TRIP REPORT: Kayak Fishing for Spring Salmon 3/21/09

I had the opportunity to go kayak fishing with a couple of old friends I knew from back in high school in Texas. Both Todd and Stephen are now Portland residents, and Stephen is my neighbor; It really is a small world. It was a blast getting to spend a few hours with them playing on the water.

We launched from willow bar at Sauvie Island on to the Columbia River into thick fog at 8 am. We were a bit behind schedule, but this day was about hanging with the boys and having fun more than working hard to catch spring salmon. Air temp. was 44 degrees, rising to the mid 50's, with light winds blowing out of the south at six miles per hour. Water temps remain cool, around 42 degrees.

We paddled up river towards a wing dam that we could not see until we were within one hundred feet. Fog horns from commercial ships blasted all over the river, and it felt eerie. Suddenly, a ship blew it's horn louder than the rest; This one was very close. I blew on my own fog horn as we retreated behind the wing dam, signaling to the commercial vessel our position just as a precaution. I was surprised that we could not see the ship until it was only two or three hundred feet away. I managed to get this video of it turning 180 degrees right off my bow. Be advised, I was surprised when I saw the huge boat turning towards me at such a short distance, and I dropped the F bomb.



Over the last week, I became a little doubtful of the Department of Fish and Wildlife's prediction of 297,000 spring salmon returning to the Columbia River this year. I had been trolling the river since mid February, and had yet to see a single salmon. All of the local reports were saying the same thing, telling of one fish per dozen boats. I watched the number of bank anglers on Sauvie Island grow from one or two in late February on the whole island, to about sixty, just on willow bar by March 21st, and had yet to see one of the boats or bankies so much as hook a fish. I began dreaming of places like Alaska, or Kamchatka, where the rivers run so thick with salmon you could walk across their backs to the other side. With my doubts that the fish were present in any significant numbers, I decided to play on any half-way decent boat wake that came my way. The rides only last a few seconds, but it does add a little break from the monotony of not catching salmon.



We trolled spinners & plugs in the eddy behind the wing dam for a half hour with no strikes, and proceeded to pull out of the eddy and float down stream. I zigged & zagged down the bar past several bankies. One particular group had a framed tarp shelter with a wood stove. I was a bit envious as I thought about sitting by the warm wood stove all day, sipping hot coco with my feet propped up while waiting for the bell on my rod to ring, signaling a hooked salmon.

As I reached the end of the hole, a bank angler's bell rang, and I watched him catch and release a nice 15-20 pound wild salmon. Finally someone was catching a fish, and once again, I believe they exist. This being the first fish I had seen, I realized just how early in the season it was. I had been looking for fish in February, and here it was March 21st and I just now had seen the first fish.

I was hoping a pod of a few dozen fish were within the area of my plug, but I floated downriver without any strikes, nor did I hear any more bells, or see any more boat or bank anglers fighting or landing fish. It seems the run is starting to show... slowly. I pulled out on the beach for a quick lunch break, and Stephen managed to snap this cool pic:


3/21/2009

After our break, we floated down towards social security beach without any strikes, so we paddled back to the launch and headed home. It had been another slow, but fun day on the Columbia, and it was good to finally see a fish landed; It refreshed my waning desire to catch a salmon within 15 minutes of my house. It also made me very eager for the next few weeks, when I hope to see as big a push of fish as ODFW predicted. A little part of me feels I wasted allot of time and energy by trying for springers so early in the season, but it did give me a chance to get my routine and gear dialed. I feel like if the fish do show in big numbers, or I happen to get lucky with that one random fish pushing through the gauntlet of boat and bank anglers, I will be ready. We will just have to see what happens by the end of April.

Until then, I'll be hoping for big numbers of fish returning!

-Jason

EASTERN HORIZONS PREMIERE: 3/17/09 at the Mission Theater in Portland, OR

Since acquiring footage of actual salmon being caught from my sea kayak remains elusive, I thought you might enjoy some other awesome sea kayak visual stimulation. The premiere of "Eastern Horizons: Exploring the Atlantic Coast by Kayak" happens tonight at the Mission Theater in Portland, Oregon.


Eastern Horizons Trailer from Bryan Smith on Vimeo.

Once again, friend and fellow Alder Creek guide/instructor Paul Kuthe put on amazing displays of Kodak courage, taking a sea kayak into conditions that are only entertained by most of us in our nightmares...Oh, and the rest of the film has some stunning scenery and touring footage.

Come out and have a beer for St. Patrick's Day, and watch Paul risk his own life for our viewing pleasure!

-Jason

TRIP REPORT: March 12th & 13th. Columbia River at Willow Bar, Sauvie Island.

3/12/2009

After recovering from the hangover that comes with a bachelor-party boys-weekend in New Orleans, I woke early and drove out to Sauvie Island with the kayak on top of my truck. I was thinking about getting back out on the Columbia before my return flight had landed.

I did a bit of research the day prior, and found out about a few key areas for salmon fishing. The one thing I didn't research however, was an easy launch spot. The launch in this area I remembered from my previous trips ended up being a five foot vertical drop to the water; Something I did not feel like doing at 6 AM with 29 degree air temperature.

I decided to use a ramp I had spotted in the Island Cove Marina (Which I later learned is not open to the public). I parked my truck at the Island Cove Market (which by the way has great organic coffee and wonderful biscuits and gravy from 9AM - 5PM) and left a note in the window stating, "Gone kayaking, back by noon." I hauled my boat and gear down to the ramp, pushed off from the boat ramp, and paddled out the slough into the Columbia.

Fifty mile-per-hour winds in the Gorge the day prior had stirred the river down by Portland when I pulled out of the slough and paddled up towards willow bar. Instead of the glassy pond I had become familiar with, the river Thursday at dawn was a little more dynamic.





The bouncy conditions were enjoyable for kayaking, but kayak fishing was a little more challenging. While tying on a lure I focused in on the knot and jerked a bit when I dropped down the back side of a wave. At that moment I contemplated getting the Ocean Kayak Trident 15 out of the basement. I'll admit it; There are times when fishing is your goal, and nothing beats a big stable sit-on-top.

As I trolled spinners downriver of willow bar, I wondered what would happen if I hooked a big chinook salmon in the chop. Unfortunately, I did not get the opportunity to answer that question. No salmon today. By the time I returned to the boat ramp at noon, the river was once again a glassy pond.



I've really began to appreciate Sauvie Island. The island is composed of farms and bird & wildlife refuges, and is quite a nice departure from the busy city 20 minutes away. I snapped a few quick pics of the scenery on the island on my drive home.






3/13/2009

I did a little google earth searching, and found a dirt road right out to the beach at willow bar. This is the easiest launch yet, having to carry the kayak and gear only 20 yards to the river. I met Jeff at the beach around noon. When we arrived, we found bank anglers out in full force.




Normally I get a bit irritated when I see one-hundred people fishing the spot I want to fish. Today however, I was just glad to see the rumors I heard about this spot were true. It had to be good if this many people were keyed in on this small beach. I talked to an old-timer named Jack, who spoke of the good ol' days when forty or fifty fish a day would be caught off this beach on a regular basis. He said the peak of the run at the mouth of the Willamette was not until around the third week in April, which deflated my spirits a bit seeing as it was the second week of March.

Dozens of boats and bank anglers on both sides of the river means that the salmon are moving into the area though, be it a trickle of fish or not. I read a report the night before stating that one fish per dozen boats was the average over the weekend, which indicates the run has just begun.

Having put my statistical doubts aside, Jeff and I launched off the beach at willow bar around 12:30 PM to a glassy river, with air temperatures in the mid fifties, light winds, and partly cloudy skies.



Green label herring trolled or mooched just off the bottom was the preferred method of the day, and we preceded to drift downriver towards reeder beach. As an hour or so passed, the easy pace of the river and the mild conditions overtook me. My focus drifted from fishing, and leaned towards just enjoying the moment and listening to the birds.


As we drifted past reeder beach, down towards warrior point lighthouse, I regained my desire for spring salmon and returned my focus towards fishing. We were doing everything right. We had the right bait, depth, timing, location, and technique, but the sun was setting, and 5 hours of trolling had not produced so much as one strike. I was a little disappointed that we did not get into any fish, but the day was excellent, and the eight mile paddle back up river to the launch at sunset was exceptional.




We worked Sauvie Island hard and did everything right, and had no strikes. The season is still young, and I know it's just a matter of putting in the hours at this point....It's only a matter of time!

Until next week,

Jason

TRIP REPORT: Kayak Fishing for Spring Salmon on the Columbia River, Sauvie Island

I had the chance to get out in the kayak twice this week trolling spinners for spring salmon on the Columbia River off of Sauvie Island. On Friday 2/27, I launched around 11 AM at the usual spot. Temperatures were in the upper forties. The river temp was still hovering around forty degrees. Temporary sunshine greeted me as I pushed my boat away from shore. A strong front line was moving in from the West. The sunshine would not last.



There were five or six bank anglers on the beach where I launched. While I trolled in their vicinity, I heard a few bells ring, sounding the alarm that something had been hooked, but I never saw them fight or land any fish. It's still very early in the spring salmon season to expect much action, but there are a few fish moving through. The odds are low right now, and every angler out here knows it. It doesn't really matter how high the odds are stacked against us. I think everyone in Portland is chomping at the bit in anticipation of spring. It has been a tough winter around here.

After trolling for an hour or so, I pulled out and had lunch on the beach as the front rolled in. Just as I was about to give up on him, I hear my buddy Jeff whistle from on top of the levy. He had come to try out a plethora of new gear, including a P&H Quest LV, Kokatat Gore-Tex Expedition Dry Suit, and fiber glass Werner Coryvrekyn paddle.



I hopped out of my kayak and scrambled over the levy to check out Jeff's new boat. As he was getting his suit on, I offered to hump his boat down to the beach. It was the least I could do seeing as I was going to take it for a spin before he could get dressed.

I have to say his boat felt more nimble than mine. I have felt at times like the NDK Explorer HV is a bit of a battle ship, but I do think the Explorer has a faster top speed.

We floated down river, trolling spinners, toward warrior rock for about an hour with no strikes. As we were floating down, my gaze was fixed on my rod tip wobbling, indicating good action of the spinner. I looked over toward the island and got quite a reminder that this area is a "nude beach"; I saw a middle aged man walking up the beach with nothing on but a ski jacket! That scene needed to leave my mind, so I quickly paddled on.

Monday, 3/2/09

I spent a few hours trolling the Columbia at the usual spot on Sauvie Island today. Even though the big push of salmon is still two weeks away, I am still trying. I am glad to have had the chance to try some new things and get my gear dialed in. I mounted my camera on the deck, and have been playing around with video....It makes time spent not catching fish a little more interesting. Temperatures were warm today; Around 55, squalls and wind with gusts to 15 mph were often interrupted by beaming blue skies.







While trolling between two wing dams, a sea lion popped it's head out of the water about twenty feet off my bow. I managed to get a little video of him checking me out:

You can just make him out by the tip of my bow.

This guy seemed a bit brazen to me. I think he has spent a little too much time around humans. For a second I thought he was going to "play" with me, and I half expected to feel a thump or a nudge from below; not my idea of fun. However, he dipped down below the waters surface never to be seen again.

I did notice the sea lion was headed down river. Apparently he was a bit eager as well, or maybe he felt lucky like I did when I woke up this morning. In either case we were both kidding ourselves. I guess we were both practicing for the big show in mid March, just hoping to get lucky.

I floated down river another few miles before the wind picked up. I wasn't sure how nasty it was going to get, so I thought I would make my way back up river close to where I launched, just in case I needed to bail quickly:


I proceeded to troll in the rain for another half hour before pulling out on the beach and packing up:


As I hauled my kayak over the levy, a couple riding bikes stopped and asked if I wanted help carrying my boat the rest of the way to my truck. He asked me; "What are you going to do when you hook a 35 pound king salmon?"

"I'm going to kill it and eat it my friend. Kill it, and eat it." (only if it is a hatchery fish)

I have paid my dues learning the ways of the Columbia over the last month, and I am fully due a big fat spring salmon. I'm headed to New Orleans this coming weekend. When I get back the spring salmon run should be happening in full force. I look forward to settling the score then.

Until next week,

Jason