Each week one of the Salmon University experts answers reader questions in our “Ask a Pro” feature. This week’s questions are answered by Tom Nelson. Submit your own question here.

Q: I have not been fishing in years. I am thinking about dusting my gear off and going out and catching some nice ones. I was wondering if you have any recommendations for the Clark County/Cowlitz area of Washington state? – Jacob

A: Hi Jacob- if you are going to be fishing in the Cowlitz area of Washington State, there is no better place to fish than the Cowlitz River itself or the banks of the Columbia River just below where the Cowlitz empties into the Columbia.

Q: What is the best lure for triploid fishing? – Steve

A: To answer this question we consulted with seasoned guide Anton Jones in Lake Chelan. Anton reports:

We like trolling big black Wooly Bugger flies with an action disc by wiggle fin 150 to 200 feet behind the boat at 1.6mph with a 1/4 oz bullet weight in front rattling the wiggle fin. We cast to shoreline and weed edges with 1/4 oz black roostertails. When things are tough we fish the net pen areas with bait on slip sinker rigs or jig micro jigs while being anchored up. We do not guide there anymore.

Lake Chelan image courtesy Maurice King. (CC BY 2.0)

Tom Nelson

Tom Nelson is the publisher of salmonuniversity.com. Known throughout the Pacific Northwest as the “Dean of Saltwater Fishing,” he has helped develop and test tackle and gear for Scotty, Pro-Troll and Silver Horde, is a regular speaker at area sports shows, has taught more than 5,000 students how to fish during his classes at western Washington community colleges, and is the co-founder of the Puget Sound Anglers.