Trip Plan - Willamette Sturgeon Tomorrow

I like the "creative" nose to fork measurement  

Hey now boy, them's fightin words.     Lol!

I did the best I could with a moving fish and flexible metal tape measure.   
I encourage the mods to review the images and make any necessary adjustments or deletions. With any luck I'll manage a bigger one before the year's end anyway.

-Mark-

Just pulling your chain...   Nice fish and congrats on you inevitable push to the lead.  I have hung up the yak until the ocean gets friendly again so unless EO basser makes a road trip I think you are safe 

Road trip.  Road trip.  Road trip.  There's still time to turn him into EOsturger.

Can you drive all the way down to the launch at George Roger's Park? It looks like a circular turn around near the water. http://www.ci.oswego.or.us/PARKSREC/GRPpreferredmap.pdf

I broke my kayak cart with a fully loaded and rigged kayak on it a couple weeks ago.  Thankfully, I only made it about 30 yards from the trailer and a very nice man helped me carry it back to the trailer.   Time to graduate from the PVC to the wheel-eez.  I've been mostly good, maybe Santa will bring one.

Can you drive all the way down to the launch at George Roger's Park? It looks like a circular turn around near the water.

Nope.  It's closed to vehicles.  Without wheels or help, you would have a tough time. 

Can you drive all the way down to the launch at George Roger's Park? It looks like a circular turn around near the water.

Nope.  It's closed to vehicles.  Without wheels or help, you would have a tough time. 

yep
(and you really don't have to ask)

Those are some beauties . deepcolor, congrats on a real nice sturgeon. That current must really be ripping along to have to use 10oz of weight. When we have an 8ft runout in the bay a 6 or an8 tops will hold. Looks like real fun you guys. Ghost?

Can you drive all the way down to the launch at George Roger's Park? It looks like a circular turn around near the water.

Nope.  It's closed to vehicles.  Without wheels or help, you would have a tough time. 

Thanks.  I figured that would be too easy.  Looks like I may have to make a temporary cart until I can find a Wheeleez.

yep
(and you really don't have to ask)

The guy was nice and offered to help me carry it down to the water.  I was at Brownsferry Park in Tualatin.  I almost accepted when I realized I would be screwed trying to get it back up that cheese grater of a ramp from the dock upon my return.     I could have literally "shaved" some weight off my boat.

Can you drive all the way down to the launch at George Roger's Park? It looks like a circular turn around near the water.

Nope.  It's closed to vehicles.  Without wheels or help, you would have a tough time. 

yep
(and you really don't have to ask)

I can vouch for that. The last time i was there, instead of going up to the truck & retrieving my wheels, I hoisted my fish & dive over my head & carried it out. the next day, my left shoulder hurt enough I thought I might be having a heart attack.

Nice job guys.  I should have come out Friday morning but I've been fighting off a chest cold and didn't think sitting out in the cold was a good idea.  My loss.

Those are some beauties . deepcolor, congrats on a real nice sturgeon. That current must really be ripping along to have to use 10oz of weight. When we have an 8ft runout in the bay a 6 or an8 tops will hold. Looks like real fun you guys. Ghost?

I'm guessing that you're not fishing in 80+ ft of water in San Francisco Bay during your 8ft runout.  However, sometimes the sturgeon aren't in the deep holes on the Willamette and you find them on the shallow flats like Spot and Deepcolor did.

Hey Ben, how are you? No we dont fish that deep at all really 20ft is about the max. I had no idea you guys fished that deep in the river. I ran the Portland marathon in 98 and we went over  an old green bridge west of the railyard. Is that the area? If you are anchored in 80ft, how much anchor line do you need? Like 250+?

I was just looking at the measurements for sturgeon on your guys AOTY and was wondering if you have to measure to the fork in the tail for the DFG up there?

Jay, Wali, how did you guys do yesterday?

We hit the water at the crack of dawn...11:30. I'd been fighting a head cold for a few days but went anyway. Wali brought a new anchor with some fresh clothesline from Fred Meyers, ready to do battle. To test the anchor's holding power, Wali tossed it into a foot of water at the ramp and gave it a tug. The rock he caught was it for the day!?!? 

We fished the eddys just out from the creek outlet. I anchored up inside a PB while Wali did the slow eddyline drift, back and forth. I think he was slowly dragging the bottom until he snagged. Each time I looked over my shoulder, he seemed to be rerigging his fishing line. I don't think he even tried his anchor.

About 45 minutes after launching, I felt the familiar tap, tap, tap and started reeling. As the fish took line the first time, I realized I wasn't snagged. After a few runs, I got the fish to the surface and Wali helped me measure it. The fish kept a decent bend in its body so a precise measurement wasn't possible. However, the measurements on my paddle told me it was about an inch short of legal while Wali thought it just made it. Since it would be my cc paying the fine, I decided to CnR this one. Wali suggested taking a photo first but I said, famous last words, we'll take pictures of the next ones.

The fight caused me to drag my anchor a bit so I pulled it up, paddled back upstream a bit and dropped my anchor again. After no bites after an hour or so and the PB anchored on the opposite slot was gone, so we decided to cross over. Now it was my time to be snagged except it was my anchor. I tried pulling from every angle, in the water and from shore. No use. My frustration after 30 minutes of trying decided to cut it free and try to fish a bit like Wali had been doing all day.

No fishy love on the other side but I started to snag my bait while trying to hold steady in the slow water next to the far bank. Once I snagged I looked at my watch and decided to bail if I couldn't free my gear. My head cold wasn't any better so my tolerance was pretty minimal. It was time to go home.

You all know how this story ends...my first one was the only fish boated all day. We fished until about 3:30 and decided to call it good.

Now that I've lost my first anchor and about 90 feet of line, it's time to rethink my setup.

Thanks Wali. Glad to hear you still consider Portland home. 

Road trip.  Road trip.  Road trip.  There's still time to turn him into EOsturger.

There aren't any 250 point sturgeon out there and this time of year my kayaks sole purpose is to hunt ducks so I guess we have a winner.  Unless someone can roust PP out of hibernation to fish for that upgrde.