Considering a move to Portland / Vancouver area

[kairo]

Howdy all,

Currently live in Nevada, but considering getting back to the PNW. I'm a Seattle area native. We're tentatively looking at houses on the Vancouver side of the river.

Whatever we end up getting, I'm going to have storage for a boat. Most of my past experience has been in fairly deep V ocean boats in the 20-26' range. Looking at some videos of folks fishing the Columbia, it looks like it can get some pretty heavy weather that pops up.

Do you think an 18-20' medium V with an outboard prop would be sufficient? Would likely get a hard or soft top so the missus doesn't have to sit out in the rain all day (you know the drill)

Currently driving a Toyota Tacoma so I don't think I'm going to be hauling any offshore 24' boats.

Something like this looks like it might be ideal? I could take it up to Puget sound as well.

https://www.hewescraft.com/products/pro-v/

 

[Raincatcher]

@Irishrover

 

[Irishrover]

RC thanks for the heads up.

Kairo ...... that Hews Pro V would be a great boat for the Columbia. Perfect size for launching and retrieving. We do get some rain and wind up here on the river so that hard top would be well worth it.

A darn good place to take that boat is just up river to Drano Lake. It is really part of the Columbia River and has fantastic chinook salmon fishing in the spring and fall.

Fishing on Drano Lake in Washington (usatoday.com)

Went there last fall with my son and grandsons and brought home plenty of fish.

That boat would also be perfect for lake Merwin and Yale Lake, right close to Vancover. target Kokanee.

A note about the Columbia if you think about the B-10 fishery. Down there at Astoria and Ilwaco the river can present some dangerous challenges. An up river wind on an outgoing tide creates some very tall, short set waves. Best to be off the river when this happens. Just keep an eye on the tides and wind. Best bet is incoming tide up to slack tide.

Welcome to the forum, and feel free to ask an questions.

 

[kairo]

RC thanks for the heads up.

Kairo ...... that Hews Pro V would be a great boat for the Columbia. Perfect size for launching and retrieving. We do get some rain and wind up here on the river so that hard top would be well worth it.

A darn good place to take that boat is just up river to Drano Lake. It is really part of the Columbia River and has fantastic chinook salmon fishing in the spring and fall.

Fishing on Drano Lake in Washington (usatoday.com)

Went there last fall with my son and grandsons and brought home plenty of fish.

That boat would also be perfect for lake Merwin and Yale Lake, right close to Vancover. target Kokanee.

A note about the Columbia if you think about the B-10 fishery. Down there at Astoria and Ilwaco the river can present some dangerous challenges. An up river wind on an outgoing tide creates some very tall, short set waves. Best to be off the river when this happens. Just keep an eye on the tides and wind. Best bet is incoming tide up to slack tide.

Welcome to the forum, and feel free to ask an questions.

Awesome, thanks much for the reply!

I was watching some videos of people going out over the Columbia bar into the ocean and it looks like it gets pretty nasty. Is there ever a safer time / season to get out into the ocean, or better to just trailer out to a launch?

Is it possible to boat down the Willlamette? Looks like it would be neat to take a summer evening cruise past downtown Portland if it's doable.

 

[Irishrover]

Cruising the Willamette can be fun. Have gone down to watch the fireworks on the 4th of July. You can go up river all the way to Oregon City. In the spring there is a chinook fishery. A lot of folks fish the Selwood area.

The Columbia River Bar is a strange place. It can be calm and an easy crossing, yet in a few hours turn to a caldron of dangerous wave and tidal currents.

I have crossed that bar many times. I used to have a condo in Warrenton on the Skipanon River. From there it was 11.5 river miles to the bar. You have to learn the tides, tidal exchange, wind speed and direction, wave height and frequency, and how to maneuver your boat. It took a lot of fun out of fishing that area. Newport is by far a better place to cross into the ocean. Some folks do, but I would not recommend taking a boat like the Hews Pro V across the Columbia bar.

In June of 2014 a 22' Alumiweld Intruder crossed the bar moment before I did. That boat capsized with six people on board. We were able to pull 5 of the six out. The 6th did not make and died on the bar.

A couple of years later we stopped fishing there and began fishing out of Newport again. Fishing is supposed to be fun not a life and death event. There is a thread about the incident here on OFF.

I have not done this yet but up in the Camas area on the Columbia there is suppose to be some good Walleye fishing. Some day I'll give it a try. It would be close to you.

 

[kairo]

That's nuts. Yah, my idea of fishing is to have fun and not die, so your recommendations are duly noted. I've fished some pretty heavy waters up on the coast of Vancouver Island -- just big rollers or chop -- and after a while it's just way too much work to be enjoyable.

Forgot to mention, I also have a flat bottom Dory over at my brother's place. It would be perfect for rippin around in the shallower areas.

Another dumb question. For the Columbia, you just need a license (plus whatever special permits) from either Oregon or Washington right? Kinda like Lake Tahoe. It's split between CA and NV so a license from either state works.

 

[Irishrover]

For the Columbia, you just need a license (plus whatever special permits) from either Oregon or Washington right? Kinda like Lake Tahoe. It's split between CA and NV so a license from either state works.

Yes that is how it works. You can even launch for either state.