salmon hook reg Q

Since you're in South Beach, you have an ODFW office right at your fingertips, just behind Hatfield Marine Science Center.  Otherwise, I'd stop at either Englund Marine or Harry's Bait and Tackle on the Bayfront in Newport.  Both shops have very knowledgeable staff.

Harry's is a cool little old school shop.  Unfortunately they are a dying breed.  I try and buy something every visit hoping to delay the inevitable.

Completely agree Clayman. I plan on doing all of those mentioned.

snopro I'm in agreement with you there too. I do get gear that I didn't bring from either of those 2, but keeping that to a minimum. They're both a great resource without the much of the excess.

This forum is a great resource when people listen.   

The Oregon regulations are not easy to fully comprehend.  I've called ODFW on numerous occasions when I had questions about salmon fishing.  Rivers are different rules than ocean and both have numerous restrictions.  When I fish the ocean for salmon, I'm often on a power boat, and one of my friends that I'm often fishing with works for ODFW, so I get the word from a competent resource and not learn by getting a ticket.

Harry's is a cool little old school shop.  Unfortunately they are a dying breed.  I try and buy something every visit hoping to delay the inevitable.

Last I heard, Randy's kids aren't interested in running the shop after he retires.  So Harry's is gonna be gone soon unless someone else buys it and keeps it as a tackle shop.  I like their selection because they have a bunch of the stuff that works for the local fisheries (unlike all the useless crap they carry at Fred Meyer), but finding parking near Harry's in the summer can be a pain.

Harry's is a cool little old school shop.  Unfortunately they are a dying breed.  I try and buy something every visit hoping to delay the inevitable.

Last I heard, Randy's kids aren't interested in running the shop after he retires.  So Harry's is gonna be gone soon unless someone else buys it and keeps it as a tackle shop.  I like their selection because they have a bunch of the stuff that works for the local fisheries (unlike all the useless crap they carry at Fred Meyer), but finding parking near Harry's in the summer can be a pain.

I don’t even like driving down on weekend days. Park up top and walk a bit. I wonder about the viability of a tackle shop down there though with what must be super high rents and competition for space. There wasn’t an empty spot there last summer when I went through. I’m not sure if I’m coming through this year, would be the first time in several years that I don’t go down to the bay front.

My friend Bob Leis, a long time PC dory guy, opened Ace Hardware & Outdoor in Newport last Fall.  Check it out next time instead of dealing w the waterfront mess.

He’s got bait, and a great selection of fishing and crab gear.  He also told me that he plans to have Lancer jigs in the store soon!

Thanks for the heads up on Ace.

+1 on the Newport Ace Hardware for fishing gear.  Excellent selection and fair prices, especially their steelhead tackle.  It's a helluva lot easier to get here than Harry's, and the prices are better than Englund's.

The staff are very friendly, but the ones I've talked with haven't seemed very savvy on the local fisheries, or even fishing in general.  I'd like to recommend a few gear additions to their selection.  Spoons like Lil Cleos (nobody carries spoons anywhere around here), heavy-bodied spinners (Blue Fox are great, but they don't hold depth in current), smaller jigging spoons in the 3/4 to 2 ounce range like P-Line Laser Minnows, and the 2-pack unrigged versions of Brads Super Baits.  I'm probably forgetting some others.

I guess I should write this all down and bring it with me next time I go there  .

I get that tackle store options in coastal towns can get pretty limited, but the 2 cents that I'd like to throw in is to keep in mind that the owner of Englund Marine is a staunch supporter of gillnet fisheries. It makes me all the more supportive of the shops like Harry's. That is a great place, I really hope it hangs on.

Clayman, go for it. Speaking from experience, sometimes shops need lots of help from experts when launching a new department of products. Better that they have lots of good input from customers that know what they're doing than to scrap the idea because they didn't pick the right stuff that locals wanted.

ace is the place! ...you could probably just pull up this on your phone (assuming yours has internet) if you draw a blank when you talk to whomever about some of their products they sell, ..but where I used to live having tried that elsewhere; the story went that the decisions about what they carry come from a main office somewhere else being a chain & no dice but a place like Harry's or Englunds will usually work with you more. Worth a try though. Meanwhile so far mainly I'm crushing barbs after barb again trying to get gear in order realizing there's no way I'll have what I want with me being paddle power is gonna be challenging to be more limited & that I'm pushing the limits on having how much fishing stuff is enough already. Only need to get a few thousand meals to break even, lovin every minute on the water whether or not I get the stick bent makes it all worthwhile. Definitely worth bringing up like rawkfish said.

Clayman, if you go to Ace ask for Bob and tell him what you’d like to see in the store.  It is very difficult to staff stores at the coast so not all his employees will have his level of fishing knowledge. 

Bob is a CCA member, very supportive of our hatcheries, and definitely appreciates the art the kayak fishing.  Tell him Devon sent you.

My friend Bob Leis, a long time PC dory guy, opened Ace Hardware & Outdoor in Newport last Fall.  Check it out next time instead of dealing w the waterfront mess.

He’s got bait, and a great selection of fishing and crab gear.  He also told me that he plans to have Lancer jigs in the store soon!

This is great news, thanks for sharing.  There used to be a great family run tackle shop just outside lincoln city in Otis.  The last time I tried to go there is had turned into a weed shop