Escape the heat...15 degrees (F) cooler here on the beach!

HeadZup if the heat is too much to bear! A nice fog has moved in to the Twin Harbors beach area, and it is calm. this "marine push" will hopefully hang out most of the day and keep things cool.

Yesterday I aborted an all-day exploratory trip up the Elk River estuary, as the wind was moderately strong NE, gusty and predicted to change to NW and pick up some (not favorable conditions for easy paddling on the Elk). For my tastes, it was just too glaringly bright and sunny and with the wind from the wrong direction, to spend several hours paddling on a large open estuary.

Today is different. Light wind becoming light SW. Supposed to be clearing later (very likely back up in the far reaches of the estuary).

I will be launching from Brady's Oysters at about 8:30 this morning, give or take 20 minutes, as I may tie up a couple of Reversed Spiders to fill an empty spot in my flybox, but maybe not if I run out of time.

This is an awesome place to paddle. Fish or no fish. Most likely no fish today (too early yet for searun cutts), but maybe a stray or small resident Cutt.

Last week I surprised a small herd of elk (one bull in velvet, 3 cows, 3 calves) and saw an eagle nail a goose and start eating it while it was still alive. Spooked Shiner Perch were shooting out of the water around my boat and into the tall grass, as I nosed up a skinny tributary at high tide.

Every trip into this wonderland reveals something new. You can get there from here if you just head out!

Sounds like heaven on earth!

That does sound nice.

I spent the day with the family in Astoria.  A friend of ours needed some help pulling a beach seine for her PhD research which seemed like a perfect excuse to beat the heat.  My wife forgot her sweatshirt and became one of "those people" (we spent three years living on the coast in Nor Cal and would laugh at the people that would come out to the coast in shorts and a t-shirt to discover it was only 58 F while it was 103 F in Sacramento, where they came from).

Brian

Here's the trip report:

Got launched a little late, was after 10am when I finally paddled up under the Elk River bridge. Wind was picking up already out of the SW. The fog was only over along the beach to about 1/4 mile inland, and there was just a good overcast at the bridge. Looking up into the estuary 4 or 5 miles to my destination, I could see that the overcast thinned out and disappeared, and that it was bright and sunny back in there.

The tide was dead high during most of my paddle in, and I paddled easily for a good 2 hours(tried to troll a baitfish pattern across the estuary, but kept getting seaweed gunk on the fly) before I was up far enough in the river to reasonably expect a stray early searun cutt. Didn't find any, but it was nice and sunny and warm. I could see the fog bank in the distance back toward the beach. I was in a different universe!
I did manage to raise a few smaller resident cutts as I worked my way upstream. Three little guys to hand, around 6" to 7" but feisty little head shakers. Had a few more grabs, but missed 'em. I was using a clear intermediate sinktip with my 6 wt. outfit, fishing a size 8 Reversed Spider (this version tied with yellow body, red tail, lemon dyed Mallard Flank hackle). Orange or "polar shrimp" body color would be better, in my experience, but i was out of those colors and hadn't tied up any new ones. Red tail a must! You can't buy these flies the way I like 'em anywhere, so I must tie my own. Home ties are always better than the store bought ones, anyway. Cast 'em right into the cover and strip 'em back erratically!
Its always a good thing to find wild coastal cutthroat, even the small ones.

I saw a few harbor seals, including a female with a pup sunning on the mudflats, and two deer together, one a spike buck. Heading out, I saw an otter digging around for something on an exposed mudflat.

I was looking for sturgeon sunning themselves in the shallows on the mudflats as i cruised in, but didn't see any. I was prepared to fish for them, though, as I had seen sturgeon (both green and white) in a couple of spots before. One of these days....

Wind picked up and got gnarly from the SW as I was paddling back late, and the wind chop was hitting me broadside from the port side and forcing me to paddle much harder on the starboard side. I had not wanted to leave, but return we must, so I was again late fighting against the wind and incoming tide. Nothing like a good workout to finish up a good trip!

NIce story, Muddler.  Do you ever get into Willapa Bay in the fall for kings and silvers???

Yes, but in recent years I have been mainly fishing in the river above Raymond from a square stern canoe powered by an electric. I troll, or drift and cast to the bank, or anchor and work a good section. The square stern canoe has retired to the boneyard, for now. Maybe for good.

 I used to go fish near the mouth of the bay off Washaway Beach with a friend, but he sold his little boat.
I am just finishing outfitting my recently acquired old (1978) 16' SeaNymph shallow-vee jonboat, with a new 9.9 4-stroke Merc, and I plan to troll in the Bay this Fall on calmer days.

I've got my river trolling act down, though, especially after getting some good tips from the savvy O.G. trollers (ancient dudes who were born and raised in the area).
When those guys give hints, you listen carefully because they may not be around long enough to repeat themselves! I've heard some good stories about the great fishing of years past...the stories of the awesome "blueback" (searun cutthroat) fishing in the 40's and '50s make me want to go back in time.