Sunday coho?

Anyone interested?

Coast?
Eagle Creek?

Other?

Jay

I'm very interested Jay... I've been out several times with no luck so far....  I don't have a wetsuit/dry suit though, never fallen out of my yak but I've never done surf launches either.  If your going to hit up some protected water let me know, I think I can win over the gf!

Tides not in favor but fresh water and a good paddle are enough for me.

Good luck Jay.  I'm looking forward to hear your report as I'm hoping to do another after work run next week.

It looks like Sunday, sunrise is my time for the week. I'll be heading back out to Wheeler to fish the Nehalem. The tides are small and the timing sucks but that's what they are this week.

October 5, Sun
  High 06:18 a.m. 4.9 4.4
  Low 11:25 a.m. 2.9  2.0
  High 04:41 p.m. 6.3 3.4
 
I'll be driving the red Subaru wagon and on Ch 69.

See you out there,
Jay

Got a late start yesterday. Looks like the forecast was off a bit. Drizzle, rain, drizzle all day. No wind, few boats, very small tide change...no fish either, another shutout. I saw very few fish jumping and only 1 caught.

I did meet a few other kayak fishers though. One in the parking lot, named Tim, that says he fishes the big pond regularly. Another just after he launched at the 101 bridge. He saw me fishing side saddle and asked if I was anchored. There was so little current I was barely drifting at all. Finally, I met 2 guys from PDX that were staying at the lodge in Wheeler. Just about more kayaks than boats !!!

Next weekend I'll be running across the bridge from Astoria to WA for my anniversary. Maybe I'll have the ff installed and ready for a Hagg test on Monday???

Jay

Jay,

Finally made it to Wheeler yesterday around 10.  I was hoping to be there at sunrise!, apparently I failed to get this across to my better half...  Didn't see your yak out at the time, talked a few boats coming back to the parking lot, no one semeed to be having luck.  Didn't pack all my rain gear, and it was pouring so decided to just keep going North, and ended up having a couple beers at the Rogue Brewery pub in Astoria...  Did some fishing in the Willamette last night for coho without sucess... Saw the bastards jumping 4' from mt bow though, was crazy.. I actually saw the fishes lips/ nose?? flare up in the air and it looked like it was tasting the air, was pretty pink I think if I caught it I might have just smoked it....

Was told they have shut down the fish ladder at Willamette falls, so there are just some lost fish in there near the falls swiming around... Really want to get out there and catch a couple before they get too old...
Because of conflicting schedules, I don't get the suburu with the rack until it's too late each evening (6:40), which sucks since I get off at 3:40 and just want to fish out of my yak for the rest of the day!

I've been reading on IFish that the coho in the clack are notoriously tight lipped.  Most of the coho action (as in catching) in the Portland area seems to be coming from the Sandy or out on the coast.

The jumping fish are actually tasting the water, you're not seeing things!  The reason fish jump is to get the micro layer of surface fresh water into their sensory system.

Most of the coho action (as in catching) in the Portland area seems to be coming from the Sandy or out on the coast.

Are there any places to take a kayak on the sandy?

Yes, I've heard that about the coho's being tight lipped on the Clackamas and Willy, and I definitely believe it.  I do see other boats catch them though, and I've been down on the banks of the mouth of the Clackamas when "the bite was on"... Seen about 50-60 coho's brought to shore in an hour and half, the problem is trying to fish with people every five feet is way  tricky, but what is even worse is they all feel the need to go down the bank towards the bridge to land the fish.  When your constantly having to reel in, because someone is running down the bank with fish on, then another guy, then three more, you just can't cast out and even fish unless your near the top of the line. Weekend mornings there is literally 100-150 guys on the banks in Gladstone at the old "bowling alley" hole...

I've played that crazy bank game at least 10 times this year, been out in the Willy at least 10... Nothing to show for it, I don't think it's suppose to be this hard! I'm going to try my best to find a place on the Sandy that isn't as much of a madhouse as the Clackamas to do some bank fishing, after all the money I've spent on supplies, tags, ect and all the wasted time I really need to catch one!

I'm very determined...

I made three trips down the Sandy this summer learning my kayak.  I put in at Oxbow Park ( they charge a park entry fee ) and took out at Lewis and Clark State Park.  That landing is free.  The trip took about 2.5 hours with many places to take out and bank fish along the way.  Been seeing folks fishing at Dodge Park but that's up a ways and I don't know that area yet.  Good Luck.

Amb thanks for the point in the right direction...

did you have any success when you floated that section?  Or were you not fishing?

Sean

Those were my first attempts at kayaking, so I didn't fish.  There were others bank fishing and there were fish in the river.  That was July.  Later as water levels fell some sections got pretty shallow.  Haven't seen it lately but would guess river flows are up since then.  I enjoyed the trip.  Have fun.

Alan

Jay, I'm pretty sure that one of the kayak fishermen you met last week as named Jason.  He's a kayak instructor at Alder Creek that is getting into fishing. I believe he's going to be Alder Creeks kayak fishing pro.  Anyway, he's started a blog about kayak fishing and I think he mentions seeing you. 

http://kayakangler.blogspot.com/

He seems stoked to have seen other kayak fishermen.  I've had some e-mail with him over the past couple weeks and I've invited him to NWKA. 

Brian

Yep, that sounds like the 2 I saw as I was ending my latest fishless paddle...