Sturgeon fishing here is also fantastic.
Mostly White Sturgeon, the population is so vast the Columbia River can't support them all . That is why the majority of our Sturgeon head out to sea in the fall . About May our baitfish start coming into the lower Columbia River with the tides and by June the Sturgeon fishing here is GREAT! There are more keeper size sturgeon caught in the Ilwaco area than anywhere else!

There are several Charter Fishing businesses in the Ilwaco and Astoria area. There are also several Guided Fishing Businesses. Most of these however are upriver-based fishing guides that come down to run a few trips when the fishing peaks . Most aren't experienced in this area and don't understand the tides and fish behavior here . And, most upriver guides bring their upriver boats down here that are open sleds designed for sheltered water . A high proportion of these guides aren't even licensed . The charter boat operations are geared up to catch a lot of fish fast with a lot of people on board . They make their money by the volume of people they carry . Sometimes if they can limit out fast enough they will run back in to pick up a second load of passengers . Charter boats generally target the Coho here because they are more plentiful and can be caught faster . Most of the time they fish further offshore in the heaviest Coho areas running right past some very productive Chinook areas . Another practice on charter boats is what's known as party fishing . This is when everyone on board keeps fishing until the boat limit is reached . It's quite common for the boat to limit out with several fishermen not catching a single fish . Very few legal fish are ever released from a charter boat.

My guided fishing trips are usually geared more for a quality fishing experience . My customers are able to catch their own fish . On my mixed party trips I usually end up releasing several fish so my customers can each catch their own fish. With fewer fishermen on the boat it's not as crowded . There are fewer tangled lines . Each rod has a better chance to catch a fish than on a charter boat . Needing fewer fish to limit out, we can be more selective in the ones we want to keep . We do release a lot of the smaller legal fish because fishing is usually good enough here and we just don't need them . We usually keep average or larger sized fish as a rule . On some days we really get into the big ones! If there are Chinook around, we will target them . This almost always makes for a longer day than a charter trip but my customers have a great time . We are after a QUALITY FISHING ADVENTURE, not to see how fast we can limit out . I don't do second trips

My boat charter is reasonably priced at the four fishermen rate. I have a minimum of two fishermen per trip and a maximum of six . If there are less than four I will add other fishermen to your trip . My boat is a 27' x 9-1/2' all-aluminum 'Storm Runner' . It was built in Astoria, Oregon for this area and sea conditions . IT IS NOT AN UPRIVER GUIDE BOAT!!! It was built with a self-bailing deck and seven watertight compartments . This means that in the event some water comes aboard in heavy seas, it runs back off the boat . There is a cabin for weather protection and a complete navigation package for safety . The boat is also equipped with a marine head . There have been several of the open sleds the upriver guides bring down here swamped . This is no place for open boats when the weather kicks up . It's not that dangerous here if you have the right equipment and experience . I have a great boat for ocean fishing and have been running fishing boats across the Columbia River Bar for the last 40 years. I have been licensed by the USCG to carry passengers for hire since 1967.

Captain Dan Heasley