Trolling

• 1). Use herring that is as fresh as possible when trolling. The fresher the bait the more likely the chinook will be interested. Blood or cloudiness in the herring's eyes is a sign that the bait is bad.
  
  
• 2). Troll in waters with depths ranging between 12 and 30 feet deep. Spring chinook are located in shallower waters than later in the year.
  
  
• 3). Use a fish locator to determine at what depth the fish are suspended. If no fish finder is available, try to keep the bait at least 2 feet off the bottom.
  
  
• 4). Troll on the incoming tide and the first hour of the outgoing tide for best results. The further up the river you are fishing, the less the effects of the tide will be.
  
  
• 5). Wait to set the hook until the rod buries in the holder. This allows the fish to hook itself. Setting the hook with a hard pull often damages the mouth of the fish and will allow it to escape later during the fight.
  
  

Anchor Fishing

• 1). Switch to Kwikfish lure as bait for anchor fishing. These lures are large, banana-shaped lures used commonly to catch chinook. Attach sardine fillet pieces to the lure using string to help attract the chinook.
  
  
• 2). Use herring or spinners if the current is heavy, which means the river is flowing fast. Fishing these in slow currents is not as effective as the bait will sink to the bottom and not spin properly.
  
  
• 3). Look for sandy humps and other structures on a fish finder. Once you find these areas, move the boat upstream from these areas and let the baits move back onto the desired structure.