Silvers are moving in...

[Gettin' Jiggy Wid It]

5 hours of trolling from sunrise with nothing... lots of bored fishermen drifting by in their boats... then BAM! Coho started feeding heavily in the bay. I landed two, (one wild, one keeper), in the span of 30 minutes, and 3 or 4 other boats around me hooked into silvers as well...the bite was crazy. I had two more strong takedowns as well, but those fish just got scratched mouths, apparently.

10 mph winds and waves beat me up pretty good in my kayak though. It was a rough day on the water, but paid off in the end.

 

[rogerdodger]

Excellent, can't wait for the 15th when we can keep them here (essentially no hatchery fish here), huge numbers of Coho out in the ocean OFF the river mouth...

 

[sapo]

Where on the bay where you fishing?

 

[Gettin' Jiggy Wid It]

I launched from Nehalem Bay State Park and fished the lower Bay area all the way to jetty fishery (where there is another launch ramp). I wanted to get closer to the jaws, but it was windy and I just didn't want to chance it in a kayak, even on the incomming tide. I doubt I'll ever fish the jaws below jetty fishery unless I go out with some pro's who do it regularly. There are plenty of fish in the system from the town of Nehalem all the way down to the jaws.

The launch ramp at Nehalem Bay State Park is very nice, with a long dock, a little easier to deal with than some of the other spots. Lots of people were launching kayaks from the sandy beach there, mostly just paddlers looking to explore the bay and get some exercise.

Since this is my first year to fish Nehalem Bay, I'm wondering how the october rains will affect it for fishing. Will the river blow out with swift water from the town of Nehalem all the way to jaws? Can it still be fished on an incoming tide even if the rains are pushing a lot of water down river? Any info on that would be much appreciated.

 

[sapo]

Thanks for the info! As for your questions, I'm still learning as well, so can't help much there right now. But there are other members who can.

 

[DrTheopolis]

It has to rain pretty hard to blow Nehalem Bay out. And if it does blow, it doesn't last long. First rains pull more fish in the bay, and the "old timers" move up into tidewater. Upper bay starts getting pretty hot after the first rain. Me and my buddy will anchor up and toss gear, if we can find room among our 5000 close friends out there.

 

[Gettin' Jiggy Wid It]

Thanks, Dr. T.

Have you fished for winter steel in the bay in November/December/January? I've been warned of the crowds there in winter.

Even right now on the weekdays there are probably 80 boats from the town of Nehalem to the jaws. I've made 4 trips on weekdays only this summer, and its busy every time. The bay is a lot smaller than i realized, particularly the "hot" trolling lanes. Yesterday I saw a boat on plane ripping along that came within 15 feet of a stationary boat that had to move at the last second to keep from getting creamed...and of course this was close to the marina "'No Wake" zone.

 

[DrTheopolis]

Have you fished for winter steel in the bay in November/December/January? I've been warned of the crowds there in winter.

Even right now on the weekdays there are probably 80 boats from the town of Nehalem to the jaws. I've made 4 trips on weekdays only this summer, and its busy every time. The bay is a lot smaller than i realized, particularly the "hot" trolling lanes. Yesterday I saw a boat on plane ripping along that came within 15 feet of a stationary boat that had to move at the last second to keep from getting creamed...and of course this was close to the marina "'No Wake" zone.

When I fish with my friend down there, he tries to stay on plane and fairly close to other boats, which makes less wake for them to deal with... but not by the no-wake-zones. Besides the rental crabbing boats, the idiot-factor is still lower than the next bay to the south.

I've never fished the bay for steel. Fished the NF and Mainstem plenty (hasn't been any hatchery fish in the Mainstem for many years, but serious monster nates).

Good crabbing in winter, too.

 

[rogerdodger]

On plane is best for minimum wake, nothing worse than a boat 'plowing' with just enough speed to create maximum wake, but speed and distance are related- anyone moving fast near boats that are stopped or slowly trolling, especially small/drift boats and/or kayak/canoes, needs to leave enough room for it to not be considered "unsafe operation". Wake is only one part of it.

I suggest thinking like this- pass by other boats at a speed and distance that you feel comfortable doing right in front of a Marine Trooper or CG boat. And remember they have really expensive binoculars for a reason.

"let me explain, I went by that kayak maybe 20feet away at 30mph to create a minimum wake, isn't that what they told us to do in Boater Education class?"