RICHLAND, Wash. — Opportunties for steelhead and salmon have made a slight comeback in Eastern Washington, and this means that the Hanford Reach sturgeon fishery might be a little less crowded than it has in the past few years.

New tackle and techniques have also increased the success of anglers chasing diamonsides here.

The Reach

The Hanford Reach, the last free-flowing stretch of the Columbia River, starts at the Vernita Bridge and ends at the wooden power poles just below the old Hanford townsite.

There are slow deep holes and sloughs along the Reach, but for the most part, this stretch of the river is fast moving with a rocky bottom.

There are some shallow spots on the Reach that you have to watch out for as you are running the river.

Below the large powerlines at N Reactor, there are a group of islands, and because the river is a little braided in this stretch, be aware of the depth before running wide open.

Rigging for the Reach

The Hanford Reach opens for sturgeon June 16.

Anchor retrieval systems are a must for fishing here. The rocky bottom and fast water can make it difficult to pull an anchor in by hand; a retrieval system gives you the capability of breaking away from your anchor to fight a fish.

Setting up terminal rigs for fishing the Reach is simple. The conditions found here make it very easy to rig for sturgeon.

Some holes that have swift water moving through them may require the use of fairly large sinkers, but never more than 16 ounces.

The simple Hanford Reach rig includes a 7/0 to 10/0 hook tied with 18 to 20 inches of 50- to 80-pound leader, a three-way swivel and a 20- to 30-pound-test dropper line (for the sinker) that is about half as long as the leader.

A large Corky or a cluster of three or four smaller ones can be used in front of the hook to keep the bait slightly elevated — this prevents the hook from washing around the rocks right on the bottom, and keeps the hook from getting dull.

The mainline is tied to the swivel, in line with the leader; the sinker dropper is tied off of the next eye down on the three-way swivel.

I tie up the hook with the steelhead egg loop, because it is a very strong knot and the line that runs down the shank of the hook is good for keeping the bait from sliding off of the hook.

Elastic thread is the best way to keep your bait attached to the top part of the hook, and leaves the point and the bend of the hook exposed.

Tackle needed for fighting sturgeon looks like the gear you see offshore billfish anglers using.

I recommend a 7- to 8-foot rod with a fairly sensitive tip (sturgeon are notoriously light biters) and rated for 30- to 60-pound line.

You should have a reel with a good drag capable of carrying at least 350 yards of 40-pound test.

Best baits

Some of the new baits out now are among the reason that sturgeon fishing has become more productive. Choices include pickled squid, and shad, or frozen eel as well as a few others.

Not long ago, the choices of baits you could buy were Roll Mop herring or frozen shad. Fresh shad were available to those lucky enough to catch a few when they ran through the area.

When fishing the Reach, I prefer to use fresh baits over Roll Mop herring or any of the other commercially pickled products.

Try catching a squawfish and use the fillets soaked with herring oil. The fatty belly meat from a salmon is also a favorite here.

Finding the holes

It is a misconception to associate sturgeon with the deepest holes on the river. This is a mistake that many anglers make. By doing so they often overlook the best sturgeon spots.

Sturgeon like to rest in deep water, but when you are hoping to find a fish that is feeding, look for flat areas about 10 to 20 feet deep above or adjacent to the deep holes.

Fish the top ends of these areas. Spots like these will usually support a large population of clams, which tend to attract sturgeon.

Check the area for fish by drifting over it and marking fish on the depth finder. I would recommend shutting off the motor and floating over the hole before putting down the anchor.

This will not guarantee that there is or isnšt a fish in the hole, but after doing this a few times in the same holes over the course of the summer you might see patterns relating to where the fish like to be in certain spots.

If there is a fish in the hole, I will fish the spot for about 45 minutes to 1 hour before moving.

Sturgeon will move up from the tail end of the hole slowly to get to your bait.

Best holes

There are a lot of productive spots on the Reach, and thus no need to crowd other anglers.

The unwritten but almost always adhered to rule is, "one boat anchored per hole."

There are some large holes that will accommodate more than one boat, but most of the time it is best to find a new spot if someone is already anchored.

If you see someonešs anchor buoy in a hole, they are more than likely fighting a fish downriver, and will be back to reclaim their spot.

There is an excellent hole at the wooden power poles along the Hanford side of the river. Anchor near shore and cast into the current slightly upriver from your boat.

There are productive spots above the White Bluffs Ferry Landing at the top end of the 50-foot hole.

Further upriver, along the White Bluffs, there is a hole at the tree near the upriver end of the bluffs.

Put the back of your boat even with this tree, and fish straight behind the boat.

There is a 30-foot-deep slot under the power lines at N Reactor, and the top end of this slot can be very productive.

There are usually deeper slots off of the large intake pumps that are all along the Hanford side of the river.

The edge of the swift water just off of these structures are excellent spots to find sturgeon.

Just above the Vernita Bridge there are some perfect spots that hold good numbers of sturgeon.

Fish about 50 yards off of the north bank just above the unimproved launches used by squawfish anglers who camp here through summer.

Material from Fishing & Hunting News
published 22 times a year.
Visit them at www.fishingandhuntingnews.com