"Buoy 10" and kayaks?

Buoy 10 fishing will be firing up in the next month or so. I have  a good time fishing buoy 10 for years with a buddy in his boat. It can be a great fishery with lots of action. This year is different for me as this is my first year where I have owned a fishing kayak (Hobie Outback) and I am totally hooked on catching fish in this manner.

Do any of you more experienced yak fishermen have a location and a methodology that makes sense to try to capitalize on these buoy 10 fish from a kayak? I think the water in the mouth of the Columbia out to buoy 10 is just plain too big and dangerous for kayaking. Even if the weather if good, the boat traffic is intense bringing with it lots of wakes etc.  I have to think there are some great slots just up river from the bridge, along the edges where the fishing can still be outstanding. Anyone have any ideas here that they can share? Where is the best place to launch? What kind of tackle have you had most luck with? Do you like to fish the tide changes? 

How about farther up river if you have avoided the mouth of the Columbia?

Thanks very much in advance for any ideas you can contribute!

I have only fished there once, during last years fall salmon challenge, unfortunately I didn't catch anything.  Let me know if you are planning on heading down there and I will happily join you. 

search for Spots posts from about this time last year... he's got that fishery dialed in fairly well

Hi Nate. I don't have any plans yet other than a trip with my buddy in his jet sled. I do want to figure out how to best do this from a kayak though. If I put a trip together with my yak. I will ping you with a PM. Regards, Dave

Don't know the area that well but if i was gonna fish it regularly  i would be launching from the beach at the end of skipinon river and troll the area around the chip pile...Easy as it gets, you would be trolling in just a few minutes.

I'm sure spot will chime in when he logs on, he is the B10 kayak veteran. Mark has an article in the August 2010 Northwest Sportsman mag about attacking B10. The Outback will kick butt at B10!

Hi Coosbaykayaker. The Skipinon River? I am not sure where this river is. Can you say more here? Regards, Daveo

Warrenton, Bayfront Rd. runs parallel.

Just got back from first trips trying my new Outback around the N side of Orcas (Pt Doughty - Lovers Cove).  Had days w/ 10-15 knot wind, sizable wind waves with some white caps but fishing was great ( ling, rockfish and dogfish) all C&R.  Great experience with the new yak.  Tried to go 7-5 mi/ day RT.  Good tides at start of week then moving to neap tides Thur & Fri.
I would be interested in Buoy 10, keeping in mind I'm still new to kayak fishing.  I've done the Buoy 10 fishery for many years in power boats so I'm somewhat familiar with the area.
Keep my on your list if you need some company.

There's a little beach just upriver from the Hammond basin.  Should be in the lee of the Hammond breakwater and a good place to launch.  I'll check it out the first chance I get.

Jim

Buoy10 is definitely fair game from a kayak.  Just pick and choose your days wisely!  You can launch from either side of Hammond, from the beach at Ft. Stevens, from the Skipanon, from Young's Bay (Astoria "yacht" club), from downtown Astoria, from Ilwako or from the Washington shore above or below the bridge just to name a few of the locations.  Your launch should be based on the forecasted wind direction as much as on where the fish are.

Unless the forecast is for a windless day with minimal swell and incomming tide, forget about Buoy 10 proper.  The Green Line from B20 to the Bridge, the Sawdust Pile, the Church Hole and the areas above the Bridge are much easier to fish and generally produce very well.

SAFETY IS NOT A OPTION!

There are 4 things that can will kill you in this fishery.
 
1) Cargo Ships - They do not slow down.  They do not turn.  They are totally predictable.  Carry a VHF and scan 13, 16 and 22A 
2) Boat Traffic - The combination of swell and chop in the area can make you disapear.  Also, the fog can roll in at any time.  FLY A SAFETY FLAG!
3) Wind - The wind and wind waves in this area are legendary.  Know the forecast.  Be willing and prepared to land miles from your vehicle.
4) Tide - The surface flow is often up to an hour behind the actual tide.  Keep this in mind when planning to ride the end of tide out to your western most point.  Plan your trips around the incomming tide and beware the standing waves that form in areas like the Oregon side of Desdemona Sands. 

Put it all together and this is how your day will end.

Great advice from Spot not only for kayakers but something all  boaters should be aware.  I've gone out of Skipanon and Hammond in power boats and the chop from wind and power boats along with a strong ebb can really get nasty.  Fog is a definite no even with GPS as it's the other guy traveling at an unsafe speed for the conditions you have to watch.
As a novice I'm leaning more to the WA side along Desdemona Sands, Church hole and by the bridge.  Caught many salmon in that area as all the fish aren't at Buoy 10.

Some great feedback and reminders guys! Thanks!  Keep the advice and suggestions coming, on how, and where to catch the fish. Safety advice is also welcome. This is definitely water to be respected. Regards, Dave

Oh yeah, as for how......

Toman Spinners, Guidetech Spinners, Cutplug or Whole Herring behind a 6-8" flasher.  To get it down some people use divers but I prefer cannonballs because they don't drag as much.

Standard depth is 15 to 20 pulls.  If you're over any of the shallow bars, try bouncing bottom for Chinook.

Did I mention safety flags yet?

-Spot-

Just thought I'd bump this back to the top.

The fish are in and it's time to get your troll on. 

One thing I learned yesterday is:  With your net, safety flag and back-up rod all behind you, trolling with a 15+ MPH wind can become a cluster F'.  Instead of fighting to keep your "sail" upwind, flip around and troll backward (like you would for bass).  It's way easier to control direction and speed this way and won't threaten to flip your yak if a hog chinook decides to test your drag. Just be aware of what's going on downwind.
When you do get a bite this way, you'll be able to watch the whole process from take to 1st run and you'll never go sideways to the wind.
 
-Spot-

Hi,

I was in Hammond this weekend trying to fish for Albacore but our charter boat lost its engine 15 miles out in messy seas and we has to get towed back while we fixed the engine .  Was tempted to fish Bouy 10 as I saw lots of fish getting caught.  After my intereseting boat experience I figured I would not test my luck with a solo kayak adventure to Buoy 10. I am definitely interested in trying it with some other yakers.  I imagine one would only want to fish the slack or flooding tide?
Tomas