Sandy River Chinook Salmon on Spinning Rod

The Sandy River has a moderate run of spring chinook salmon with very good bank access for boatless anglers. The catch in a decent run year can be 800 or 1,000 springers.

This run tends to be a little later than other springer fisheries. While a few appear in early spring, your odds will improve a bit by May, especially in the lower river, where boats concentrate. But if you are fishing for the bank and want to hit the Sandy when the most fish come out, plan your trip on the upper river in June and July. By that time there also will be summer steelhead distributed throughout the system.

Boat access is excellent in the lower river, with launches at Oxbow, Dabney and Lewis and Clark parks. Power boats can launch at Lewis and Clark and fish down to the Columbia. Those parks also have lower-river bank access.

Bank anglers fare well up higher in the system, with good access at Dodge Park, Cedar Creek (Sandy Fish Hatchery) and several other locations close to the city of Sandy.

[jakenewcomb]

what bait did you use? going there today with the same setup? any orecommendations for other places in oregon to fish on the bank with spinning rod? thanks