Granted, a 6-pound summer steelhead in the Columbia River lacks the glamor of a 20-pound chinook salmon. But from June until into September summer steelhead fill a niche, a predictable run and something to fish for on a daily basis.

A year ago, anglers in the lower Columbia caught 9,103 summer steelhead and released 5,583 more, in spots such as Cathlamet, the Cowlitz River mouth, Troutdale and downstream of Bonneville Dam.

Oregon guide Dave Maroon offers this advice for prospect summer steelhead anglers: Anchor in 10- to 14-feet of water off the shore of an island, put a spinner in the river and see what happens.

“Steelhead travel shallow,” Maroon said. “Steelhead love islands and love to hug around islands. When we’re fishing for these, generally fish no shallower than 8 feet and no deeper than 20 feet. They will not be out there in the deep water or the fast water.”

Summer steelhead fishing is now open the Columbia River both upstream and downstream of Interstate 5 bridge.

The peak of the fishery in the Troutdale-to-Bonneville stretch of the Columbia is about July 7 to Aug. 7, Maroon said.

“These fish are moving fast, and you’re anchoring in their path,” he said. “Look for spots where a jetty, wing dam or gravel bar reaches out. They will not be traveling out in the deeper water like a salmon. If you’re in over 20 feet, forget it.”

Maroon suggests an 8½- to 9-foot rod rated for 10- to 25-pound line.

“You want a light rod, light tip,” he said. “You want to see the action of that spinner.”

Maroon places a plastic slider on the main line then a six-bead chain swivel. The dropper is about 30 inches and the leader 42 to 54 inches.

He uses 25-pound-test Maxima Ultragreen line for a leader.

“I want something strong enough to handle a chinook if we happen to hook one,” Maroon said.

The goal is to have the spinner working within about a foot of the river bottom.

“I always use more weight than less,” he said. “You cannot have it moving. It cannot be coming off the bottom.”

Maroon uses mostly size 4 and 5 spinner blades, sometimes going as small as a No. 3. His blades are the wider, rounder Colorado style or elongated Cascade style with the crease in the middle.

“Generally, the slower the water, people use Colorado-style,” he said. “For the faster water, the Cascade style is better. They are tighter to the shaft, and spin a little better in faster water.”

Red works very well for steelhead.

“These fish react to red, not orange,” he said.

Red and white spinners can be productive. Nickel is hit-and-miss, excellent at times and terrible other times, he added.

“Early in the year these rainbow patterns seem to work very well,” he said.” For some reason, when the water starts to warm, red seems to work very well.”

Although he fishes mostly near Bonneville Dam, Maroon mentioned Cottonwood Channel at the mouth of the Cowlitz River, the shore along Government Island and between river markers 48 and 50 at Camas-Washougal as other spots to try.

Early in an outgoing tide, there may not be enough current to work a spinner. In that case, try an X-4, X-5 or U-20 Flatfish, he said.

The river also slows down near the end of an outgoing tide, he said.

Scents are not as important for summer steelhead as they are when salmon fishing, Maroon said.

“Steelhead are not nearly as picky,” he said.” They are very willing to bite something without scent.”

It is important to be willing to change lure color, blade size and leader or dropper length when summer steelhead fishing, he said.

“If you’re not catching anything, and there’s any sign of life — fish jumping, anyone else catching fish around you — then you have to change something.”