Could somebody tell me what to use for catching springers and steelhead in the sandy? I would like to launch at dabney in my drift and fish down to lewis and clark.Would that be my best bet?thanks for any info

Dude.

These guys are Washingtonians. They don't know anything about the Sandy.

Well, now, a few of us at least fish both ways...

The Sandy fishes the same as most other rivers. Use what you trust. I have done well for springers on chartreuse Mag Warts, and bait divers and the usual suspect plugs for steelies. It's been a few years since I fished there, however, since I moved north, but I'd be surprised if the drill has changed much. I'm not up to date on the regs, I'd check them as ell.

I agree with Silver. I enjoy fishing both sides of the OR/WA border. However, lately the Sandy has been very tough. Nothing seems to be working. But if you're going to drift the river, I would recommend rigging shrimp or prawns behind a jet diver. I've heard plugs work well but I stick with bait for springers. Work the deep holes and the deep slots in particular. A deep slot next to a steep bank is often productive. There are a couple of these spots on the lower Sandy. Good luck.

The Sandy...
Below Dabney, it's an easy float with good looking water BUT the fish do not hold in this area, they are moving fast to the upriver holding pools. It's a short float so you may want to plan on doing it twice to double the odds at contacting those fast movers. Good days can be had, but it's not consistent.

The catch to fishing the Sandy is the best upriver holding pools cannot be fished from a boat (it's illegal, have to get out and bank fish) and there are class rated rapids. The float from Dodge Park and to Oxbow has great water BUT you're guaranteed a dent in your driftboat-we run it in inflatables.

If you have a raft, the run from Revenue Bridge to Dodge Park is probably the best bet. Jigs for steelees and floats & eggs for kings.