be say about 8 AM.   This gives you time to get out & on the water at daylight, "6 AM", fish the prime times & be off the water when the wind picks up in the afternoon.  Again the wind WILL pick up from the west about noon to 1 PM.   If it doesn't consider yourself lucky.  If say at 3PM the outgoing tide is running & you are trying to troll downstream with the current & the wind is blowing you back, it is very hard to control the boat.  Under other conditions or areas, this would be the time to troll in a zig-zag, but here there are usually enough boats nearby that it would be way too much of a hassle.  When the conditions get that bad, you should consider calling it quits for the day instead of fighting the wind & getting nowhere.  On second thought, pick a likely location out of the main channel & drop anchor, then simply "Plunk" your lure as if you were a bank fisherman until & if the wind calms down.

This bay can be flat calm in the morning & then rather choppy for a small boat in the afternoon.   I have seen 12' Port-a-Boats, 14' Jon boats, &  even a 10' Zodiac, 2 people aboard, with only an electric trolling motor for power there.   Not ideal, but OK if they understand the possible weather conditions.

One trend of thought here is that the fish at the entrance of the bay will be partially swept in by the incoming tide & maybe a couple of miles, but early in the season it is probably that they are really just following baitfish.    This moving later in the bay may also relate to those that are committed to their spawning run & they then will stage at the upper location they were at & then be migrating upstream into the out-flowing water.

 Now this may vary depending on the amount of run off.  If the flow gets too strong, these Chinook may well slide into a protected area of a depression in the bottom, or duck behind a piling marker that has collected debris in front of it, creating a resting place.  This can well be used to your advantage.   

Most fish do not swim backwards.

With the low tide, the bay shrinks considerably.   This can be a benefit in that there is a lot less area for the fish to hide in, but concentrates the floating weeds also.  At this time is best to slide upriver from #13, which tends to have less weeds & also forces the fish into a smaller channel.

I have not been able to locate depressions in the bottom here like other bays, as much of this bay (at least in the fishing areas) is rather flat or slightly sloping.  If you do find a depression or "holes / troughs", these could only be a foot or so deep & would be a prime place to drop your lure into.   If you can mark these, & troll over them  watching your depthfinder closely, as you pass over them, let your line out, or slow the troll down to allow your bait to drop into this hole.   Fish will tend to stop & rest here, & you might just have figured out a way to find them.   If you just follow the others you may occasionally stumble into a fish, but buy using your depthfinder maybe even just a certain water depth on a certain tide time could be where they are then.

It appears that the fish DO NOT necessarily follow the shipping channel which is usually 35' deep, but they seem to migrate on the edges of it, in water depths from 12' to 25' depending on the tide.  This may just be their way of staying in touch with finding their way once they enter the rivers.

Don't just follow the concentration of boats thinking that is the "place to fish", as that may not be the only fishy area in the bay.  Most all the non-locals think the other guy is the expert.  I was fishing there alone (basically trolling back to the South Bend launch), in 2001 near river marker #30, with one other boat, while the whole flotilla was downstream from us a few miles.  The other lone fisherman was using a electric trolling motor and the tide was almost all the way out.  His larger Mercury outboard motor would not start.  I offered to tow him back up to the South Bend ramp.  He graciously refused saying that he had a spare battery for the electric motor & that when the tide changed & started coming back in his electric motor would get him back to the ramp.  But he then confided in me that his main reason was that for the last 2 days he had pulled his limit of Chinook out of that area while everyone else was downriver, and we were alone in that area then. 

Like anywhere else, a good pair of binoculars & you being observant, may help observe the lure & location used & ultimately possibly put fish in your fishbox.  If a fisherman just reeled in to pull weeds off, watch to see how many "pulls" that he lets his gear back out to.  The advent of line-counter reels kind of foils this method of spying however.

Crabbing can also be an opportunity for the family in the lower sections of this bay IF you put them in a location where there is minimal boat traffic.  There is a shallow finger just NE of the Tokeland marina that you will see some crab pot set.   However I have not been fortunate enough to catch enough crab here to make it worthwhile.

What to use & methods:  The standard practice of trolling near the bottom in estuary fishing is practiced here also.  Since most large "Get There" motors do not troll down slow enough, you will see usage of drags made of 5 gallon buckets, to actual drift socks.  One suggestion is that since there is usually a wind or tidal movement here, that if you are using a trolling motor, it may at times be hard to control the boat UNLESS you lift the motor/outdrive up out of the water.  Your trolling motor can not overcome the big rudder you still have in the water right next to the smaller prop.

Most agree that for Chinook, about 2' off the bottom is usually preferred.   However it is best to try different weights when trolling if more than one person is in the boat.  This will allow you to "search" the area & cover the water column better, where you may get some suspended fish at about 1/2 depth with the lighter weights.   Also you may want to vary trolling speed if you are not catching anything & others are.  The normal fishing locations here has a very forgiving bottom with no snags.

Now here is another thought to add to the mix.  Do not run heavy weights (8 to 12oz.) so as to keep the lure near the boat & away from the other boats.  The reason is that most of this fishing will be in basically shallow water, (12'-30' deep).   Since you will be trolling, & in a confined space, your trolling motor may well create enough noise if you are basically right above the fish you may well spook them also.  Therefore it may be better to use a lighter sinker & troll it a bit farther back behind the boat.   One local fisherman who seems to catch his share confided that he just uses a 6 oz. sinker & pulls out 15 strips of line, which would put him down about 17'.   

Most bay fishermen here use large herring whole herring, however you will see many that are cut-plugged.   I do not like the cut plug bait here, in that with the volume of weeds that are here most times, & the bait gets battered a lot, changing the cut that you tried so hard to produce.  I tend to go another step & have found that the herring bonnets perform even better than a whole rigged herring here.  The best I have found are Rhys Davis made in Canada.   The regular size is the Anchovy Special, while if you insist on LARGE herring then their Super Herring Special is the one needed.   These utilize a  plastic pin, but they get lost & any round toothpick works OK to secure the head of the herring into the bonnet.   I do make one change, in that if I do not like the spin I get, so use the round toothpick & once I get the body shape of the herring I like, inset the toothpick lengthwise down the herring's  body at the backbone line, holding that shape.  This gives me more of a slow roll instead of having a sharper kink at the head giving a faster spin.

A second choice which is very similar is the Les Davis herring bonnet.

There are times that there is so much bait in the water that you will be lucky to catch a salmon.  I have even seen the seagulls so full they are not interested in the bait showing in the bay.  This bait is normally anchovies in the size of 6" long.  The fisherman who uses anchovy is probably a step ahead of the rest in that he is "matching the hatch".   However frozen anchovy becomes mushy very fast unless it is soaked in rock salt brine overnight.  Fresh anchovy would be desirable, & you could do that by using a herring jig & catch your own bait under these circumstances.

This water is shallow enough that you will normally NOT be able to "see" many fish on your depthfinder.

It is my humble opinion that the bright fish fresh here from the ocean will take about any salmon lure.  But after they have been there a while they became acclimated  while waiting for the right water conditions to move upstream because of lack of rain, these fish need to have a very active lure pulled right in their faces so they strike it as a defense.  This can be a herring or artificial lure.  For more information on estuary salmon fishing & tackle, CLICK HERE.    This article has a illustrated diagrams of the gear used.

In the photo on the left above, about labor Day 2007, we were heading in, back up North River &  right behind Willapa River marker #13 was this small boat & dad trying to net son's fish.  Dad was also trying to get a photo or two in between being there if & when the fish got close enough.   The boy was doing all the fighting of the fish on his own, a real fisherman. 

However the distance of the flasher & leader made it rather hard for the boy to bring the fish close enough to the boat for dad to be effective.  Numerous attempts were made.  But the wind was rapidly blowing them into the mud flats.   In these photos they were probably in 5' of water & getting shallower & the fish was not happy.  We stayed nearby in hopes of getting a picture of the actual netting.  Finally the fish went on the other shallower side of the boat & the netting was unsuccessful.

We pulled alongside & I got the dads e-mail address, the later sent him the pictures that I had taken.  Later when I asked for permission to use a picture for my articles (one that you are now reading), he said he had no idea who I was & being new to the area, he had printed off a copy of this article & had it in the boat with him at the time.

Everyone says that you just have to put your time in here.  What they are really telling you to do your own homework & figure it out yourself.  Some of the little things may begin to add up after a few years of stumbling around.  The other thing is that the fish enter the bay on their time schedule & this places the fishermen on a disadvantage because the fish may be there one day & gone the next with not many more entering for as day or so.  This kind of puts the retired fishermen at an advantage if they rent RV space & fish every day from, the end of August until the middle of September.  This article is designed to try to improve your odds.   I have fished this area for as number of years &  I am still learning every time I go out there.  I think being very observant is more important, watch what the others are using, but more importantly WHERE they are pulling the fish & at what time of the tide.   Talking to some of the locals helps also, especially if you convey to them some of your frustrations.  Don't expect them to give away all their secrets, but even a few tips to a novice is better than stumbling around for years making the same mistakes & maybe only snagging an occasional sleeper fish, but never really knowing what you did right. 

There are many fisherpersons camped at the RV spots near the boat trailer parking area.  It may be well worth your while to rent a campsite & get to know a few of the regulars.  Some days there is no bite & only 5% of the fisherpersons bring back a fish, & the next day new fish arrive in the bay or something changes & half of the boats bring in multiple fish.  This is a location that the average fisherperson can NOT expect to limit out even every other day, unless you are VERY GOOD, understand the area & are DARNED LUCKY.   This is not a location to fish if you are newbie here, starving & need a fish to eat that day.

Most trolled anchovy/herring here will be behind a Fish Flash, however you may also see a KoneZone if you watch closely.  The length of your leader may change with the tide, as a low tide the turbidity is greater, needing a shorter leader (2-3') for your attractor.  The water here on a high flood tide usually not as turbid as some other estuaries so a longer leader of  5' to 6' long can be used.  A lighter mono sinker dropper of about 12" is attached to a Slideo or sturgeon slider on the mainline is ahead of the Fish Flash about 14".  This distance is needed to separate the sinker dropper from the flasher & avoid tangles with the flasher.  There appears to not be any logs or brush on the bottom to tangle with here.   With the clearer high tide water, a medium or small Fish Flash works better.   The thinking is that the larger attractors may spook the fish in this shallow water if at a higher tide where it may be clearer.  

Some successful fishermen will simply troll a mooching set-up.   Or some of the locals will just troll a large #5 or #7 brass spinner.   Sinker weights from 4 to 6 ounces are normally used.   So try what you are comfortable with, do not be led to believe to use a heavier weight & try to keep the lure closer to the boat with less chance of tangling if another boat cuts close.  I do not like to set my rods in rod holders mounted so that the rod tip is high in the air.  Sure this increases the distance to where your line enters the water, & if you encounter someone who cuts in close behind you at times when there are considerable fisherpersons on the water, a tangle may be encountered.  But by having your rod lower & using a lighter weight you have accomplished about the same distance & possibly less chance of a tangle.

Other successful fishermen will run a large spinner behind their small Fish Flash.

One thing I do at times, that gets many stares, is to troll a large Spi-N-Glo behind the Fish Flash.  Even put a gob of salmon egg roe on the upper hook.   I use this set up as a spare, so if I happen to get tangled gear or lots of weeds, I just unsnap it & replace it with this, get it back in the water, then untangle later.

Another thing to consider is that if the wind picks up & it becomes hard to troll into it especially if the current is running heavy, is to anchor out of the main fishing area & mooch a herring or plunk fish a Spi-N-Glo or large spinner in the current upriver above Willapa River marker #15.

The advent of the line-counter reels has made life a lot easier to judge how far you are out, as you can be trolling at 20' depth & with a 6oz sinker at an average current, when you let out & hit bottom, the current will flow your line back, let it out again till you bump bottom.  Then crank it up a couple of turns, & you will be about right.  It doesn't take long for you to tell your water depth in relationship to the current & your blow back & then being able to realize that your line footage out will be near 40' or so in the above depth.   From here on, you can be pretty close by just looking at the depthfinder & adjusting your line in or out.

Floating & Suspended Weeds:  As mentioned before, this can be a problem at times.  I would recommend having a spare rod all rigged up, plus have some spare sinker droppers tied up.  The reason is that at times there are enough weeds here enough to tangle the gear.    It may be to your advantage to stay on the beach when  the big minus tides are prevalent, as the bay can become un-fishable with sea grass broken loose & into the water from the hard tide exchanges.  If you have to fish these tides, you will need to pull the gear in every 10 to 15 minutes & clean the weeds off.  If it happens to be tangled, switch rods & then take your spare time undoing the tangles.  If there are a lot of weeds & you are dragging around a lettuced herring, you will probably not be getting any bites either.  Every minute you have your lure in the water being fouled, or not in the water cleaning it is pretty sure you are NOT going to get a strike.

If every fisherperson would place all the weeds they removed from their gear during the day in garbage bags & placed it someplace on the shore later, I am sure that before long the whole bay would be devoid of floating weeds.

Where to Fish:  We will start this section of the article at the furthest downstream fishery with the old main fishery in Willapa Bay itself.  For many years the place to fish was to troll the beach in 15’ to 25' of water along "Washaway Beach",  just inside the main channel mouth on the north shore of the river near North Cove.  This section of the bay is the westernmost section that comes right to the outside ocean breakers.  The name was coined after many acres of land, probably 4 or 5 square miles of land was washed away by winter storms.  Over the years the ocean/river washed away over a mile of beach, including many houses & the old Coast Guard lighthouse. 

Most of the sport fishing upriver will be in the Willapa River's shipping channel.   For some reason not much sport fishing is conducted in the south arm leading to the Nemah & Naselle Rivers.

Washaway Beach :  You will now (2009) find fishermen plying the waters of Washaway Beach from the middle of July on during the high outgoing tide.  It appears they are relearning how to fish this bay.  A couple of hours after the tide swings & starts coming in, they shift to the area just south east of the breakwater in a pocket that forms all the way up to piling channel marker #11 (46-43-103  124-02-279)  in from 25' to 50' of water.

What they are fishing for in these two areas at this time of the year will be ocean Chinook & Coho.  These fish are not actual Willapa fish, but "Dip-Ins".  They are more than likely Columbia River fish that are following large schools of anchovies into the bay on the high incoming tide. 

Here you need to fish for them higher in the water column since they are not committed river fish.  Usually the fishing depth, no matter the actual water depth will be about 15 pulls (30') out from the reel.  Medium sized herring or anchovies seem to be the preferred bait.

There is a yellow Can ("D" buoy) about mid stream off the end of the breakwater 46-43-254  124-03-388.

Lower (Southern) Willapa Bay:  This area will be upstream from the Washaway area & off the residential area of Tokeland near the Willapa Bay channel marker #15  at 46-42-086  123-59-743.  I would also consider this area outward into the main channel to where the bay splits & the Willapa River runs east & the Nemah & Naselle Rivers branch off & head south.

I have seen bait (usually anchovies) so thick in the main channel off  what used to be Deadmans Island,  that if you had a long handled net you could have gotten all the bait you would need for the next year.  Usually where there is bait, there are also salmon.  This time there was so much bait that our lures simply got lost in the crowd.  I have also caught fish in the outside the main channel, but crossing the bar can be dangerous for a small boat that does not understand tides/bar crossings.  As just outside the point of land, the channel angles off to the Southwest & somewhat parallels the breakers.  Recent reports are the bar's channel has changed to where at a low tide the depth is less than 20'.  If you have a wind & tide running, it is best that the small boater remain inside.  For further information go to  "Ocean Fishing from a Small Boat".

"South Channel", which is a 50-60' deep large area just south of  Deadmans Island & north of Leadbetter Point.  This is more protected than the main Willapa channel which can have a severe current at the outgoing tide.  There are no buoys or markers on this "south side".   This channel shallows up considerably as it nears the ocean & breakers will be on the outside.  It is not recommended crossing here to the open ocean.

As of the summer of 2000, Deadmans Island has pretty much been washed away after the installation of the rock jetty downstream a couple of miles.  This may improve fishing somewhat from the standpoint that there was a colony of seals living on this island.   2002 & 2003 saw some of the island visible at low tide, however, but apparently not enough for the seals to return to in any numbers.

Middle Section of The Bay, or Actually in the Lower Willapa River:  This is where the bulk of the salmon fishing takes place.  In the end of August 2005 during a local salmon derby, when I was at about Willapa River marker #13 & looking upriver & then downriver, I being in about the middle, counted over 120 boats in about a 3 or 4 mile section.  This is about as crowded as I have seen it, but still enough room for everyone, even including the larger boat that wanted to zig-zag thru the parade.  The 2006 derby day saw lots more boats but no real problems.

The one main complaint is that the boat skipper will also usually be fishing & if they happen to be sitting on the stern facing one direction steering the kicker motor, they usually do not look to their back side & if you get one person facing right & the other facing left, (with their backs to each other)  sometimes the other fishermen aboard may have to advise the skipper of a close encounter coming up.  This can then be exaggerated if the skipper then is cleaning his gear of weeds & the wind blowing.

When heading upriver from off Willapa River piling marker #2 (which is about straight south of the Tokeland harbor entrance), to #8 it is rather straight with the river, then from #8 to #10 is a slight jog, then straightens out again to about #26.  The channel has shallowed up between #13 & #15 so you may only have 20' here instead of the normal 35' channel.   My thinking here is the current is somewhat slower on the sides of the channel.   Also observed is the fish tend to cut across the "flats" (15' - 20') from south of #10 & blend back into the main channel upstream near #19.

If you fish the bays enough late in the season, you may see Coho jumping within 5 feet of shore at low tide in less than 2 feet of water, while everyone is trolling out in deeper water.   There are no piling or protective brush here, but they must may feel more secure than in deeper water that everyone is crowded into.  Here the fish seem to be moving upstream in small schools.  If you see a school of finning or jumping Coho, they will be moving upstream.  Follow them without spooking them, or run on the other side of the river to avoid them & then go above them hoping to intercept then again.  Cast #4 or #5 spinners to these fish with a spinning outfit.

North River:  This river empties into the north end of the bay & the river channel wonders thru the bay a & then into he north side of the Willapa channel from marker #10, closer to Tokeland and between Southbend.  The lower section of this river itself from the big bend to the Hiway 105 bridge can be productive if you happen to find a school of fish in the channel.   This is a situation where the Smith Creek launch can be utilized.  This launch has the concrete slabs ending at waterline of a 0.0 tide, & has crushed gravel below the slabs, but there is a few inches of drop off.   However a larger tall boat may not be able to get under the low Smith Creek Hiway 105 bridge at a high tide to get the 100 yards needed to enter into North River.   My guestimate of clearance under this bridge at a average high tide is near 11'+.   I have not hit my tall VHF antenna on my North River boat yet, & it extends 10' above waterline.  It is hard to measure while you go under being that close, but I don't have lots to spare.

There is no launch on North River itself, but one on Smith Creek just off North River.   Heading out (downriver) from the Smith Creek launch, you go under the Smith Creek bridge, & about 100 yards you will enter North River.  Go down-stream (left) heading west staying between the piling markers, you will then enter a slight right hand corner with a marker on the right.  This is only one more RH piling below on this corner until you come to another left corner.  All of these markers are set up for a returning boat, so you have to look at the shape from the back side to determine which they are.  The triangle ones are red, while the square ones are the green.  Remember Red Right Returning code for the markers.

There are usually a couple of dead-heads in this channel which change year to year, so be on the lookout for them.

The GPS locations on my Lowrance unit for North River markers #19 & #28 are wrong as they are in the mudflats to the east of their actual locations.

From the left big bend you will be heading mostly south, stay on the West of these piling (except for a couple on the far west shore after you make the first big bend) watch your depthfinder, if you get shallower than 8' try to decide which way the channel is.  The red/green marker signs are designed for incoming boats so the colors & numbers (what is left of them) are hard to distinguish.  This channel however is pretty well marked & deep enough for navigation until you get close to the actual Willapa River channel which can be narrow & SHALLOW for the last 1/4 mile.   There is no actual marker at the entrance of North River.  From the last piling marker in this river, you need to be headed west of Willapa River marker #13 & more toward marker #10 at this point, which is actually across on the south side of the Willapa channel (or toward the most RH point of land in the distance).   This last section near the Willapa markers shallows up slightly just before it drops off into the Willapa River channel, so at a low tide your target would be west of #13.  My GO TO location here is 46-42-100 / 123-54-670 before you actually enter the Willapa River channel.

It is best to have a GPS/Plotter & follow the river channel.  Be very watchful of the markers, as even the seasoned traveler here can get distracted (like wiping off the inside of the windshield) & find themselves setting on the mudflat (been there-done that).   Fog will be the worst (which happens this time of the year) & I suggest you do not travel this river unless it is a clear day, or you do have a GPS/Plotter & depthfinder.

It takes a boat that will plane, only about 12 minutes to get from the Smith Creek launch to Willapa River marker #13, (unless there is fog & you are new to this area).

There is a private hatchery program on this river that releases a considerable number of Chinook, Coho salmon into this river every year.  The WFDW does not make this information readily available however.

Tidal changes for this Smith Creek launch using Pacific Ocean tide book reference will be near 2 hours later for a low tide at this launch.

One bad thing about this launch is that the parking lot is not square with the ramp slabs & to compound things the gravel above the slabs that blends with the parking lot is arced in a manner so that when you are backing the trailer toward the ramp you can not see the slabs & since it is not square, this further compounds seeing where you need to be going.   As of 9-1-09, I have driven a steel fence post on the downstream side of the upper slabs giving some reference point for the slabs.  Otherwise try to have one of my passengers stand at the top downstream top of the slabs to give you some reference.

To compound the launch problem of the ramp not being square with the parking lot, some not so thoughtfull boaters, after they launch, don't pull ahead far enough into the lot, park the trailer & vehicle close to the area needed for a subsequent vehicle to pull into to be able to back in straight to the ramp.

In the left hand photo below, you will notice the 4" X 12" planks on the bridge supports.  They have 6" between them.  You can also see the high water mark on them.

With an average 18' boat it is very doable to launch at a .50' tide.  At the -1.7' photo shown on the right, probably only if you have a 4 wheel drive vehicle & a boat trailer that uses roller bunks.   It might not be good to try to recover a boat at this tide as you would have to drop the trailer tires off the end of the slabs.  In the photo on the right below you can see where someone has shoveled gravel at the end of the pads to elevate the drop off & allow the trailer tires to come up easier.  WDFW has plans of repairing this ramp, but with budget cuts in 2009, this may take a while.

Season limits for North River from the Hiway 105 bridge to Salmon Creek is open to salmon fishing from Sept. 1 to Nov. 30 with a liberal total limit of 6 salmon.  There are numerous houseboats tied to pilings in this lower stretch of river.  There is a good section of boat fishable water above the bridge for about 3 or 4 miles upstream to the end of tidewater at about Float House #29.  At a low, 0.0 tide you may encounter only 2’ of water at this upstream location.

One method of fishing this upper extreme spot is to get there just before low tide change.  Stop in the middle of the river, but do not anchor, & simply cast spinners using a spinning outfit & 15# monofilament mainline.  If the fish are there, they will be jumping or rolling occasionally.  Use a Metric #5 spinner that has a single Siwash hook & ahead of it about 20”, place a 3/8 oz. beadchain keel sinker.  There are plenty of underwater limbs & snags in this area.  This sinker helps you cast farther & keeps the lure near the bottom, plus it runs interference for the spinner’s single point hook & lessens possible hang ups.  Keep casting, as the tide turns & comes back in, the fish seem to drift upstream past you.  Just because you see the fish jumping or rolling, do not be duped into thinking they are on the top of the water.  This water is shallow & you need to fish the lure NEAR the bottom.

Other Things to See & Do:  You owe it to yourself to stop at the Old Tokeland Hotel & Restaurant for a meal.  This is a resurrected building dating back to 1885 that was reopened  in 1990.  This is a large gray structure on the left about as you get into the residential area.   Phone 360-267-7006 www.tokelandhotel.com.  There is even a golf course nearby.  Nelson Seafoods has a retail store in the area.  You can't miss these as the road ends at the marina.

The Shoalwater Bay Indians have a casino at the intersection of Hiway 105 & the Tokeland Rd with cigarette sales nearby.  There is even a fireworks stand open most of the year.  OH yes, the Indian tribal police do make their presence known near the casino for enforcement of the 35 MPH traffic speed limit.  Their current black & white striped Chrysler sports car does not have enough room on the reservation to even get into high gear.

 

Copyright © 2004-2009 LeeRoy Wisner  All Rights Reserved
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Originated 8-21-01, Last updated 11-03-2009
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South Bend Launch --- At minus tides I believe the slab end is exposed and you are end the gravel/mud. I was there Saturday when tide was about -1, there were some boats 18 to 19 foot, aluminum I think launching. A number do launch at minus tides with trailer off slabs. I was talking with a local the other day who has about a 17 foot and he was saying he launches and retrieves whenever and does not mind trailer in the mud.
Retrieving might depend on vehicle, size of boat, etc. I personally like a lot of water over the slab.