new to area what to expect

Hello to all..I am a Kayak fisherman from east Texas and will be in your are this summer. My wife and I will be staying at Ocean City state park, as Camp Host (volunteers).  I have only fished slow moveing water in the lakes, steams and bays. I am trying to decide if I should bring my kayak with me. What will the fishing conditions be like in July and Aug. Are there any lakes, bays or slow moveing water to fish. I have never fished the ocean or fast moveing river water.   Thank jcorley       

Hey j welcome. I would say definitely bring your kayak. While I'm down in Oregon I can tell you there is plenty of great water all over the northwest for fishing. And plenty of guys up wa way that can point you towards whatever level of water you will feel comfortable in. I would say that if your going to try some river or ocean fishing look back through some of the threads about necessary gear and maybe try to find some folks to hook up with for those trips. And with any luck you might get to hook into a big ling cod, salmon, or summer steelhead.

What kind of kayak do you have?   

If you don't want to venture into the ocean, there are always lakes nearby.

I have a 12ft Ocean Kayak Scrambler...It is a very stable yak and it is somewhat rigged for fishing. I do appreciate you replies.  Is the water there very cold in the summer? Will i need waders? Thanks

I have a 12ft Ocean Kayak Scrambler...It is a very stable yak and it is somewhat rigged for fishing. I do appreciate you replies.  Is the water there very cold in the summer? Will i need waders? Thanks

Welcome to the Pacific Northwet. The Scrambler is a good ole kayak. It is what I started with in So Cal and definitely worth bringing up here. As far as water temp goes...compared to Texas, depending on which body of water you are looking at, it will either feel somewhat ok to darn right cold. Having waders with some insulation under will be an option on all but the warmest days/waters.

Jay

Looks like around Hoquiam, WA.

If it's anywhere near hoquiam, wa there are some great spots from beginner to hardcore.

Yes ...Ocean City State Park is located near Hoquiam.Wa. the address is 148 State Route 115, Hoquim.  It is a 170 acre camping park on the beach......thank for the replys.     jcorley

From Hoquiam you have access to a million things. But you are closer to ocean shores.

Grays harbor: chinook, coho, dogfish, even sturgeon. Dungeness crab.

Jetties at Westport and ocean shores: rockfish and ling cod plus occasional cabezon. Surf perch.

Rivers: cutthroat, summer steelhead, chinook, coho.

Lakes include duck lake: bass, crappie, yellow perch, trout.

It's endless. Too bad I only fished out of a kayak the last few months I was down there. But can't complain about the fishing since i moved back to Alaska.

Summer tends to be slower fishing but the opportunities were there. I have a mini-x now but I used a 125 dollar plastic pool like kayak and did fine.

Again thanks for the reply,,,Kardinal_84---how did the $125 pool work???  Not that I intend to try, but sounds interesting to say the least. ........ My wife has an 11ft Native Manta Ray kayak and we both like to fish from yaks, but have never been in any swift or choppy water. We spent last summer in the Florida Keys at a state park and had a great time in the bays there...the heat was a bet much so we are going north this summer. Duck lake sounds like a place to check out....Thanks

Yes ...Ocean City State Park is located near Hoquiam.Wa. the address is 148 State Route 115, Hoquim.  It is a 170 acre camping park on the beach......thank for the replys.     jcorley

sounds like a potential future gathering spot for kayak anglers   

Jay

A gathering would be nice. We will be there all of July and Aug......would be glad to meet and help.

Yes ...Ocean City State Park is located near Hoquiam.Wa. the address is 148 State Route 115, Hoquim.  It is a 170 acre camping park on the beach......thank for the replys.     jcorley

   47° 1.911'N  124° 9.783'W

but I used a 125 dollar plastic pool like kayak and did fine.

Caution: thread jacking in progress.

Ahhh,  I'm sorry K_84, but that begs for more details! That sounds like some boats that I've loved.

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,2276.msg20178.html#msg20178


Welcome to the Great Pacific Northwest Jcorley from the deeeep South. Best advice is DO NOT leave the the Scrambler in TX as you'll really be missing some excellent fishing opportunities. And yes, the water is cold.

but I used a 125 dollar plastic pool like kayak and did fine.

Caution: thread jacking in progress.

Ahhh,  I'm sorry K_84, but that begs for more details! That sounds like some boats that I've loved.

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,2276.msg20178.html#msg20178


Welcome to the Great Pacific Northwest Jcorley from the deeeep South. Best advice is DO NOT leave the the Scrambler in TX as you'll really be missing some excellent fishing opportunities. And yes, the water is cold.

I can't believe I don't have a picture.  I started my kayak fishing on a SOT that I saw in the back of a friends truck.  He said "that's for my kids to play on in the lake."  Hmmmm....  It was flourescent green SOT.  No seats, no nothing.  The plastic was a LOT softer than any real kayak I have seen.  Kind alike what they make those plastic baseball bats for kids from (not the "real" plastic bats we use for whiffle ball!).  it worked great!  Got it for $100 but the guy said he found at some walmart or somewhere and paid $125.  It caught fish!  Looked a lot like this though this one still looks more "expensive"


Jcorley, I  am not sure how to say this and be PC but that area of the WA is very depressed with a serious drug problem.  The chances are you will not run into any of these types in a typical day, but I GUARANTEE you that an unattended kayak or anything that can be carted off will be GONE before you know it.  Like anywhere 99.9% of the people are super friendly, super helpful, and super nice.  Just know that the one or two bad apples that always exist everywhere, tend to hit the boat ramps and marinas in the area.  So the advice is " Do NOT leave the kayak in Texas...but once in WA, do NOT leave it out in the open unsecured."  Maybe that applies everywhere but it really seemed rampant at times when I lived in Ocean Shores from 2004-2008 and my soruces tell me its only getting worse.