KAYAK FISHING.....And Other Stuff

I'm going to lighten the load a little this week. I just received word from the doctor that it's going to be four to six weeks before my hand will be ready for action. This means I will most likely only get one more shot at fall salmon, sometime around Thanksgiving, before moving onto winter steelhead, and hopefully a few runs at catching sturgeon from a kayak with Brian Steves from North West Kayak Anglers.

Kayak fishing for sturgeon is something I've always wanted to do, especially since I found out from Brian there are good holes less than one mile from my house. These fish get very, very big. Sturgeon can weigh upwards of 1000 pounds, and grow 10 feet or larger over 100 years.

Most of the hogs have been fished out, or died due to pollution & loss of habitat. Don't get me wrong, there are still some 3-400 pounders in the Columbia & Willamette around Portland...but I digress.

I will admit, having to take a step back every now and then is a good thing. Sometimes, apparently, some of us have to be forced to do so. There is a saying among anglers, boaters, and any person into outdoor sports that enjoys the privilege of having a better half. The "Girlfriend Approval Factor", or GAF for short is a term widely used to describe the level of approval, and/or extremety of punnishment one incrues from participating in any given sporting-activity, with or without your signifgant other.

I knew my GAF levels were running extremely low. I've been doing almost nothing recreationaly but kayaking and fishing for going on six years now, and dragging my girlfriend along for most of it. Granted, she enjoys boating, fishing, and the outdoors almost as much as I do, but she also does it because I love it so much. Who do you think takes all the pictures of me?

Since I've been off the water for a couple of weeks now, I've been forced to look at other things for entertainment. The weather in Portland has been magnificent. It's been quite a wonderful indian summer, with temperatures in the 60's and 70's, and loads of sunshine. The fall colors are peaking, and Shay and I walked over to Cathedral Park to test out the new camera, the Stylus 850SW from Olympus.

Here are a few pictures, from beautiful St. Johns and Cathedral park in Portland.
all photos copyright 2008 Jason Self/Shay Bickley






Needless to say, that walk in the park worked wonders for the relationship, but it also happens that there are two dock launches, and a nice, flat sand beach launch, with parking less than 100 ft. away. Just perfect for launching kayaks for sturgeon fishing.

I've also been digging through the photo archives, looking back on all the fun times had while kayak fishing. Here are a few of my old time favorites:








Some one recently asked me what it was that I liked so much about kayak fishing. It's hard to summarize why I love kayak fishing, so I thought long and hard about it.

The end result is that, I really just enjoy being out there...Anyone who hunts, fishes, chases waves, etc. knows that it's really just about being out there.... walking through the forest before dawn in the fall, watching the sun rise on the river in winter, and the sun set over the breakers on the ocean on a warm summer day. Kayak fishing to me is really about enjoying the beauty of nature, reflection, and having fun.

Slamming a 45 pound king salmon from a kayak ain't bad either.

-Jason

PS: We'll get back to the serious stuff next week with a post on self and assisted re-entry techniques.