cast & blast
Hells Canyon could certainly be considered the Cast and Blast capitol of the world! Large numbers of Chukar Partridge are scattered from high along the ridge tops, to way down low near the river bottom where Salmon, Steelhead, Sturgeon and Smallmouth bass are are abundant, in season and available during our fall hunting period! It is safe to say that this deepest gorge in North America is a hunting and fishing paradise. Combining your Chukar hunt with fishing all in the same day is known as a Cast and Blast excursion! All of our guides are seasoned fishermen with talents learned over many years of guiding fishermen. So what kind of fishing are we talking about? Let’s talk about the fish themselves and how we fish for them!
KING SALMON
King Salmon also know as "Chinook Salmon" average in the 10-20lb size range and are abundant in September and October. Fishing near the confluence of the Snake and Salmon Rivers can be very productive this time of year. Kings and Steelhead are often caught in the same holes with the same techniques on our cast and blast trips. One of our favorite ways to catch these Kings in the Fall is with a Diver and Bait rig. We back troll the confluence and lower Salmon river with this set up which consists of a jet diver, long leader and a hook baited with cured salmon roe that we cure ourselves! We fish the rods in the holders and wait for the takedown!
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sTEELHEAD
Steelhead start to arrive in big numbers around the last week of September near the Mouth of the Salmon River. We love our light action spinning rods and we use the side drifting technique to hook up good numbers of A-Run Steelhead this time of year. Pencil lead, a long leaders and a hook baited with a bead, yarn or roe is a given killer on Steelhead in the Snake and Salmon Rivers. The Salmon river dumps colder water into the snake at their confluence creating a "fish trap" you might say for the steelhead. They can't resist that colder water near the Mouth of the Salmon so they stack in those holes like chord wood at times!
STURGEON
These Jurassic wonders of the Snake River in Hells Canyon are one of the primary interests that our clients love to include in their Cast and Blast trip. Catching a White Sturgeon , the largest fresh water fish in North America is a bucket list Item for many sportsman. These fish can grow to over 10’ in length and weigh over 400lbs! Sturgeon are native to these waters and are available to catch year round. We use heavy casting gear consisting of Avet reels spooled with 200 lb line mated to our 7’ custom made “Sturgeon Cowboy” fishing Rods for a PROVEN WEAPON on fighting and landing giant Sturgeon.
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Fishing for Giant Sturgeon is simply a hook, line and sinker event. First we bait your hook with some Steelhead or Salmon guts. With the boat hovering out in the river we start by dropping your baited hook near the edge of the current and let it sink to the bottom. Then pull the boat to shore and wait for the bite. Often times a slight bump, bump, bump turns in to more that you may have bargained for…. Fish On!!! The fight of a Giant Sturgeon can take 30 minutes to and hour! The White Sturgeon is a rare prehistoric fish that has been catch and release in Hells Canyon since 1970. We exercise the greatest caution to hook, fight and release these giants unharmed to fight again another day!
smallmouth bass
If there is a place on earth where Smallmouth Bass are more abundant than Hells Canyon we would be amazed! Light line spinning tackle with a jig head and a 4” twister tail is all you need. Colors like Brown, Green and Chartreuse are all proven fish catchers. In some of the better locations plan to hook a bass from 12-18” on every single cast! There is no limit on smallies in Hells Canyon so your guide might fillet up a few for ya at the end of the day for hors d'oeuvres at the lodges that night! Fishermen of all skill levels will enjoy the Smallmouth bass fishing in Hells Canyon. Pound for pound Smallies are some of the hardest fishing fish on the planet!