The Fishing Thread

I keep reading about pedal powered kayaks and trolling for salmon. Ever done that?

Paleocon wrote:

I keep reading about pedal powered kayaks and trolling for salmon. Ever done that?

I've seen people out on the Columbia and Yaquina doing that. It would be a real pain to net a big one and those kayak's bring out pretty tiny nets. You'd almost have to just let it drag you around until it completely tired out and then just bonk it and cut the gills right there in the water. I would have zero interest doing that in the Columbia given how crowded it gets and how aggressive people are zooming around in their huge boats. I just really wouldn't feel safe or remotely relaxed. It's bad enough in our tiny boat. If you went as a pair, you might be able to have one kayak net.

You would have to adjust your rigging so that you could get the salmon close enough to net or bonk, too. The standard setups everyone uses have too much line out in leader/flasher rigging, so you need to be standing and lifting in a boat to get the salmon up to the surface. You could shorten everything up quite a bit which might compromise your effectiveness on getting a hit but it would be doable.

It would be a blast focusing on smaller salmon like coho.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:
Paleocon wrote:

I keep reading about pedal powered kayaks and trolling for salmon. Ever done that?

I've seen people out on the Columbia and Yaquina doing that. It would be a real pain to net a big one and those kayak's bring out pretty tiny nets. You'd almost have to just let it drag you around until it completely tired out and then just bonk it and cut the gills right there in the water. I would have zero interest doing that in the Columbia given how crowded it gets and how aggressive people are zooming around in their huge boats. I just really wouldn't feel safe or remotely relaxed. It's bad enough in our tiny boat. If you went as a pair, you might be able to have one kayak net.

You would have to adjust your rigging so that you could get the salmon close enough to net or bonk, too. The standard setups everyone uses have too much line out in leader/flasher rigging, so you need to be standing and lifting in a boat to get the salmon up to the surface. You could shorten everything up quite a bit which might compromise your effectiveness on getting a hit but it would be doable.

It would be a blast focusing on smaller salmon like coho.

Most of the folks I have talked to say they troll gear instead of nets (usually between two and four lines). I can see this being a bit more enjoyable considering the netting thing seems almost like driving a panel truck around a parking lot. Though I can imagine getting multiple strikes could be pretty interesting.

Other folks tell me that fly fishing off a pedal boat is pretty cool too. Around here folks will hit gar in the intercoastal using a pedal boat and flyrod.

Oh, I just meant they have a little net for after they catch the fish. They use a fairly standard pole setup and troll slowly with pedal power. The diameter of the nets they have is around 20 inches, and I would want more like a 30 inch net for Chinook salmon.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

Oh, I just meant they have a little net for after they catch the fish. They use a fairly standard pole setup and troll slowly with pedal power. The diameter of the nets they have is around 20 inches, and I would want more like a 30 inch net for Chinook salmon.

ah. Yes.

I dated a girl who did some kayak fishing in Alaska with her parents when she was in her early teens. Hooked a monster that was threatening to drag her out to sea. Her parents ended up grabbing her stern and paddled like hell to try to stop it from taking her to Russia with him. Turned out to be a 5 foot halibut that wasn't in the mood to stop. She was screaming and crying the whole time, but managed to get it reeled in to within a few feet from the boat. Her mom, being the level headed one, realized the kind of destructive potential a fish that size could have and strongly debated cutting the line but ended up clubbing it to death instead. The sight of her mom swinging a bloody bat like she was some kind of psycho never quite left her.

Neither did the shark that grabbed it and nearly swallowed it whole.

I will never kayak fish in big water.

Yeah, I would not salmon fish from a kayak here once a sea lion showed up. That'd be a recipe for disaster.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

Yeah, I would not salmon fish from a kayak here once a sea lion showed up. That'd be a recipe for disaster.

There is always cutting your line. The only time I have ever done that was on a head boat where I pulled in what I thought was a monster grouper only to realize it was a 6' moray that got really, really bitey once he got within staring distance from the rail.

Yikes!

Yeah, I wouldn't even try with a sea lion around because you'd have to keep a caught fish in the water on a stringer the whole time. If a sea lion was anywhere near it would zero in on that and you'd have hundreds of pounds of sea lion all up under your kayak ass.

Not me. but I found this a couple weeks ago when reading up on kayak fishing.

My wife and I have been having a blast taking our new kayaks out.

IMAGE(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b39/atomic_dog/fishing/6E575C7E-C91B-452B-B066-C922D0AD7160_zpsnjy5zi1m.jpg)

Caught this guy on an ultralight spinning rod, what a hoot!
IMAGE(http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b39/atomic_dog/fishing/1BA19079-D91E-4109-A800-DCCF964BC6D7_zpsivdyjfyu.jpg)

That is such a picturesque setting, and that's a beautiful bass!

That kayaker Columbia River salmon was even less than normal par for the course getting tired within 3 minutes time-wise. It was pretty hilarious to see it go belly up within 3 minutes after the crazy fish we were fighting in the Yaquina River. Still, that thing was big and beautiful. He nearly messed up the netting on the first try but got it on the second. I'm not really sure what causes the difference. Maybe it's because the Columbia/Willamette fish have swam such a long distance already. You see that kayaker just working him in and reeling it up. It tires out within 3 minutes and you can net it which is pretty normal for the Columbia/Willamette in our experience. The main trick is dealing with barbless hooks. It's really easy for a fish to shake them out far from the boat and at the net.

In the Yaquina, they're jumping completely out of the water. It's so crazy to see a fish that big not just thrash around on the surface but completely get air.

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

It's so crazy to see a fish that big not just thrash around on the surface but completely get air.

Seeing a huge sturgeon do that is mind boggling. Especially since they're usually super deep and it's like a slow motion event watching your line move out as they head for the surface.

Lost two giant Chinook today, got one. Two, including this one, completely got air. One broke the line when it did that. These guys are monsters compared to the Columbia River Chinook even though they aren't bigger.

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/MqurbOp.jpg)

Jelly. So Jelly.

Living on the Columbia, I really should get into Salmon fishing. Still lots of boats on the water up here.

fleabagmatt wrote:

Living on the Columbia, I really should get into Salmon fishing. Still lots of boats on the water up here.

Lemme know if you want any advice! There's a lot of stuff to figure out in the beginning. We've learned a lot over doing this the last three years. Since you're close, you could always fish evenings when it's less crowded. If you time tides right, you could be successful, but the better fishing there is likely in the mornings. If you kayak or have a small boat it tends to get nasty with the wind in the afternoons and isn't fun.

We got another one yesterday in the Yaquina! 33" and quite a fighter, although, it was much easier to net apparently than the 36"+ ones because everything somehow went perfectly. It was zinging and jumping all over the place but it tired out and let us net it after around 5-8 minutes. It was really good fishing on the Yaquina, and we saw 10-15 Chinook caught which is unusual for us to see even with lots of boats out.

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/dXeYerP.jpg)

Was up till 2 last night processing the 2 Chinook and a beautiful little 18" jack Chinook we got.

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/kgusnqr.jpg)

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

If you time tides right, you could be successful, but the better fishing there is likely in the mornings.

Well, there are four dams and probably a couple hundred river miles between me and any tidal activity.

fleabagmatt wrote:
tuffalobuffalo wrote:

If you time tides right, you could be successful, but the better fishing there is likely in the mornings.

Well, there are four dams and probably a couple hundred river miles between me and any tidal activity.

That's what I thought but I ended up getting confused because people talked about tides affecting current and lots of aspects of the river around St. Helens. I'm very unsure at this point. Is there a dam before Bonneville? I guess if you're in Eastern Washington, you're looking at a much higher stretch of Columbia than we were fishing.

Heading out tomorrow to spend a few days with my Brother and Dad fishing for Salmon on the Clearwater in Idaho.

I know it's counter-intuitive to drive so far inland to go salmon fishing, but this trip is more about spending time with family. I have only ever picked up one Steelhead in 6 total days of fishing the Clearwater from the bank, but we'll be mobile in a boat this time.

Oh fun! I don't know anything about that kind of salmon fishing, but I'll bet it's much more difficult than the kinda stuff we do if you want to be successful. The nice thing is it sounds like you can just relax and spend time with the family. If you're not 100% focused on getting fish. The kind of fishing we've been doing isn't really all that relaxing. You hardly get any sleep, and it's stressful given the little boat we use, especially if we try and squeeze an extra person or two in. It's worth it and about my favorite thing to do, but it's a ton of work and really leaves you drained.

Good luck and let us know how it goes!

Relax?

There will be some down time, but my father and brother are pretty enthusiastic about fishing. We'll be up late working on gear, and up early to launch the boat. There will be some down time though, plus my brother is at the end of his fiscal year so he may have to bail on one day for work.

It will be good though, I'll be sure to return with some sort of report.

Ha! Yeah that sounds like salmon fishing.

2 days on the water at the confluence of the Snake and Clearwater Rivers right in Downtown Lewiston Idaho. Very limited stretch for keeping Salmon at this point in the season, but that wasn't a problem because we didn't catch any.

My brother and I went out the first day with just the two of us, and watched one other boat pull in a fish. Went out with my dad, brother, and sister the next day with the same result. 8 hours dragging our lines up and down the river. My dad did have a 5-6 pounder on at one point, but it got off before we could land it. My brother, dad, and my brother's friend went back out today and caught a Native Chinook, so overall the fishing adventure wasn't a bust, but I had already returned to Oregon yesterday.

More interested in doing some Salmon/Steelhead fishing here in Oregon. I'll have to start pestering some of the folks I know who are really into it.

Well, that sounds pretty par for the course in terms of salmon fishing. We kinda go with a 1/3 days you'll probably get one philosophy. I only post in here when we actually get something. I always chock up those skunked days to putting in the time so you can get to that day that you'll catch one statistically speaking.

So, you've put in two, so chances are high you'll get one your next time out assuming you go at a time when it's possible to catch one.

My dad and I went fishing Thursday through Saturday in the Yaquina River. Caught and released 4 beautiful Coho salmon on Thursday. Caught nothing on Friday and then caught and released 3 more Coho on Saturday. It was pretty disheartening. We didn't see any Chinook caught but heard of one caught via the Sheriff at the dock when we checked in on Saturday.

The coho fisheries are really bad this year so most places are locked down as to keeping coho like the Yaquina.

It was a rough trip. We're not sure if the Chinook thing is just limited to a 3 week span or if it really dies down and then picks up for awhile. We know you can catch them up further in the river with spinners when they aren't feeding, but that seems like it would be much more difficult to get a hit plus the fish might not be as good eating at that point.

All in all, it's been a good year, but we really have put in the time to get those few good days here and there. I have one more day of vacation and I'm not even sure I want to spend it on fishing at this point.

You've really gone after them, and it sounds like you've had some good success. Sounds like a good season! I know that feeling, the second to last hunting season I participated in my father and I went after it hard, chasing elk, and after a few weeks it felt like a job. I was willing to take a deer if one presented itself in a place I could drag it out of, but not even that presented itself. It's a lot of fun, but man it wears a person down committing so much time. Picked up a whitetail buck on my first day of hunting the next season. Really enjoyed your updates, and hopefully I can put together some gear and time to dabble in the local fisheries.

My dad has one of the newer iPhones that takes the movie clips. It strangely took the most emotional high moment in my life while we were getting photographs. It was when we got that 37" Chinook after losing 1 the previous day and 1 just 20 minutes or so prior. After the "defeat" of last weekend catching and releasing 7 coho, I really needed to go through some of the good times this season.

It just makes me smile and laugh every time.

I had a fun seafood chowder experiment today and posted it in the cooking thread. Please use this recipe because it's amazing!

tuffalobuffalo wrote:

Well, I was really craving a seafood chowder of sorts and found this recipe via epicurious. I had 1/2-3/4 a pound of frozen Oregon bay shrimp I needed to use up, and a chowder seemed like the best way to go. I heavily modified the recipe and it turns out, I made the best seafood chowder I've ever had. I grew up with Mo's Clam Chowder from Newport which is basically perfect, so I'm pretty familiar with clam chowders.

Here you go. Please make it. It shouldn't be all that expensive to get ingredients for, and you can use basically any kind of seafood you want (try to get local and sustainable stuff!)

Hearty Oregon Seafood Chowder

Ingredients:
• 4 thick bacon slices, chopped into roughly ½” by ½” pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• ½ t celery salt or celery seed powder
• ½ t cayenne pepper
• ½ t paprika (either Hungarian or regular)
• ground salt and pepper to taste (maybe 1 t of each)
• 1 8-ounce bottle clam juice
• 8-ounce of water (use the clam juice bottle to measure)
• 2 cups 1/2-inch dice Yukon gold or other potatoes (make sure to dice smaller than bite-size pieces—keep them around ¼ to ½ inch on any one side)
• 2 cups 1/2-inch dice peeled butternut squash or any similar orange fleshed squash/pumpkin (make sure to dice smaller than bite-size pieces—keep them around ¼ to ½ inch on any one side)
• 2 cups chopped kale leaves with stems removed (very finely chop and don’t pack into cup when measuring)
• 1 quart whole milk (You could use reduced fat milk if you combine it with a small amount of cream or the like)
• ¼ cup butter (½ stick)
• 5 T of flour (more may be required)
• 2 tablespoons minced fresh thyme
• ¾ lb to 1 lb cooked seafood (The tiny Oregon bay shrimp is perfect and should be fairly sustainable and cost effective. You could add just about anything but try to make sure it’s relatively local and sustainable. Any kind of whitefish like cod/halibut/rockfish would be fine. You could even make this into a straight up clam chowder by using clams.)]

Preperation:
1. In a pot or Dutch oven, heat the chopped bacon on low-medium heat until it’s lightly cooked (Get it to the barely chewy point. It should not be crispy).
2. While the bacon is cooking or even as late as when you add the onions, start making a roux in a separate saucepan. Heat the butter on low heat until melted, then slowly whisk some of the 5 tablespoons of flour into the butter gradually. When it starts to get thick, start slowly adding milk from the quart of milk while whisking continuously. Use around half of it and let it sit there on low heat to thicken slightly while stirring occasionally. It’s not going to get very thick, but be sure to whisk it once in awhile. After you see the final results, you could adjust flour in the future to adjust chowder thickness.
3. Remove as much bacon grease as you can with a spoon from the pot when the bacon is ready. Add chopped onions and sauté until onions are translucent. Add minced fresh thyme, celery salt/powder, cayenne pepper, paprika, and salt/pepper, and stir 30 seconds or so. Mix in bottled clam juice, water, diced potatoes, and diced squash. Simmer 10 minutes or so. Add chopped kale leaves and celery and simmer until vegetables are almost tender, about another 10 minutes.
4. Add the roux to the pot and also add the leftover milk from the total quart. Stir and heat for another 5-10 minutes until it is brought to a simmer.
5. Add the cooked seafood and simmer for another 5-10 minutes.
6. Serve in a bowl and top with a small pat of butter and dash of paprika.

And so it begins again. I've saved up pretty up all my vacation time and this weekend was the first salmon fishing attempt this year. We're sticking with the Yaquina River because the fish are just so awesome there even though it's tough to get hookups.

There weren't many boats out this weekend because it's quite early in the season for salmon on that river. We only saw one jack Chinook caught the whole weekend between everyone. Most people were crabbing. We got a 32" Chinook on Saturday:

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/Ywauhp2.jpg)

and a 30" Chinook 5 minutes before we were about to give up today. It was absolutely amazing to be out on the water today for 8 hours or so and pull in the depth finder sensor at the end of the day in preparation to pull in the poles only to get a Chinook hit. I'm still shocked. Didn't expect to get anything this weekend. We have all of September to catch more when the Chinook really start coming in.

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/MrDBc43.jpg)

I'm using a vacation day to process all the fish. Did a bit tonight so I can smoke it tomorrow. Will do the rest tomorrow and post pictures. We also got a super feisty jack Chinook which I filleted tonight and am brining to smoke tomorrow. Along with a few other pieces of the 30" Chinook.

I was thinking about you, Tuff.

I saw as story earlier last week about a salmon farm spill in Western Washington and was wondering if you were going to go to try to catch them.

Paleocon wrote:

I was thinking about you, Tuff.

I saw as story earlier last week about a salmon farm spill in Western Washington and was wondering if you were going to go to try to catch them.

Farmed salmon may be a necessity and whatnot, but I wouldn't have any interest in plucking those guys out of the ocean given this thread.

IMAGE(http://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20170831/be995e08e8781d17488d41b92f819392.jpg)

I'm sure the meat is fine, but I've been spoiled with what I'm looking for in a salmon. Here are a couple pics of the fish processing from the 2 Chinook from last weekend:

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/ZTN4JvK.jpg)

IMAGE(http://i.imgur.com/EudDZDR.jpg)