PICK OF THE WEEK: Upper Hanford Reach Steelhead

Published 10:34 am Thursday, January 27, 2011

The large upriver run of steelhead in the Columbia in 2010 resulted in good fishing in several parts of the river. One of the better areas — the upper Hanford Reach, between the Vernita Bridge and Priest Rapids Dam — was reopened by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife on Dec. 8 for the first time in many years.

As with any new fishing area, it takes time for word to get around, and the state’s Paul Hoffarth in the Tri-Cities said pressure has been light. For those getting on the water, however, the steelheading has been pretty good. So far this month, Hoffarth said, 90 steelhead have been caught and 46 hatchery fish kept. Boat anglers are averaging a steelhead for every five hours of fishing, and that’s not half shabby.

There’s a rough launch under the Vernita Bridge that allows small boats access to reasonably tame water, but without a jet sled, you don’t want to go downstream from the bridge. Back-trolling plugs or diver-bait setups, side-drifting bobbers and bait, or other standard steelhead techniques all work on the middle Columbia.

Wayne Kruse