Springers st. Helens to rainier

Since springers Are soon upon us i thought i would start to gather some knowledge now.  Does anyone know anything about this stretch of water for springers.  I fish the beach off prescott quite a bit as i live nearby and have paddled from goble landing down to rainier recreationally but i was wondering if i could make that trip on a downhill troll and have a chance at a fish?  Do the fish usually run the oregon side of sandy island or only the Kalama side?  And would the sealions make this more of a hassle then its worth because they are abundant this year ( they are keeping me up at night with their barking hah)

You've got some prime springer water just out your front door. 
I've ogled the map of that area for years and have a thru paddle on my to-do list.  You definitely have a chance at a fish.  Check out the map that's linked in my Springer How-To on the front page.  The edges give you the map number for adjoining sections.

Let me know if you need a shuttle/fishing partner.  There's a lot of good water on both sides of the river between those two points.

-Mark-

That whole area, from Lewis River down to the Kalama is supposed to be great springer territory from talking to others on this forum and some of the other fishing forums.  I keep my kayak stored in St Helens with the plan of hitting that area quite a bit this spring, (live in a condo).  I'm not an experienced springer fisherman, but would also be interested in possibly hooking up to do some shuttle runs should you or spot be interested. 

John

There's some great springer fishing in our area, I usually launch from Scappoose bay and will fish the Mulnomah Channel out to the warrior rock area, haven't fished around Sand Island too much yet, but plan to this season.

Crossing the river over to the mouth of the EFL can be rewarding as well.
Let me know if you want to get out, great to see another local kayak angler on the boards!

While I can run my own shuttle I definitely would not mind some company and would be happy to help others run their shuttle for a down river trip. If I remember Goble to Rainier is 6 or 7 miles and took me six hours taking my sweet time. Goble Landing charges a fee to launch but its like three dollars. You should be able to park at the Rainier kayak launch on the other end for free.
TP how long is the paddle from Scappoose bay to the channel?  I have again paddled that area just leisurely not fishing and remembered it being fairly long?  Could you put in at St. Helens instead not a very long paddle from there to warrior rock area and you could be fishing sooner I think? I have taken the kayaks out to sand Island(different than Sandy Island between Kalama and Goble) with my wife just to lounge on the beach and such makes a great summer day.  If you could get the tides right you could probably swing around the Sand Island to Warrior Rock, Hang out have some lunch maybe do some plunking and then head back with the tide swing.

I would also think that putting in at St Helens would be better for fishing the Columbia, last year I fished the Willamette and the Mult channel. Looking forward to getting out on the Columbia this year.

John

It takes most people about 40 mins to get to the channel from the launch at scappoose bay, it can be done in much less if you're hustling but that's our typical pace(leisurely) when leading tours. depends on tides, your boat, and how much of a hurry you're in.

 I live a few blocks from the st helens launch, and I work at the kayak shop at scappoose bay, so for me it usually comes down to convenience.  My boat lives at the shop, so I usually prefer to enjoy the paddle and then get a line wet instead of loading and unloading. I'm also typically fishing before/after work but it all depends on the day I want to have.
 If my boats already on top of my car, have a short time to fish, and I want to hit the columbia specifically, I'll launch in st helens. 

I typically do pretty well in the channel, and usually will fish my way to and from the columbia. it also allows me an exit strategy when the winds pick up in the afternoon on the columbia, if I'm fighting the wind too much on the river, I'll tuck back in the channel and fish, and then work my way back to the bay.

 I've also been wanting to do a multi day from st helens to astoria and fish/camp along the way, and would be down for any short down river trips too. Let me know if you want to put something together this season.

-Tanner
 

Since springers Are soon upon us i thought i would start to gather some knowledge now.  Does anyone know anything about this stretch of water for springers.  I fish the beach off prescott quite a bit as i live nearby and have paddled from goble landing down to rainier recreationally but i was wondering if i could make that trip on a downhill troll and have a chance at a fish?  Do the fish usually run the oregon side of sandy island or only the Kalama side?  And would the sealions make this more of a hassle then its worth because they are abundant this year ( they are keeping me up at night with their barking hah)

You're onto something here and the adventure & experience is always worth it. The seals & sea lions are abundant, even as of now but I would't let those fur bags stop you. Go to one of the springer seminars put on by these guys and you'll learn things like to how to find the shelves & entice the bite. One of my favorite spots is the long shelf just down stream from Prescott. Also, you'll see plunkers on the Kalama side, and boats on the Sandy side, so there must be fish there...
I'd be stoked to do a group float and maybe outnumber the seals for once. 

Hugh

I'd be stoked to do a group float and maybe outnumber the seals for once. 

Hugh

Hmmmm, maybe a new venue for the On The Water portion of the springer clinic....

-Mark-

That would be awesome.

I'd be stoked to do a group float and maybe outnumber the seals for once. 

Hugh

Hmmmm, maybe a new venue for the On The Water portion of the springer clinic....

-Mark-

Tanner that makes a ton of sense I would do the same if I was in your shoes.  I would like to fish the Mult Channel but it seems like its hard to find good access without driving all the way through Sauvie Island. (that's a pretty long drive for me)  I thought maybe there were some spots to scramble down for Kayak only access but its good to know that its not as far as I remembered from Scappoose bay.

I would definitely be in for a group float.

I've never launched on Sauvie - I hear the beaches are full of fat nekkid hippies that nobody wants to see nekkid.

 Turn left at the bridge to go to the boat launch, do not turn right, the white whale resides to the right and it is a fearsome sight.

I've never launched on Sauvie - I hear the beaches are full of fat nekkid hippies that nobody wants to see nekkid.

Late fall of this year I was headed to Gilbert with my son for some sturgeon fishing.  We saw, from the top of the hill, what looked like a group of people in survival suits training on Collins beach.  As we drove by one of the entrances we realized that it was a group of nudists posing for a Christmas photo.  Lol!  Their skin was mango colored from the cold...  Lol!

-Mark-

How bad is the current in that section? Can you launch in Rainer next to the senior center on Google maps then just fish around the boat launch area or is the current too stron? I'd really love to get into some springers  this year. I'm not new to kayak fishing and just bought my pa 14 a couple months ago.