The 2021 Fishing Season Recap


Welcome to the 2021 kayak fishing season recap. Last season was exceptional with lots of salmon on the kayak, a few trout on the fly rod, and a nice halibut on the boat. 

I spent most of my time fishing the Willamette and Columbia rivers with my friend Mark. Fishing less than 30 minutes from home in a kayak also reduced my carbon footprint, especially when transporting the kayak on my 16-year-old Ford Escape hybrid. 

Fishing close to home also allowed fishing trips before and after work, which were key to my success in 2021. The season highlights included fishing in five different Hobie kayaks and catching salmon in four of them and hooking salmon in all five. This season also included two friends and my brother catching their first salmon in the kayak, fishing a new area with new techniques, and earning a limit of a king and a coho before noon. 

Although I would hook more than 30 fish this season, I only landed 24 and tagged 19, falling just one short of filling my salmon tag. Most of the fish were caught on spinners and Pro Trolls until well into the fall season when we switched to Superbait, and later jigs. Yep, it was a good season. 

I created short films for each fish I tagged so I hope they offer an incentive for the 2022 season.

Let’s see some catching


 
The 2021 season started with my shakedown cruise in late February 2021 in which I was using a new rod and reel and trying the downrigger on my 2015 Outback. 

I would soon remove the outrigger and simply run two rods in Scotty rod holders. I didn’t hook into anything on this trip but it was the start of a great salmon season.

Salmon No. 1 - The first salmon for the season wasn’t caught until mid-May (watch the video above) and it may have technically been a jack. It was caught after work and it was also the only fish on my tag I don’t have any video of but there is a photo. I also landed this fish in my 2015 Outback.

Salmon No. 2 - The second salmon was caught less than a week later on a spinner. On this trip, my buddy Zach hooks and lands his first king on his first kayak salmon trip. This long-time angler was so thrilled with the experience, he purchased a kayak of his own and became a regular on the water with me and Mark. Yep, it was a great season.

Go Farther. Catch More. Look for more updates soon!
Location: Portland, OR 97217, USA

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