Dan Ponciano brings 40 years of fishing experience and nearly 30 years as a professional guide to his Columbia River fishing trips, covering the Columbia River, the Columbia River Gorge, Buoy 10, and tributaries including the Lewis and Cowlitz Rivers. Based out of the Vancouver, Washington area, Dan built his guiding career around an intimate knowledge of the Columbia River system, breaking down its massive scale into smaller, consistently productive spots for his clients.
Trips are built around the Columbia River’s seasonal fisheries, with spring Chinook salmon fishing peaking in March and April, fall Chinook runs later in the year, plus steelhead and both keeper and trophy sturgeon fishing throughout the season. Guests can choose their target species and preferred river when booking, whether that’s chasing salmon and steelhead on the Columbia and its tributaries or sturgeon in the deeper holes the river is known for.
Beyond the Columbia, Dan has expanded his guiding into the Sacramento River in California, a river he grew up fishing, offering trips for Chinook salmon, sturgeon, and striped bass. This gives returning clients the option to fish with Dan across two of the West Coast’s most productive river systems rather than being limited to a single region.
A typical day of fishing with Dan Ponciano’s Guide Service starts before daylight and runs a full eight hours on the water, with a confirmation letter sent ahead of time detailing the exact meeting point and time. Guests are asked to bring their own fishing license, sunscreen, raingear, lunch, and a camera, and to dress in layers for changing river conditions. Dan is United States Coast Guard licensed, Washington and Oregon licensed, bonded and insured, and First Aid and CPR certified.
For anglers looking for an experienced, well-established guide on the Columbia River or its tributaries, Dan Ponciano’s Guide Service offers decades of local knowledge across salmon, steelhead, and sturgeon fishing, with the Sacramento River available as an additional option for those willing to travel.
