Smallie4130:
Just stopping in to say hello to everyone. I'm moving to Portland in about 6 months and was struggling on bassresource to find someone interested in talking about kayak fishing up that way. So I'm very glad I've found this place.
I noticed that there are threads about fishing the sturgeon right now and was wondering, is it possible to basically fish year round in Oregon? Without going to the sea I mean. I mostly fish smallmouth and largemouth here but I'm really looking forward to hitting some new species. And a final question, any recommendations on where to buy a kayak in Portland? I know craigslist usually works but you cant always find everything there. Thanks alot guys and I hope to see you all soon.
Alkasazi:
Welcome aboard! I've mostly been doing bass fishing myself along the Columbia, but there's plenty of fishing of all sorts to be had year-round if you're willing. Sturgeon always seem to be around, and winter steelhead should be popping up soon. sure there's probably other stuff as well. When you show up in June there's a whole bunch of choices.
As for shops, there are several. Alder Creek, Next Adventure, Kayak Shed, and the shop I work for, Outdoorplay. All are great places depending on exactly what it is you're looking for.
Brian
Smallie4130:
Sounds good man and thanks for the info. I'm coming out to talk to a few employers next week and will have a few days to check out the city. I'm staying at the hostel in Hawthorne and will be using public transport to get around. Anything you guys would recommend checking out?
Also, as far as kayaks go, what do you guys use for the rivers up there? I'm used to fishing very shallow, rocky rivers here in Virginia and my kayak is a 10ft wilderness systems sit in. It does a great job here allowing me into extremely shallow water and manuevering around the rocks but it doesnt track very well and I could see it being a problem in larger rivers especially. I'm leaving it here in Virginia when I come so Ill have to pick something up once Im out there.
Alkasazi:
I'm actually about an hour out of Portland, so I'll let those more local to Portland clue you in on what's worth checking out.
As for boats, Ocean Kayak and Hobie seem to be the most popular boats for fishing here in the Northwest. My personal favorite is the Trident 13, which offers the perfect blend of speed and maneuverability for me. OK also offers 11 & 15' versions. Wilderness Systems also has new versions of the Tarpon sit on tops, which are very popular in other parts of the country. You shouldn't have too hard a time finding most boats for a test drive so you can decide what works best for you.
bsteves:
Welcome to the board and eventually to Portland. Yes it's possible to fish year round in Portland and not venture out to sea, but sometimes Mother Nature isn't so kind. Over Christmas we had an unusual amount of snow for Portland and now with the warm rain this has melted and our rivers are at flood stage. A lot of our fishing is river fishing and this doesn't help.
Bass and panfish pretty much shut down for the winter. I've caught both trough the ice back East so I know they will still bite, but I just haven't found a good pattern here yet for winter bass.
Trout are another possibility in some of the lakes. The lakes up in the Cascades are freezing over but some of the valley lakes are stocked during late winter/spring and provide an early opportunity to get out while we wait for the bass to go into pre-spawn.
Sturgeon are a blast, but fishing the rivers during flood stage in a kayak isn't adviseable.
Many fisherman here look forward to the winter for steelhead fishing. Again this is dependent to a certain extent by river flow and it generally isn't done with a kayak (but we're working on changing that).
As for kayaks, most of us fish out of sit on top kayaks. The water here is cold and river currents and ocean swell can be difficult. Having the ability to right your kayak and hop back on with out flooding your cockpit is a bonus in these situations. If you plan on sticking to lakes and rivers during slow flow periods a more traditional kayak like a Wilderness System sit inside.
As for length, shorter boats aren't actually a bad idea in some of our rivers as they allow for better mobility. However if you plan on putting some serious miles in (large lakes and the ocean) you'll want to consider a boat a bit longer. If you want, I have an Ocean Kayak Trident 13 that I'm willing to let you demo when you get out here in six months.
Alkasazi did a good job mentioning the shops in the area. His shop, Outdoor Play, has been very good to NWKA and I can probably supply you with several members that will give them high marks. Alder Creek is also a good shop and they do a lot of guiding/instruction right in Portland so that might be something you want to check out.
As for things to check out while in Portland it really depends on what you're in to. If you like beer we have something like 38 breweries and brew pubs. If you like coffee I'd look for either Stumptown or the Albina Cafe. The Hawthorne district is pretty hip, but there are several other neighbor hoods in the area to check out. If you're looking for more touristy destinations let me know and I can point you in a few directions.