Kayaking the Siletz River or Alsea Bay ?

I never hear anyone talk about these. Is the water favorable for kayaks ? I'm accustomed to Nehalem River and Tillymuck Bay.


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ORC is held on the siletz and there seems to be plenty of kayakable water. Salmon have been caught there at precious ORCs.

I have found both to be favorable for kayaking in years past. I really like the upper tidewater of the
Alsea but have not been back since Kozy Cove closed their ramp to the public. However, there is a new county ramp up by the bridge at Tidewater which is fairly far up so I might go this year again. I had a bad experience with a big seal down in Waldport and have not been back there. They have LOTS of seals there and I didn't like fighting the tide the time I went. You can launch at Chinook Bend on the Siletz for $5 and have lots of fishing both upstream and downstream.

Upper Alsea is great, lots of room to explore up there.  I've launched from the county park at the Hwy 34 crossing of the Alsea, it's a bank launch but not too difficult.  Downstream of Drift Creek, it's a maze of crab pots and crab boats all the way to the jaws and is basically unfishable.

I was on the Siletz yesterday, and there's a ton of water to explore there...along with a hundred other boats.  Which wouldn't normally be a problem, except apparently the Siletz estuary is the Mad Max world of salmon fishing, with no rhythm or coordination among anyone.  There are people trolling upcurrent, trolling downcurrent, on anchor, bobber fishing, hover fishing...we were constantly having to adjust our troll and speed due to the mass of uncoordinated boats.  If I were to launch my kayak there, I'd launch off the road on the north bank immediately east of the 101 bridge.  There's a hole there where we saw several salmon caught, and it's basically the end of the line for salmon anglers before you hit the mud flats of the bay.  Pound that hole and I bet you'll get fish  .

the Siletz salmon fishery is not a secret.  TONS of boats out on the river right now.  Be careful in a kayak, as lots of boats still do not pay much attention to where they are going. It helps to have an airhorn available - ive seen boats honking at other boats, so an airhorn is not that extreme, but usually not needed.  It's a fun river to fish.