With the dwindling salmon fishery, thank you WDFW and ODFW, we are looking to other fisheries to keep fish in the freezer. I recently got invited to buddy boat to halibut grounds out of Garibaldi. Since our springer season was pretty much a bust due to the pandemic, we accepted the invite. The plan was […]
Pandemic Fishing 2020
In the midst of this COVID-19 stay at home order, we all just have to get out now and then. After Washington closed all recreational fishing, Oregon quickly followed suit and closed the Columbia for all salmon and steelhead fishing. They allowed fishing on the Columbia for all other species which tells me this closure […]
Something was Missing
The stars and moon were in alignment. The tide was just right. No wind, not even a ripple on the water. We launched and had lines in the water just before sunrise. There was a light fog hovering just over the water. The water temp was a cool 46.4 degrees. The air temp was about […]
Planning the first Springer trip of 2020
After the Fall salmon season has ended, if you are like me, you start thinking about the next years springer season. Yes, there is plenty of Winter steelhead fishing to be done, but I am a big salmon junkie. It is that time of year now and I am itching to get out there. Typically, […]
2019 Ocean Salmon Season – Week 3
WOW! I have mixed feelings about the fishing trip today. We took our old neighbors from Sherwood, Mark and his son Alex, out for a second day hoping to repeat what we experienced yesterday. The drive out to Ilwaco was typical. Nothing to report. Got to the boat and prepped the crab traps. Today, we […]
2019 Ocean Salmon Season – Week 4
The weather synopsis is not always 100% accurate. The ocean conditions on paper looked to be similar to the flat conditions we experienced last week. Reality was something a bit different. Crossing the bar was not too bad, but once outside, the water never layed down. We headed straight out West from the river till […]
2019 Ocean Salmon Season – Week 1
We are a week late due to some mechanical problems on the truck, but the wait was definitely worth it. Last week, we had a small issue with the truck not starting. I first thought it was a failed starter, but with a replacement starter, it still would not engage. At least I thought it […]
2019 Springer Pre-Season
It was a cold day in early March, but it was a beautiful one none the less. After getting the motor 100 hour service completed, we decided to get out for a little “Here fishy fishy!!” We launched from the Ridgefield, WA ramp and had a short run to the Columbia River. DFW decided to […]
De-Winterizing the Boat 2019
As the snow melts and the excitement of Springer season draws near, it is time to de-winterize the boat. De-winterizing is pretty straight forward with outboards. This year, my 100 hour service was due as well. I looked into having a local Mercury dealer do all my 100 hour service, but at about $500 per […]
Crabbing 2018
We were fortunate to have a couple weekends of good weather heading into the end of 2018. This made crabbing limits even more enjoyable this time of year. Here is some of the equipment we have decided to use. If you would like to purchase your own, click the links below. Danielson Pacific FTC Crab […]