Oregon fishing and BS

Lots lore Smallies here that Largemouth for sure. Having grown up on Largemouth bin SoCal I definitely miss the big toad fish but smallmouth are so aggressive and stuff I do love them. The Columbia sloughs can all be pretty good as the water warms up for both species and a lot of the smaller waterbodies have Largemouth.

Jump on the Oregon Kayak Bass Fishing or Kayak Fish NW (same thing) facebook/website. Marvin runs a good program and lots of quality guys that will be happy to show you spots up here. Ive been sponsoring them for a number of years and the membership has really taken off as folks have learned how good our bass fishing can be.

 

I’ve caught a ton of bass in the Tualatin River in Tigard. It’s a perfect kayak fishing spot.

 

I dont think ibwill be hitting up the slough anymore. Went out there a few years ago. Miat of the access parking are sketch now and so are the encampments along the slough.
I followed oKBF a few years ago when the site was being started and really haven’t followed up on. Kinda forgot about that.
Tualatim was fun with lots if bite but i opt for a trout rod on that river. Unless im missing something there.
Thanks for the suggestions. Ill scope out more google maps of spots.

 

I usually do best bass fishing in the Columbia mainly because I have fished it the most… I wouldn’t mind hitting up the Tualatin or the Willamettewith someone who knows what they are talking about… I do fish a couple of lakes and ponds Throughout the region (pine hollow included) and do decent. This year has just been strange and part of it is I’m trying new things and new baits and techniques

 

id like to tag along on the Willy and Tualatin as well. Always wanting to learn more. Im all over the place with fishing. Lakes. oceans, rivers. ponds...
Pine Hallow is on my list for crappie. Seen some youtube videos from there. I also follow NorthwestKayakAnglers. Pretty cool group to learn from for kayak fishing.

 

I don’t have a fishing kayak but have fished from my kayak… I do have a one person inflatable pontoon boat that I just got a trolling motor for and I’m trying to figure out what fish finder I want

 

Brownlee is THE spot for crappie and warmwater. Headed out next week for the Crappie Shootout.

If anyone needs kayaks/kayak gear....i know a guy.

 

I have Garmin Striker 4CV. I dont use it much for other than locating depth. Think it was about $140 at the time.

 

Been wanting to attend that shootout for a few years now. Something else always comes up. I thought this would be the year i entered but no.
They have nice prizes too.

 

Jed runs a great event and attracts the right crowd. A lot of the Seattle crew is making it this year too, gonna be a good one.

I have Camp booked in June at Brownlee as well and will maybe go back in September if I dont head home to SoCal for some offshore fishing. Brownlee is definitely worth the drive.

Oregon Rockfish Classic is back on this year too. Been watching my team assemble prizes from vendors for that one too, should be decent given the lack of available product for people to donate.

 

Swung-up our first summer steel of the year last weekend:


Moving back to the NW permanently at the end of the month. Don’t have to fly-in to meet clients. It’s going to be a good season!

 

I havent had any experience in the salt yet. Dont have anyone to go out with either. Seen open invites but all were when i couldnt make it. The ORFC could be the time get out there.
Good Luck on the tourney. What are you peddlin/paddlin?

 

ORC is certainly a good time.

I move between boats a lot depending on where/what im doing but generally hold pretty tight to my Commander 120 or Thresher 140. I have been the Paddlesports buyer at Next Adventure since '14 so have the advantage of being able to grab whatever Demo I want (BSB bass360 is latest new-project). I have been in the Paddlesports industry since '07 as the manager of KayakFishingSupplies.com prior to being poached by Next. I did a long stint as the Pro Team manager for Wilderness Systems for the West Coast and Westeen Canada as well. Always loved the boats and so I tend to hold tight to their hulls/designs although my inside peaks says watch for the new stuff from Jackson to be hot in the next few years.

Just prefer to paddle, sold off the pedal boats I have aquired over time, never felt comfortable. But ive also been kayak fishing since 2001 so hard to break habit. I remember when the only 2 hobies (for years!) At the kayak fishing events were Sports pedaled by a couple lady anglers. Never would have imagined how much itd all change.

 

I’m stuck between the Striker 4cv and the lowrance hook2. Battery power is not an issue. If you have either can I get the pros and cons in your eyes

 

I have only had experience with the 4CV. It does what i need it for in rivers and lakes. I mainly use it for keeping track of my speed. Water depth and temp. GPS would be nice but it has waypoints and contours. Never had any major issues with the unit except it didn’t act right when the battery was low one time. Viewing the screen is good in bright sun. Not a touch screen but is enough to navigate with the buttons. The Clearview on there seems good. I dont use it much for locating fish. Prolly had it about 3 years Sorry for not much of a review. I do plan on getting a upgrade in the future and it would be something with GPS. Hard to justify a larger unit on a kayak or pontoon. Garmin seemed like a solid brand for mu experience.

 

On the in pricepoint units they are not all that different from one another. I think Lowrance has had the best understanding of how to make a quality, compact, waterproof unit that works well on kayaks for the longest. At KFSupplies I worked a bit with designers and such and you could tell they really understood and wanted to be the best. Garmin however has really taken a lot of market share in the past 2-3 years.

Personally I use a Raymarine A98 but if I was shopping pricepoint id grab either the Garmin or Lowrance and not look back at the choice, they will both treat you well.

 

You got a nice resume there in the industry! I got started getting only about 6 years ago. Started with a cheap kayak from Dicks and was hooked. Eventually got a Native and that made the fishing even better. for me so i prefer the hands free pedal. I do still prefer to paddle when im just using a kayak for recreational.

 

Does anyone know if its Summer Steelhead on the Willamette? And whats are some baits to use when trolling?

 

Lower system, sure. However, it’s easier to target springers if you’re in the bigger water, though. Not many people will target steelhead on the Willy until they’re higher in the system and off into the tributaries. Not saying it isn’t possible and/or there aren’t people doing it. But it’s a much larger learning curve to target steelhead in big open water compared to getting them in close quarters and learning their cruising water (they don’t really “hold” — they’re movers). We’ve gotten a few steelhead this year in willamette tributaries so there are fish (in unknown numbers) throughout.