Tillamook Bay - Sturgeon Quest

A calm morning fishing for sturgeon on Tillamook Bay.

In my desire for new adventures in the kayak, one topping the list is catching a sturgeon on a fly rod from my kayak. I have told many fellow anglers about this quest and most looked surprised, skeptical or intrigued. None have laughed.
      It's a complicated task and there are many people, including me, who have caught large sturgeon from their kayaks. There is even a handful of people catching sturgeon on fly rods in British Columbia on the Fraser River. However, I have yet to find anyone combining the two.
       With the Willamette so close to home, I have ventured several times to the "willy" in hopes of catching one of these ancients on my 12 weight. Last summer I had identified the "perfect low tide" and marked the calendar. On that beautiful fall morning I launched my kayak from the Milwaukie boat ramp a couple hours before the low tide. With the low water and the low tide, I had determined this was the best possible opportunity to get my line on the bottom of the river. The location was one of my favorite sturgeon holes and at only 45 feet deep that day, I thought "this is going to be it." You can see the results in my video, Dinos and Bass.

       Most of my Willamette trips were practice for my main destination - fishing Tillamook Bay. All the Oregon coast bays have sturgeon, but the Tillamook is the one best known for sturgeon fishing. The problem is that the bay can turn from calm to a whitecaps in an hour and the sturgeon holes are well-kept secrets. In December I made a resolution to reach out through the Northwest kayak anglers website and ask someone to help me learn the bay. In February, I was successful in finding a kayak angler who knew the water, had caught sturgeon in the bay and was a safe kayaker - all important aspects of fishing the bay.

         The best sturgeon fishing is in the spring during extremely low tides. After a couple unsuccessful attempts to find a date (bad weather, bad timing) we agreed on a Saturday in March at the end of spring break. The day proved unbelievable with calm wind, blue skies and a morning minus tide. We launched by dragging our Hobie kayaks through a creek bed that provided a fairly easy way to move the boats to the bay without going through the muck.
        We arrived at destination about two hours before low tide. One guy was already fishing from a 15-foot Smokercraft. Rodney quickly identified his spot and anchored up. I decided to peddle around and look for a hole. The deepest hole I found was 10 feet. The rest of the area average 5 feet. I realized how shallow this bay is. I also found out how fast thousands of cubic feet of water can drain from the bay as my 3 pound claw anchor with 1-foot 1/4 inch chain failed to grab time and time again. I finally had to let out 60-feet of line to get enough scope to get the anchor to hold. I decided to use conventional sturgeon gear first and tied on a shrimp Rodney had pumped the day before. I tossed it in the "hole" which was about 6 feet deep. After an hour, and no bites, I switched to my 12-weight and tossed the 15-foot 800 grain shooting head into the water. It immediately was on the bottom. I finally felt like I was fishing with my fly gear. I must point out that sturgeon are not sight feeders. Instead, they really on smell to find their food, usually clams and shrimp in the bay. I had tied on a shrimp hoping to get a bite before moving to my "fly" a sponge soaked in juice. I will not pretend this is a purist fly sport.

        The tide moved through the low. I saw, what I thought, was another line tangled on mine. Instead, it was my leader coming back towards me as the tide started its incoming cycle. Rodney and I pulled up and because the weather was perfect and the bay calm, we decided to kayak across the bay. We went over several channels and our trip varied from water 4 inches to 8 feet. We found another hole in the west channel, anchored up and started fishing the incoming tide. We fished for about two hours and I had one good hit, while Rodney had a couple. About 2:30 p.m., the wind was picking up a little and we decided to head back. The trip back was about three miles and in the last mile the waves were starting to whitecap. We had made a good decision to leave. About 200 yards from the takeout, a 5-foot sturgeon rolled 15 feet from our kayaks, in water no deeper than 10 feet. I took it as a message to come back and try again. And I certainly will.

The season starts and I donate to a good cause

The blog has suffered the past month as I continue to focus my energy on the YouTube channel (in addition to my real job and family). The channel continues to grow with subscriptions closing in on 80 and the views closing in on 20,000. I am expanding my social media channels with Twitter  and Pinterest accounts. The Facebook account also needs more work and that is another goal for the year.

Giving a little to the Native Fish Society 
      Feeling philanthropic for a great cause, and looking for more content for the blog and YouTube channel, I donated a 1/2 day kayak fishing trip to the Native Fish Society Banquet and Auction. The theme is Homewaters Reflect Hopes and is promoted as the largest wild fish fundraiser/party in the universe. The auction is in Portland, Oregon on Saturday, April 13. This year’s auction features a dinner by Food in Bloom Catering, beer by GoodLife Brewing, and wine from Lange Estate Winery, Yamhill Valley Vinyards and Z’ivo Wines. Registration tickets are currently on sale for $100. To register for Homewaters Reflect Hopes online click on the NFS link above or call the Oregon City office at 503.496.0807.

Starting the season at Henry Hagg Lake 

Hagg Lake Opening Day - click here to see the video

       On the fishing front, I spent the first two weekends in March fishing Henry Hagg Reservoir. The opening day started with some serious disappointment with the first two hours of fishing resulting in no fish - and only one decent bite. I was using the Hobie Revolution 13 with the Eagle Cuda 300 fish finder, the switch fly rod with a Rio T8 head, and I had marked several fish. I was even using my go-to woolly bugger. I had read earlier that 18,000 trout were stocked in the lake and I was beginning to wonder if my fishing abilities were as cold as that spring day. Taking advantage of the Hobie pedals, I trolled backwards from the first area, across the lake and to a point that had proven productive the previous year. This effort was rewarded with only an 8 inch trout. My last effort was to try the mouth of a stream in hopes of picking up at least one more fish.
      On the way over I spotted a couple kayak anglers working a stretch of water hard and I waved as I cruised by. The water clarity remained good as I pedaled up towards the stream and the temperature even increased slightly. It was close to 11 a.m. by the time I was fishing this area. I made one pass and marked nothing on the finder. I turned the kayak around and trolled back through the water and hooked into a nice rainbow that peeled line and fought hard. As I got the fish to the boat, I realized I forgot the net. I boated the fish carefully and let it go after a brief thought of keeping it for the smoker. The day was looking up. In the next 45 minutes I hooked two more, both in the 16-18 inch range. One broke off next to the boat and the other I ended up keeping because I squeezed it a little hard bringing it onto the boat. I had changed over to the standard 5 weight and was using 4-pound test leader and a dark red and a black leach pattern. By this time it was getting close to noon and time to head home. On the way back I talked with the kayak anglers and discovered they were regulars on the NorthwestKayakangers website. They also shared that ODFW had put some larger trout in the lake in January and they had picked up a few as well.

Hagg Lake the following weekend - click here to see the video

       Taking advantage of a good thing when I can, I went back the next weekend. Unfortunately the fishing was slower but the trout I landed was nearly 20 inches and provide a great fight. I am not sure when I will return to Hagg this season, but it helped start 2013 off on the right foot. Click on the photo captions to see the videos.
        Stay tuned. I expect a fun season with new adventures.

Michole

Go farther. Catch more. 

Henry Hagg with Hoppe - welcoming a new recruit (part 2)

Note - wow did this take a long time... Launching the Hobie boats went well and Michael, in the Outback, quickly adapted to the boat and pedal action. We cruised toward one of the creek inlets that usually produce fish.The early conversations with Michael included my fly recommendation which were woolly buggers and leach patterns. About 100 yards from the ramp I turned the pedals around, made sure Michael was comfortable and had his line out, and started to fish. I was quickly on a nice sized trout and the day looked promising. In the next hour I hooked three more trolling my go-to green woolly bugger in reverse.
     My goal was to fish the stream inlet where I had first pedaled the Hobie in reverse.
     As I got closer to the inlet I realized how low the reservoir was. I made my way up the inlet until the water started to show signs of movement. It was the same location where I could no longer pedal the kayak so I took out the paddle, used it to turn the kayak around and got back to fishing. I headed to the side of the reservoir opposite the ramp, trolling the woolly bugger and getting very little action. I switched flies to a simple green leach pattern that worked well at Harriet Lake, and my catching improved. After boating a couple more trout, I saw Michael and peddled over to see how things were going.

He had a big smile on his face and obviously he was having a good time. He said he had switch to a dry fly, his preferred method of fishing, and was having some success. While explaining the fly he was using, Michael showed off his balance skills by tipping up the Outback to nearly 60 degrees before settling it back on its hull. I am not sure that was planned but he did a masterful job of keeping calm.We kept fishing for a couple more hours catching several nice trout. 

      By mid afternoon I was thinking how great it would be to catch a bass for the Heroes on the Water Tournament but had doubts I would. Those doubts were eliminated when I trolled close to the shore in a little cove and caught a little small mouth. I would later find my fish would not even be in the running so the choice to spend a couple more hours fishing rather than heading back to the Next Adventure paddle center proved a wise one.

In the last hour, while heading back to the ramp I had strong take that jammed the rod into the water. Unfortunately the fish quickly threw the hook, but it felt like the biggest fish I had on that day (of course the big ones always get away). By late afternoon Michael and I were loading the kayaks on the top of the Escape and packing up. Right before we left, I turned on the camera and asked Michael if he enjoyed the day.
       All I will say is is watch the video - he did have a great time. I have been on several more fishing trips, including a couple to Hagg, but you will need to check out my YouTube Channel to see how those went. In the future, I plan on keeping the blog updated - if I only had more time or was paid for this...

Henry Hagg with Hoppe - welcoming a new recruit (part 1)

I returned to Henry Hagg Lake but this time I took musician Michael Hoppe on his first kayak fly fishing trip - and he wants to go again. I was talking with Michael a few months ago and he was lamenting the fact he had not fished a lake in Oregon. He had fished a few Oregon rivers but was wanting to get on a lake and in a float tube. I told him I could do better than a float tube and promised to take him out in the kayaks. He looked skeptical but said he would give it a go (see the video here).

We emailed a few times to determine which lake and after suggesting Lawrence, Trillium and Hagg, he chose Hagg. I was a little concerned since Hagg is not nearly as pretty as the other two but it had been stocked recently so I figure we would at least have a chance at catching fish. It was the same weekend as the Next Adventure Kayak Bass tournament. I had suggested Michael and I enter the tourney for fun, but he was not interested.

After choosing Hagg, I toyed with the idea of entering the tournament since the lake had bass and the weigh-in wasn't until 5 p.m. Plus, the proceeds went to Heroes on the Water, a wounded warriors type program that helps vets get on the water and fish from kayaks. On Friday afternoon, I decided the $15 would be well spent and signed up. When I checked in, I was given a stainless steel water bottle, a couple stickers and a tournament marker for the photos and the promise of a barbecue that started at 5 p.m. If I caught a bass, I would talk Michael into leaving early for the weigh-in.

At 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning, Michael and I loaded into my Ford Escape Hybrid and headed to the lake. I knew Michael was a musician but was unsure what type of music he composed so after a little searching on the Internet, I discovered we was quite accomplished and his work was featured in movies and television shows as well as performed around the world. This proved a starting point for some wonderful conversations on the trip to the lake. Our conversations also wandered to photography and I discovered his grandfather was a famous photographer with an interesting back story. We soon found ourselves looking at a very steep boat ramp and a water level nearly 20 feet below last spring's levels. We unloaded the kayaks and gear, parked the Escape and prepared to fish. to be continued

After a morning fish, a beerfest is best

    September is a great time in Oregon. The salmon and steelhead are in the rivers, the trout are becoming more active, there is a crispness in the air and the food festivals are as abundant as the bounty.

    The favorite fall getaway for wife and I is the Skamania Lodge Celebration of Beer, an intimate festival featuring local brewers and generous pours at the beautiful Skamania Lodge in Stevenson, Washington.

   We stay at the lodge so we can enjoy ourselves at the festival and not have to worry about driving the 50 minutes back to Portland.

     This is not a huge festival but instead one in which you can actually taste all the standard and seasonal brews offered the festival and then sit and enjoy a gorgeous view while drinking a glass or two of your favorite. You even get to keep the glass.

    Afterwards, you can pile on more calories at the lavish dinner buffet, get some relaxing sleep and then finish the weekend with a fabulous beer-focused breakfast buffet.

     This year our new dog Nik joined us at the festival. He was well behaved rolling over for tummy rubs for the various people who would come up and say "what a beautiful dog." It was the first time we have had him in a large public setting and we were pleased with his temperament with both adults and children. His was even a catalyst in our meeting several couples.

       After enjoying the various brews I grabbed a glass of my favorite dark beer and we sat down to take in the view of the gorge. After finishing most of the beer, I sat the glass down on the ground. When I looked down Nik had the glass and was trying to lick everything he could out of that mug - Nik likes beer!

       Back to the fishing... This year I left the kayak at home because I spent the morning doing more research on my quest to catch a sturgeon with a fly rod. I had been watching the tides for the past week and Saturday morning was shaping up to be a great opportunity try some new sinking lines and some new flies on the Willamette River.

       The results were that I need to do more research. But at the tide turn, I grabbed the 7-weight and went in search of smallmouth bass and was rewarded with several grabs, a lost fish and a nice fish that I brought to the Hobie Outback. It was a great morning and you can see the the video on my YouTube channel or clicking here..

What a great weekend - fish and beer.

Restoring fish habitat

A fish rises during the early hours.

Wild parr from the pond.

The confluence of two small streams.

Wild cutthroat from the pond.

Labor Day weekend was spent driving around Washington visiting friends and honoring my wife's birthday wishes. Instead of a gift, she opted to get out of town and spend time on a friend's farm outside Sedro Woolley and another friend's land outside Cle Elum. The beauty about having friends with property is that on a busy weekend we have a place to camp. Of course the kayaks went along and so did our new springer spaniel, Nik. I had wanted to visit the farm for some time and it proved to be a wonderful experience. My buddy Chuck dug a 1/4 acre pond on the farm and stocked it with some trout several years ago. The goal was to provide entertainment and fresh fish. After a couple years, the fish disappeared despite his regular feeding. Recently,  resident cutthroat trout found the pond and are now reproducing.

My new kayak dog Nik, enjoys a ride in the Hobie Outback.

The pond is 6 feet deep at the deepest point and averages about 3-plus feet. There are bugs, trees, a nice grassy shoreline and a very small, but year-round stream that starts from a spring on his land and provides a constant source of water. His land is near the Nooksack and because of the spring-fed stream and another stream on his property, he was asked to be involved in a habitat restoration project. I had the pleasure of seeing some early results of this project when I caught some fish in the pond. Both were about 4 inches long but one had the distinct markings of a cutthroat trout, while the other had the markings of a salmon or steelhead parr. Now I am not sure that the parr wasn't the result of breeding fish from the original stocking. However, because both streams flows into the Nooksack and the Nooksack has all five species of salmon, it certainly is possible that this was a parr or smolt from an errant Nooksack pair of fish. I will need to do more research on this. regarding other fun, Nik discovered water and took his first swim. He also discovered swimming takes some practice and Chuck and I had to pull him into the kayaks. The great thing is that I now know I can lift him into the kayak without it tipping over. I guess I may have a new kayak buddy.

Off on summer adventures

The blog has been neglected while I work on videos from my summer fishing adventures. Those inquisitive enough to check my YouTube channel and the video links on this blog have discovered some videos from Harriet Lake, a how-to on my custom rod holder and some teasers from my BC trip. More recently you may have seen my Netarts Bay Crabbin' video that I posted the other day. I was hoping to add some footage from a fly fishing Tuna trip and some salmon trips to the gorge but those ended up being cancelled or a bust. And, I still have footage from a two Trillium Lake trips that I haven't used but will hopefully show up later this year.

Highlighting my summer was a trip to BC fly fishing for wild steelhead. The trip proved great for both weather and fish and the entire experience could only be described as a trip of a lifetime. I am choosing to keep the river nameless primarily as a way to protect it. I struggle with this because the river is quite remote, but certainly not out of reach for those who desire to experience a world-class wild steelhead fishery. During my trip, there were only a handful of anglers on the river who were not part of our group. This obviously made for some fantastic fishing but I would suspect that if the river were more accessible, the opportunities for the wild steelhead in the river to thrive would certainly be at risk. And, even without significant pressure, the other anglers in the group said the year was quite special and not one likely to be repeated for many years.

I am exploring the idea of getting involved with the Native Fish Society and becoming a River Steward. I have a friend who is quite active in this group and another who is becoming active. The group tackles big issues on significant rivers close to the Portland area, as well as throughout the Northwest. Protecting native fish populations close to major metropolitan areas is a major undertaking but with huge rewards. However, challenges abound from many sides. This is a topic I expect I will explore in future posts.

In the meantime, I am continuing to look for new adventures in my Hobie Outback including longer films with multiple cameras and audio. My favorite so far is Bookend Browns from the Harriet Lake trip. With September and October offering some of the best fishing of the year, I suspect I will be fishing more and probably saving up my stories and posting them during the cold winter nights while enjoying a warm drink.

So please be patient.

Go farther. Catch more.