Minimum boat size for fishing Willamette in Oregon City

[ocfishermang]

Hi everyone,
I'm new to the forum, been lurking for a while. I've lived in Oregon City for a few years, bank fishing for steelhead and shad. I have a 12' aluminum boat w/ 6 HP Johnson that I've only used on the lakes and the upper willamette in the summertime. The boat is very stable on the willamette in the summer, but I'm wondering what other folks think about taking it on the Willamette in the Spring.

My question for you experienced fishermen is: What's the minimum size boat you'd take out on the Willamette (near Oregon City) in the Spring? Any special gear for a craft that small? Your answers will help me determine if I should get a bigger boat.

Thanks for looking. Apologies in advance if this is the wrong place to post.

 

[JeannaJigs]

We did it in my friends 12' boat with a 15h and it was sketchy as hell. We went down to the Columbia. I felt like I had been in a car wreck the day after because the boat got tossed around like nothing.

So no I don't recommend it. We were pretty stupid.

 

[FishFinger]

Welcome to the forum.

There are parts of the lower Willamette where you can use a 12' safely, on the troll, sitting on anchor, maybe a bad idea.

14' to 16' would probably be best with as much freeboard as you can find.

 

[Irishrover]

I agree with the above statements......I have used my 16' drift boat out there by Clackamette Park with a 9.9 kicker. The problem is the wake that comes from the tug boats and their barges. There is a yellow tug that runs the river with a barge load of gravel, it displaces a lot of water so it's wake is a monster. It could swamp a small boat with no problem. If you hit the river in a small boat you really need to pay attention to the other river traffic.

 

[eugene1]

The problem I see is from Guide's boats swamping your 12'er if you are thinking about Springers at OC. It's a crazy zoo there! I did it on my old 15' boat, and we were OK, but it wasn't that enjoyable.

Good luck,

 

[bass]

The problem I see is from Guide's boats swamping your 12'er if you are thinking about Springers at OC. It's a crazy zoo there! I did it on my old 15' boat, and we were OK, but it wasn't that enjoyable.

Good luck,

+1

I take my 12' kayak out on the Willie all year round, but it is a sealed hull with scuppers to drain water out. Basically I could tip but not swamp (water drains through the floor and the hull itself traps air like a giant bobber). I would be pretty leery to be out there in a small open boat. My advice is to ditch the tin can and get a sit on top kayak

 

[eugene1]

Good suggestion, bass, about the smaller and more stable platform.

At the alternative end of the spectrum is to go big or go home and get a 25' open sled and spread the wake love around a little bit! LOL.

Good luck to you guys at OC this year. It is what it is there,

+1

I take my 12' kayak out on the Willie all year round, but it is a sealed hull with scuppers to drain water out. Basically I could tip but not swamp (water drains through the floor and the hull itself traps air like a giant bobber). I would be pretty leery to be out there in a small open boat. My advice is to ditch the tin can and get a sit on top kayak

 

[GungasUncle]

I've got a 12 foot tin can myself - and would *not* be comfy taking it out on the lower willamette. There's some slough like backwaters above the falls with slow current and fairly shallow depths and little traffic I might be talked into running - but never in the main channel. A 14 footer would be my personal minimum for comfort - bigger being better. I've run the upper willamette in a friend's 14 foot bass boat and it wasn't bad. No barges to worry about on the upper river near Newberg or Salem.

I will tell you what's scary though - is being out on the river a couple miles above the falls and having the starter on the only engine on the boat going teets up. Happened on another friend's boat a few years back. We had a 18 foot glass boat with inboard - no kicker, one paddle. Had his kids & wife on board too - just out cruising and putzing around with some fish. The magnet in the starter shattered - and we pulled the starter apart pieced it back together on the river with the boat drifting in the current. We were about a mile away from my personal bail-out-and-swim point when we got the motor to fire. Never went out on his boat again - and we didn't turn that motor off till the boat was trailered. If you're goin out on the river - make sure you've got a backup of some sort in case your main motor craps out - even if the backup won't fight the current - if it moves you laterally so you can reach the bank it's better than nothing. I don't leave home without oars in my tin can.

I would *not* anchor in the river with a boat that small - there was a guy killed last year who was anchored up in a small boat on the upper willamette and his boat went down. Big boats have almost no reaction time when an anchoring goes bad - small boats have zero time.

Good luck with the springers whatever you choose to do.

 

[FishFinger]

OFF the top of my head I can think of a few places on the lower Willy ideal for your 12' and spring Chinook. Launch from Willamette park near Johns Landing and troll herring in stretch called "Freds Flats" along the west bank near the flag pole @ the Avalon. While others work the main channel thinking the nooks are running deep, low and behold you'll find them in just 15' in the flats.

If your versed in plunking spin & glows another "trick" is to rig up 3 S&G's, and with a buddy on the bank; run your gear out and drop it into position. Casting a 3 S&G rig is a nightmare, motoring out your gear is both slick and productive.

If your really ambitious you can use this same techniques on the Columbia from the beach just up river from St Helens marina and above the mouth of the slough. I've done this for Springers safely many, many times over the years.

 

[DirectDrive]

It can be done, but don't anchor as stated above and stay out of "big water" as described by Jeanna.
What you want to do is find an area that has a No Wake Zone.
The Ferry Street ramp on Sauvies Island is a good example. You have the "small water" of the channel and there are lots of houseboats (read No Wake Zone).

Another spot is the west end of Oak Grove Blvd in Oak Grove (Milwaukie).
A good troll pattern here and much less busy than other parts of the Willamette.

 

[Born2Fish55]

I fish a 16' Klamath "Bay" boat with a 25 HP.... Willamette and Columbia... she works, however it can get dicey out there!
She is stable and handles well in all of the bays for fishing and crabbing for many years now. That said, I am in the process of shopping around for a 20'+ just for that reason.
For myself it is nothing really as I use my 16' Canoe and 19' Kayak in both rivers as well, 99% is knowing your craft, its limitations and your abilities on the water. I have over 50 years invested in playing on the water and I have always had a great respect for the water mixed with a deep hatred for the Googan's that should not be allowed in a bathtub, let alone open water with others and they are driving around like some California transplant during a snow event in an SUV that has never been in 4 wheel drive.