Guilty late reports

Since Spot seems to be calling us out due to fear of losing his AOTY crown, I decided to post a little round up of the 2 fish I've caught in 3 or 4 trips this year.

Actually, that tally isn't quite correct. As previously reported, I spent a wonderfully windy day on the Multnomah Channel a few weeks ago in search of springers. The tide and wind conspired to make trolling difficult, so I anchored up in search of my first keeper sturgeon. To make a short story bearable, I ended up sitting on sturgeon nursery, bringing up shaker after shaker for about 2 hours. I believe there were at least 4 or 5 in that time. Once the winds died down, I was able to paddle upstream with the last of the incoming tide, again in search of that elusive salmon. But, it was not to be that day.   

Another, more recent trip to the Willy from George Rogers Park yielded not a single bite for springers or bass. Sturgeon season had closed by then. 6-7 hours of paddling, with the dumbfounded looks from lemmings in guided boats, and all I got was a nice day on the river, slowly going up and quickly down.

My first trip to Hagg Lake this year was a big dud in search of bass and trout. 6 hours of nice mid-week weather before boat ramp C was finished with not a single bite while covering most everything up to Scoggins Creek and back. I returned a week or so later on a weekend with very little boat traffic. This time I launched from A and covered the shoreline towards the dam. Again, a big fat zero until I got close to Plunkers Cove at the south end of the dam. I felt a nice fish and played it for a few minutes until it came unzipped 5 feet from the boat. I continued to troll around the shore perimeter until just before dark when I cut a directly across the lake back to ramp A. About half way across, in the middle of the lake my spinner got hit and I boated my new best friend. I immediately brought him on board and invited him over to dinner. My first ever catch at Hagg turned out to be a suicidal 14" rainbow.



This past weekend I was at a conference on the coast and hoped to get a bit salty. After we finish on Saturday, I checked out the location of the ORC, Chinook Bend Resort.





It has a nice launch right on the Siletz river. I dropped the yak into the water and the clouds cleared, leaving me all alone for a beautiful evening paddle up and down the river without a single steelhead or salmon bite to be seen. I did catch a 4 inch rainbow that was as big as the plug I was trolling. Sunday morning the surf was still 10-12' so I decided to head back and fish near home, the Willy around Newberg. Again, the clouds mostly cleared and there were few boat, making for a nice but tiring upstream paddle. I paddled from George Rogers Landing up to the top of Ash Island over a 4 hour time. After eating a meal and taking a break, I headed back down the main channel this time, again looking for springers. 20 minutes later I switched to casting the shoreline for bass. I was rewarded with another dinner companion, this 15.25" smallmouth, fat with eggs.



That's it so far. Please don't let the gods smite me for my non-reports.    I promise to be more timely in the future. 

Let's see how things work out at Crescent Lake this weekend.

Jay

That's a nice smally...Still bigger then my biggest LMB.

Great report, late or not bro.   

Nicely documented!  I felt like I was right there with ya.   

Ash island?  Are you referring to the first island up river of George Rodgers park?  I have never bothered to look at its real name on a map, is that its real name?  Locals call the island above GR park "Hog island"  should be called poison oak island  

Okay.I'm as guilty as the next guy in my AOTY reports. In fact, if I reported these lunkers,you'd all be blown away and would give up as of this very instant. . Here's the most graphic report I can impart to you.
I was doing a little nite fishing last nite along with Spot,Pelagic,Squidgal,
Yakinitup and the whole crew in our flotilla of yaks. The bite was off on
the Willamette and all were about to give up when I rigged up with the now legal Fishnut Special(can't give up the info but it contains 6 hooks).I
baited this with a juicy Rib Eye and sent the rig to the bottom(of course I ate a little to keep up my strength for the inevitable battle to come). no sooner had I found the bottom, my rod went into a slow,deep bend and I reefed back into a humungous Dino. I released my bsteves QRAS and went on a sley ride downriver where I also lached into a chrome bright
springer. Now, with two huge fish on, i was moving downriver at a fast clip where 2 more of those hooks picked up a LMB & SMB. No question about it.I was now being manhandled down the Columbia and out to the salt where a big Ling and a Halibut smacked me again and now I really had my hands full. These dudes had so much fight they towed me all the way north back to Ebey slough and then my bed where I woke up from this very wet dream. All in a nites dream.
  Yakkers. Keep up on your reports so a landlocked guy like me can live the dream vicariously. Hope to be back out with you all in the near future.

High and Dry....Fishnut

Okay.I'm as guilty as the next guy in my AOTY reports. In fact, if I reported these lunkers,you'd all be blown away and would give up as of this very instant. . Here's the most graphic report I can impart to you.
I was doing a little nite fishing last nite along with Spot,Pelagic,Squidgal,
Yakinitup and the whole crew in our flotilla of yaks. The bite was off on
the Willamette and all were about to give up when I rigged up with the now legal Fishnut Special(can't give up the info but it contains 6 hooks).I
baited this with a juicy Rib Eye and sent the rig to the bottom(of course I ate a little to keep up my strength for the inevitable battle to come). no sooner had I found the bottom, my rod went into a slow,deep bend and I reefed back into a humungous Dino. I released my bsteves QRAS and went on a sley ride downriver where I also lached into a chrome bright
springer. Now, with two huge fish on, i was moving downriver at a fast clip where 2 more of those hooks picked up a LMB & SMB. No question about it.I was now being manhandled down the Columbia and out to the salt where a big Ling and a Halibut smacked me again and now I really had my hands full. These dudes had so much fight they towed me all the way north back to Ebey slough and then my bed where I woke up from this very wet dream. All in a nites dream.
  Yakkers. Keep up on your reports so a landlocked guy like me can live the dream vicariously. Hope to be back out with you all in the near future.

High and Dry....Fishnut

But...where are the pics?   

Dreams are only in what's left of my mind