

The old adage is that the worst day fishing is better than the best day at work always rings true but in June- near Portland, Oregon you can have both; that is a great half day catching fish on the river and get some work done in the office too! Why is that? June is the month that millions of great fighting fish run the rivers of the Columbia and Willamette right through the heart of Portland. What that means to you is you can litterally hop in one of Water Time Outfitters guide boats and be catching a fish faster than you can get a coffee at a busy Starbucks!
The American shad is a hard fighting fish that returns from the ocean each year to the waters of the Willamette River. The Columbia basin (including the Willamette River) host the worlds largest run of American Shad. These fish run anywhere from 1lb to over 6lbs and are excellent fun to catch. Using fly rods in the #5-6 weight range these members of the herring family fight like crazy! Not 20 minutes from downtown Portland we find schools of the fish often referred to as the “Poor Man’s Tarpon” willingly taking the fly.