Hello everyone, new here

Just stopping in to say hello to everyone.  I'm moving to Portland in about 6 months and was struggling on bassresource to find someone interested in talking about kayak fishing up that way.  So I'm very glad I've found this place.

I noticed that there are threads about fishing the sturgeon right now and was wondering, is it possible to basically fish year round in Oregon?  Without going to the sea I mean.  I mostly fish smallmouth and largemouth here but I'm really looking forward to hitting some new species.  And a final question, any recommendations on where to buy a kayak in Portland?  I know craigslist usually works but you cant always find everything there.  Thanks alot guys and I hope to see you all soon.

Welcome aboard! I've mostly been doing bass fishing myself along the Columbia, but there's plenty of fishing of all sorts to be had year-round if you're willing. Sturgeon always seem to be around, and winter steelhead should be popping up soon. sure there's probably other stuff as well. When you show up in June there's a whole bunch of choices.

As for shops, there are several. Alder Creek, Next Adventure, Kayak Shed, and the shop I work for, Outdoorplay. All are great places depending on exactly what it is you're looking for.


Brian

Sounds good man and thanks for the info.  I'm coming out to talk to a few employers next week and will have a few days to check out the city.  I'm staying at the hostel in Hawthorne and will be using public transport to get around.  Anything you guys would recommend checking out? 

Also, as far as kayaks go, what do you guys use for the rivers up there?  I'm used to fishing very shallow, rocky rivers here in Virginia and my kayak is a 10ft wilderness systems sit in.  It does a great job here allowing me into extremely shallow water and manuevering around the rocks but it doesnt track very well and I could see it being a problem in larger rivers especially.  I'm leaving it here in Virginia when I come so Ill have to pick something up once Im out there.

I'm actually about an hour out of Portland, so I'll let those more local to Portland clue you in on what's worth checking out.

As for boats, Ocean Kayak and Hobie seem to be the most popular boats for fishing here in the Northwest. My personal favorite is the Trident 13, which offers the perfect blend of speed and maneuverability for me. OK also offers 11 & 15' versions. Wilderness Systems also has new versions of the Tarpon sit on tops, which are very popular in other parts of the country. You shouldn't have too hard a time finding most boats for a test drive so you can decide what works best for you.

Welcome to the board and eventually to Portland.  Yes it's possible to fish year round in Portland and not venture out to sea, but sometimes Mother Nature isn't so kind.  Over Christmas we had an unusual amount of snow for Portland and now with the warm rain this has melted and our rivers are at flood stage.  A lot of our fishing is river fishing and this doesn't help.

Bass and panfish pretty much shut down for the winter.  I've caught both trough the ice back East so I know they will still bite, but I just haven't found a good pattern here yet for winter bass.

Trout are another possibility in some of the lakes.  The lakes up in the Cascades are freezing over but some of the valley lakes are stocked during late winter/spring and provide an early opportunity to get out while we wait for the bass to go into pre-spawn.

Sturgeon are a blast, but fishing the rivers during flood stage in a kayak isn't adviseable.   

Many fisherman here look forward to the winter for steelhead fishing.  Again this is dependent to a certain extent by river flow and it generally isn't done with a kayak (but we're working on changing that).

As for kayaks, most of us fish out of sit on top kayaks.  The water here is cold and river currents and ocean swell can be difficult.  Having the ability to right your kayak and hop back on with out flooding your cockpit is a bonus in these situations. If you plan on sticking to lakes and rivers during slow flow periods a more traditional kayak like a Wilderness System sit inside. 

As for length, shorter boats aren't actually a bad idea in some of our rivers as they allow for better mobility.  However if you plan on putting some serious miles in (large lakes and the ocean) you'll want to consider a boat a bit longer.  If you want, I have an Ocean Kayak Trident 13 that I'm willing to let you demo when you get out here in six months.

Alkasazi did a good job mentioning the shops in the area.  His shop, Outdoor Play, has been very good to NWKA and  I can probably supply you with several members that will give them high marks.  Alder Creek is also a good shop and they do a lot of guiding/instruction right in Portland so that might be something you want to check out.

As for things to check out while in Portland it really depends on what you're in to.  If you like beer we have something like 38 breweries and brew pubs.  If you like coffee I'd look for either Stumptown or the Albina Cafe.  The Hawthorne district is pretty hip, but there are several other neighbor hoods in the area to check out.  If you're looking for more touristy destinations let me know and I can point you in a few directions. 

Brian

Cathedrel Park at midnight has got be the hippest place in town...

Disclaimer: don't go here after dark, you most likely will be robbed and possibly killed

Thanks so much for the information guys.  I'll definitely hit you up on the offer to test out that 13 footer.  Ive been meaning to actually move to a sit on top, I had my eye on the tarpon 120 but I'm more than willing to check other options.  This information has gotten me even more excited about the move.  Portland offers alot of awesome things, which is why Im moving there, but knowing the fishing is great helps ease my mind alot.  I was worried about leaving all the nice spots I have here in Richmond, VA.  See you guys soon and I'll make sure to meet at Cathedral park at midnight.  Ill yell something about being a tourist with lots of money and no family to look for me and see how that goes.

Hello and welcome to the forum.  I just started kayak fishing less than a year ago and the folks at this site have been very helpful.  It's been alot of fun and should get even better.  As for Cathedral Park at midnight, I'd be careful about taking advise from anybody wearing a hat like that.  Good Luck!

Welcome. The fishing is so varied out here, I've found the choice of kayaks out here really depends on your targeted species.

The 13' Ocean Kayak Trident is a nice, all-around boat (it's predecessor, the Prowler 13, is also an excellent boat and you might be able to find one cheap in the spring).  A few folks out here do use the Tarpon 120's, and they seem pretty nice as well.  If you aim to do more fishing for bass and trout in small lakes/sheltered water, might consider going with something a little smaller/shorter (11' Trident or a Hobie Outback).  If you aim to do some fly fishing, a wider/more stable boat is nice (OK Big Game or the Outback).  If you want to fish in our saltwater bays or even ocean on good days, something longer/faster is nice (the OK Trident 15, Hobie Adventure, or the Tarpon 160).

Of course, once the addiction has begun, you could find yourself owning multiple boats (I've currently got an OK 13 Prowler and a Big Game).

In six months, you'll be settling in just as spring chinook salmon fishing is winding down and the epic Columbia/Willamette River shad runs are going full bore.  Might want to look into Multnomah Channel and the Coon Island area as a good place near Portland to start fishing.  Good for salmon in the spring, shad in May/June, and there are supposed to be bass opportunities there (though I've never had any success).  A few of us made an exploratory small mouth bass trip to the Rock Islands area on the Willamette last fall, with some success.  Could be another fishy spot.  And, of course, if you are into wilderness fishing experiences, a multi-day float down the John Day River takes you into some of the most epic (in terms of numbers) small mouth fishing in the US.

Welcome to the Great Pacific Northwest (and you best smile when you say it podnah)

Smallie4130 you found a great bunch of folk here and lots of good info 

(as long as you don't listen to cby or zee or spot or fftw or,,,,)

I'm kidding, its a really good bunch.

As for kayaks, most of us fish out of sit on top kayaks.  The water here is cold and river currents and ocean swell can be difficult.  Having the ability to right your kayak and hop back on with out flooding your cockpit is a bonus in these situations. If you plan on sticking to lakes and rivers during slow flow periods a more traditional kayak like a Wilderness System sit inside. 
Brian

 I agree with you Brian but its funny, if you'd posed that same question here in PDX a few years ago, you'd have gotten exactly the opposite response. That SOT's are warm, flat water boats and that the only suitable kayak would be a sit-inside for the cold water and currents. In fact I'd bet that would still be the response in most conventional kayaking circles.

(told you not to listen to that fftw guy )

To be honest man, I dont find kayaks to be all but so fun in a lake.  Not that I wouldnt take advantage of it while out there but rivers are where its at for me.  I could see myself owning something for the sea/big lakes in the future but the first has to be a river smallmouth/largemouth rig.  Are there any rapids in the rivers I would be fishing for smallies?  Here I go through little class 1 stuff and fish the rocks and pools, is it basically the same there?  Sorry for all the questions but I had trouble finding out alot about kayak fishing or even what the rivers are like around there.  Everyone just kept telling me to get a 20 foot bass boat and to watch out for huge boats on the river, haha.  Before I found you guys, I was kinda depressed about having to give up kayak fishing.

Also, that trip on the John Day river sounds right up my alley.  Any of you guys ever do couple day floats and camp out on the river?  

Welcome to the cure, Smallie.

The John Day will be right up your alley. Fishin'T and 3wt and some others have done multi-day floats of the river. http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=1454.0
http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php?topic=225.0

In OR, the lower Umpqua and Rogue rivers are also good destinations.

Across the border, in WA, the Yakima is another good SMB river. The Columbia is also good, which is probably why you got the advice you did. For LMB, you'll want to check out the lakes and some of the sloughs.

One thing you might want to think about is that SMB and LMB are non-natives in the PNW. While they have done well at adapting to some of our waters, there are lots of areas where they don't exist. And by focusing exclusively on them, you'll be missing out on lots of other outstanding fishing opportunities.

I agree with you Brian but its funny, if you'd posed that same question here in PDX a few years ago, you'd have gotten exactly the opposite response. That SOT's are warm, flat water boats and that the only suitable kayak would be a sit-inside for the cold water and currents. In fact I'd bet that would still be the response in most conventional kayaking circles.

Actually, I agree with the older viewpoint as well, assuming that you always have your hands on your paddle.  As soon as you set your paddle down to pick up a fishing rod, things are different.  Say good bye to the braces and rolls that are essential skills in a traditional kayak for staying warm and dry.

Brian

As soon as you set your paddle down to pick up a fishing rod, things are different.  Say good bye to the braces and rolls that are essential skills in a traditional kayak for staying warm and dry.

Brian

That is a very good point B and I think I'll use it. Thanks! The first time I met Allen he was answering that point at a paddle day here in OR. I don't think he quite satisfied his inquisitor (the traditional kayaker he was talking to) with the easy recovery fact and I think that would have helped.

Smallie4138:
Just so I don't hijack the thread completely, the smallie fishing in the Willamette in downtown PDX is pretty durn good and would most definitely qualify for the "Urban Angler" show. The bridges from Ross Island to the Freemont will all give you a steady pick of Smallies and LMB's when it warms a bit. You can launch under the Hawthorne and fish the bridge supports and sewer outlets on either side. Just don't eat them and watch out for the brown trout!

So much good information in this thread.  fftw, do you mean urban angler show as in tons of people down there fishing for them?  The columbia and willamette look very different from what I'm used to fishing.  Do fish over there like soft plastics? haha.  Is Apizza Scholls as impressive as I hear?