The Columbia River is the Pacific Northwest’s best walleye fishery, and some anglers believe the next world record of this large member of the perch family will come out of the river, even though the Upper Midwest transplant isn’t native to the Pacific Northwest. Was that a world record 25.35313-pound walleye that was hooked, landed, weighed, videoed, and witlessly released into the choppy Columbia River on that blustery Northwest morning last April? On the Snake River we mostly fish in the Lyons Ferry area. Columbia River Walleye The Columbia River produces big walleye . Walleye Jigging on the Columbia River.
But, there’s other hot spots, such as the Hanford Reach and lower Snake River, neither of which have minimum size restrictions. Giant 20-Pound Record Walleye Pending In Washington Veteran river rat John Grubenhoff landed an enormous walleye on Friday, February 28 from the Columbia River that eclipsed the 20-pound mark and by all accounts will demolish the Washington state record walleye.
We target these fish near John Day Dam, McNary Dam, and the Tri Cities area of the Columbia River. The Columbia is considered a record walleye destination and anglers have journeyed here from all over the United States and beyond.
Book your Columbia River Walleye trip now with one of the few top Walleye guides in the Northwest. Springtime walleye anglers play out similar foul-weather scenes every year on the Columbia River system — from Portland, Oregon, to Fort Spokane, Washington and upstream to Lewiston, Idaho, as far as the lower reach of the Snake River — because an increasing population of trophy-size walleyes has made the Columbia River Basin a virtual mecca for walleye anglers.
The three of us who were there think so. The point of this article is to be a starting point for people looking to take advantage of this great fishery.
Walleye aren't native, but since their discovery in Eastern Washington in 1962, they've spread throughout the Columbia and lower Snake River systems, including the Willamette River … Tennessee holds the record for the largest walleye, a 25-pounder caught in 1960.
Many in the walleye community believe the next world record fish will be caught of the Columbia River! Grubenhoff's walleye tops the previous record of 19.3 pounds caught by Tri-Cities angler Mike Hepper in February 2007. Much has been written about walleye fishing downstream of McNary Dam due to more trophy-sized bugeyes taken there than most any place in the Columbia River. On the rod was The Dalles, Oregon fishing guide and Columbia River walleye specialist Ed Iman. Walleye fishing early in the season past the point of the John Day Dam on the Columbia River may not be that good, but once March hits all of this changes. There's no secret about that anymore.
Oregon's record, also from the Columbia, is 19 pounds, 15 ounces, caught in 1990. It’ll happen in the March timeframe, and boy I hope I am there to experience it.
A walleye weighing 20.32 pounds caught in the Columbia River on Friday is a pending Washington record. Sizes range into the high teens and anglers come to the Magnificent River from all over North America to tangle with a genuine wallhanger, and just maybe, get their name in "The Record … We target these fish near John Day Dam, McNary Dam, and the Tri Cities area of the Columbia River. home to the river of the next world record walleye.
Each of our guides has their specialties but your will find we are proficient in catching all the different species. Many in the walleye community believe the next world record fish will be caught of the Columbia River!
The variety of habitat and seasonal opportunities makes it […] . Washington’s new record-size walleye ranks sixth in the nation compared to those in other states. If indeed walleye, stay on the spot and vary your presentation. January – June we target the famed Walleye of the Columbia River and Snake River.