Anybody Sturgeon fishing near Portland this weekend?

I was thinking of trying to get out this Saturday for some catch and release Sturgeon.  Anybody else going to be on the Willy?

Just FYI: Don't forget the new sturgeon rules that went into affect 5/1.

Per ODFW regs:

Angling for sturgeon (including catch and release) is prohibited seven days per week
from May 1-Aug. 31 from Willamette Falls downstream to the Lake Oswego-Oak Grove
Railroad Bridge.

Just FYI: Don't forget the new sturgeon rules that went into affect 5/1.

Per ODFW regs:

Angling for sturgeon (including catch and release) is prohibited seven days per week
from May 1-Aug. 31 from Willamette Falls downstream to the Lake Oswego-Oak Grove
Railroad Bridge.

The only place I've ever fished for Dinos is right at George Rogers park with other NWKA members who were good enough to show me the ropes. Does this closure affect that area too? 

Yes.  George Rogers Park falls within those boundaries.

Just FYI: Don't forget the new sturgeon rules that went into affect 5/1.

Per ODFW regs:

Angling for sturgeon (including catch and release) is prohibited seven days per week
from May 1-Aug. 31 from Willamette Falls downstream to the Lake Oswego-Oak Grove
Railroad Bridge.

Yep, Thanks for the heads up.  I don't plan on going above Elk Rock on the Willy.

AFAIK Swan Island Basin is still holding lots of shakers (reports as recently as 7 days ago), and I'm betting Cathedral Park / Toyota Hole is too.

But if you want to get upriver a bit further you can find some good spots around Elk Rock and even near Ross Island. I caught one of my best keeper class sturgeon right in front of OMSI

AFAIK Swan Island Basin is still holding lots of shakers (reports as recently as 7 days ago), and I'm betting Cathedral Park / Toyota Hole is too.

But if you want to get upriver a bit further you can find some good spots around Elk Rock and even near Ross Island. I caught one of my best keeper class sturgeon right in front of OMSI

Thanks Mr. Redbeard!

So, how'd it go?

I went both Saturday and Sunday.  I fished above and below the Milwaukie boat ramp.  The fishing was not great but did get 5 or 6 smaller fish each day.  I was marking some huge fish right off Elk Rock but none of them seemed to be hungry....

I did learn a couple things and came up with a new idea or two.

#1 when there is a lot of debris in the water, it's a pain to keep looking over your shoulder if you anchor up from the rear of the boat.  It can be just down right dangerous.  If you are using a trolly system for your anchor with the pro angler, the boat wants to track sideways on anchor.  So after an hour of anchoring from the back of the Kayak, I turned it around and anchored from the front.  I can see the tip of my pole just fine.  Hook set seems a bit more tricky but the peace of mind being able to see logs coming down river is well worth it.  Plus the boat tracks a lot straighter from the front when on anchor. 

#2  It can be a real pain to pull 200 feet of anchor line even if the line is on a reel.  By the time you have made any progress pulling the anchor, there is a chance you could drift into other boats.   If you stop midway, there is nothing to hold the anchor rope.  So while I sat there thinking, after moving the boat for the 3rd time, I came up with at least one thing that will help.  I basically made a mini anchor roller type setup for the front of the kayak.  It's kind of hard to explain, but if you know how most of the aluminum fishing boats are setup in the front, that's what I have.  The only thing I did not do is use an actual roller.  I used a piece of stainless tubing that my anchor rope can slide over.  If I want to yard up 20 feet of line by hand, then take it up on my dive reel, I can just put the anchor line in the keeper and the weight of the anchor will be taken care of.  You guys might think I'm nuts, but I am thinking of making a mini Columbia river anchor puller setup.  The one that has the floating ball.  The ball has a one way slide so that you can use the forward movement of the boat to lift the anchor off the bottom.  I don't know if 4 or 5 mph is enough to pull the anchor though.  It would be fun to try.  I will take some pictures of the anchor trolly thing tomorrow.