Summer Chinook near Portland Oregon

As air temperatures rise and water levels begin to drop, the water of the Columbia River begin to turn a certain shade of green from the glacial runoff. Local anglers know this as summer time! A prime time of the year to catch a variety of species, including Shad, Salmon and Steelhead. Today I will be writing about fishing for Summer Chinooks in a creek near PDX.
Being a PDX local myself I don't like to commute a great distance from my home in Northeast Portland. The most I would drive to go fish is an hour.  This creek is within that range and provides me good quality fish almost every trip.

Standing at the hatchery bridge, I spotted a few big fish immediately. They were schooled up in the deeper, slow moving parts of the stream. This gave me a sense of what to look for in the water when spotting fish in the future. 

Lots of bright fish around and some medium looking fish too. Everyday we would walk down the stream into pools full of fresh Chinooks that were eager to eat a blue fox spinner or shrimps. 

Herman Creek, Oregon

Herman Creek is a gem of a creek that lies just past Cascade Locks. A popular destination for Summer Steelhead and Coho. Considered a "dip-in" fishery because when the Columbia warms up above 70 degrees, the steelhead travel into cooler streams, such as Herman Creek, to stay cool and wait till the water returns to a lower temp. The run peaks all through out August, But October is a good time to go for Coho. Most guys at Herman fish in the Area shown below in blue, and cast towards the marked reds. As you can see there are plenty of spots for bank fishing but I recommend putting on some breathable waders and wading out. Most choose to fish a bobber and coon shrimp at 8' deep, using a 5 foot 6lb test leader (The water is very clear and the fish are gear weary) You can also fish on the bottom with eggs. Its a popular destination to bring your boat/pontoon and anchor around the holes and fish like that too if you don't like crowds. Overall Herman Creek was one of my favorite places to fish for summer steelhead. Take care