Hi everyone.  My name is Andy and I live in Ridgefield, WA.  I have been a reader of this forum for a couple years now, I registered last July but never made the introductory post. It’s probably time.

I have been an angler, off and on, for most of my life until consistently fishing for salmon over the last decade.  I am fortunate that my father in law is 1. Retired 2. An avid fisherman 3. The owner of 2 boats.  He is my willing captain pretty much anytime I want to go.  We fish the Columbia from Longview to the Klickitat and the lower end of the Willamette and the Multnomah channel.  We mainly troll, but will also fish on anchor and plunk off the beach.

We started Kokanee fishing at Merwin and Yale a few years ago and that is where I took notice of the kayak fishermen.  I knew I wanted to try it, my father in law didn’t like the idea of fishing over his shoulder. I took took to researching and found this website and a few members YouTube pages. 

Over the winter I decided to get in on the fun and picked up two used kayaks in good shape, a wilderness systems tarpon 120 and Hobie outback.   I’m excited to see how everything translates to a kayak.

Safety is my main concern with this new venture.  I’m safe on the boat, I’ll be the same way on a kayak.  I plan on taking my time and getting to know the kayaks in some easier/calmer/current free waters around my area once the weather and water warm up.  And progress from there.  My goal is to be ready for the fall salmon season on the Columbia.   

Thanks for having me,
Andy

Welcome to the Forum Andy.  Congrats on picking up the two kayaks.  You will enjoy them.