Bouy 10 & Astoria

All -

I joined too late last year to know if B10 is a topic for this group.  I made on trip last year and got blown off the water upstream from the bridge and didnt go again.

I am positive that this group has the B10 fishery dialed in and would love to fish with like minded maniacs. Even if I cant fish with a troop, some non-secret data would be great 

I launched about 3 miles above the bridge on the WA side. Where do y’all launch and are there weather dependent spots.

I have seen bait, spinners, hotchies etc. Given our limited space, what is the preferred rig?

Are there tide considerations or it is an early am gig?

Looking forward to seeing folk out there.

Beer_Run (aka Bob)

Buoy 10 is no secret.  All the power boating intel applies.  It's fishable from a kayak from Buoy 10 proper and on past tongue point. 

There are no "weather dependent" spots.  It's either fishable or it's not.  15 knots is about the top end of fishable. 

Launches are everywhere.  Any beach with road or trail access is fair game.  The most obvious being Fort Stevens and Cape Disappointment.  There are lots of lesser known launches but, for the most part, they have limited parking and thus don't get shared on the internet.  Google maps and a day of driving around will yield a lot of possibilities.

As for the preferred rig, most people run inline flashers with a herring.  That said, Protrolls and Super-baits are getting more popular.

The fishery is tide dependent AND early AM.  My favorite is the just before high slack to just before mid outgoinig.

BTW:  B10 will test you if you don't have your wind and tide forecasts dialed. 

-Mark-
   

Tides are somewhat predictable, so why not plan your trip around the most kayakabe & fishable days/conditions/locations. As Mark said, generally you want to fish the top of the flood stage and I’ve found fish can get increasingly snappy as the current ebbs. Have a Plan B Exit Plan. It has served me well always assuming that I will not be able to paddle against the outgong tide if I’m caught downstream from the launch on the ebb.

Herring and anchovies are the bread & butter of terminal gear here and there are many variations, including adding a hoochie & blade. Spinners are also very effective depending on water temp, flow, fish preference etc. Id recommend keeping your gear simple, fish it well focusing on the ledges & variable depths during the tide changes.

Some of the best advice I can give you is to stay away from the crowds of PBs.  In my experience I’ve had to be very vocal and proactive about communicating my position & safety hazards as they will be on top of you in a split second & the majority of them are NOT paying attention. In addition, washing-machine like conditions present within minutes of all the PBs motoring up river. Find fish away from the PBs. Pay attention to the details around you, rips, slicks, birds, current temps/speeds etc. 

Looking forward to reading your reports Bob.

An easy and safe way to get familiar with the currents and tides would be to launch at Ft. Stevens and ride the tide IN. I would do this in the morning before the wind picks up. Also, unless you want to go way upriver, I would wait until it was closer to high tide.  Ride it up to the fish processing plant or so, then fish it back to Fort Stevens. There are several places you could pull off to rest, if needed. If you launch in the Hammond/Warenton area, I would not suggest riding the tides out to Ft Stevens prior to about 2 hours or less before low. Otherwise, you will end up in the ocean, or on a beach waiting. 

Last year I went out and launched early in the morning from Hammond with about 2 hours of incoming left. I was confident I would have my fish within 2 hours and be right back. That did not happen. I decided to ride the tide out to Fort Stevens knowing my 4 hour day was now going to be about a 10+hour day (it ended up being 12 because I am stubborn - or maybe a little stupid) with a rest break in the beach at Fort Stevens.  I think I had one drive by all day.