Chillbilly Sportfishing Charters -Graham Clouter
As the fair-weather fishing season begins to wind down, WeSportFish caught up with one of the Columbia River’s premier guides and asked for some insight into fishing the Columbia in the fall.
Fishing Guide Graham Cloutier, owner and operator of Chillbilly Sportfishing Charters, has been angling the river his whole life. He has likely put in more time than anyone in getting to know and understand the river, its runs and riffles, eddies, and deep pools, and guiding his clients into some epic days on the water.
Along with his boat goat, Green Eggs, Cloutier offers an easy-going, relaxed, and peaceful float down the river capped off with some of the best rainbow and walleye catches anywhere in southern B.C.. And Graham truly loves catching fish, as much as he loves seeing his friends and clients land Columbia River lunkers.
So WSF asked, just how good has the Fall fishing been on the Columbia?
“This September yielded some amazing fishing,” said Cloutier. “September is the month you can use everything in your fishing arsenal and do well.”
WSF: What type of water do you look for and deem best to target rainbows as you float the river on any given day?
“We found lots of big rainbows in some fast, shallow runs, behind big boulders or on big seams.”
WSF: For fly anglers what types of flies would you recommend? And is there a preferred technique?
“We found large black stoneflies or purple prince nymphs to be effective on nymphing rigs.
“For dry-fly fishing, size-16 mayflies were a hit in the warm afternoons (fished on surface), and big trout and walleye smashed streamers on full sink lines.”
WSF: For gear fishers?
“Len Thompson’s dimpled series either blaze orange or red and white were the ticket for gear fishing.”
WSF: As for walleye, Chillbilly Charters had some incredible days, catching dozens of the tasty invasive species and sharing delicious shore lunches with clients. What was your go-to set up for walleye?
“For the walleye we did well on flies or crank baits in shallow waters on overcast low light days,” said Cloutier. “During the heat on sunny days, we did well with a walleye rig and night crawler trolled slowly with a 3-ounce bottom bouncer.”
WSF: One last question Graham. What’s next for Chillbilly Charters?
“I’m looking forward to more October fishing next . . . After all, this is why we sport fish!”
For more info, check out Chillbilly Charters on Facebook and Instagram, or visit his website at chillbillycharters.com.
