St. Helens/Columbia

[Gannon]

Hello, wanted to start a thread about fish caught around St.Helens, share your stories from this year! Got skunked on winter steelhead this year, but hoping for a springer or my "one" sturgen. Heard some springers were pulled out, time to fish.

 

[bass]

Hello, wanted to start a thread about fish caught around St.Helens, share your stories from this year! Got skunked on winter steelhead this year, but hoping for a springer or my "one" sturgen. Heard some springers were pulled out, time to fish.

I have never fished that area but I keep meaning to get my kayak up there to check it out. Usually I like to fish for sturgeon and bass (once the water warms a bit). Does anyone know if the bass fishing is decent in that area? Looks like it might be good around the island, the docks and down into MC. Is the launch at Grey Cliffs public? Is there a fee?

 

[Gannon]

There is some bass in Scappose bay and at warm water. Warm water is full of bluegill and bass.

 

[Gannon]

Going out soon in my kayak to try to get a winter steelhead, anyone want to join in?

 

[Socaaron]

I have never fished that area but I keep meaning to get my kayak up there to check it out. Usually I like to fish for sturgeon and bass (once the water warms a bit). Does anyone know if the bass fishing is decent in that area? Looks like it might be good around the island, the docks and down into MC. Is the launch at Grey Cliffs public? Is there a fee?

Bass- If you launch from the dock at the St Helens marina there is a $5 fee(for the parking) not sure about the other ones in the area but I think they all have a small fee. Have you tried fishing in the Multnomah channel for sturgeon, that's where I do most of my fishing for them because Sauvie's allows me to bank fish for them without worrying about casting a mile. There's some great holes both up and down the channel from the gilbert river boat launch but you do need the sauvie island parking pass($7 a day or $22 a year)

 

[bass]

Hey Gannon, thanks for the information. I know some folks that kayak fish for winter steelhead up by Cedaroak launch and have done well. I have never gotten around to trying it - I always just end up sturgeon fishing since I love it so much. Perhaps this year I will give it a try. My concern with fishing in MC or the big C in the winter is that the current may be too strong. I find pulling my anchor in those conditions to sometimes get dicey when my anchor gets hung. This happens a lot where I fish since the bottom has a lot of boulders, cliffs, etc. Perhaps in the area you are talking about it is not as big of a deal.

Bass- If you launch from the dock at the St Helens marina there is a $5 fee(for the parking) not sure about the other ones in the area but I think they all have a small fee. Have you tried fishing in the Multnomah channel for sturgeon, that's where I do most of my fishing for them because Sauvie's allows me to bank fish for them without worrying about casting a mile. There's some great holes both up and down the channel from the gilbert river boat launch but you do need the sauvie island parking pass($7 a day or $22 a year)

Thanks for the information Socarron. I buy the wildlife parking pass when I get my fishing license each year and I believe it covers Sauvie island. I keep meaning to give the Gilbert launch a try but it is about twice as long of a drive to there as to my regular launch spots. That means I lose an hour of fishing. I always have a hard time justifying that. I will have to bite the bullet and give it a try one of these days.

Problem is that there are too many good spots to fish and not enough time - man it stinks living in Oregon

 

[Gannon]

I'm trolling that away I don't have to deal with the current. I'm going to anchor in the lower big creek in December I know a great hole, that I found last winter. But when it comes to the Columbia Id rather paddle and troll, I think I might paddle over to the Lewis and check it out.

 

[Hooked on tugs]

Fished last sunday just down from St.helens current is just ripping down dont have to worry about tide poor visibility lots of debri hoping it clears up by this weekend

 

[Hooked on tugs]

Springers are here fish getting caught every day this week off prescott

 

[chad wiest]

You are so close to the lower multnomah channel that you ought to give that a go. Springer fishing is just getting started in there. Anchoring up can be productive as well as trolling.

 

[Hooked on tugs]

Bass mouth of the MC has some good sturgeon fishing even some piling you could tie up to so you dont have to drop an anchor

 

[Hooked on tugs]

I'll defenitley be in the channel every weekend now that the columbia is closed

 

[mikeee2362]

You are so close to the lower multnomah channel that you ought to give that a go. Springer fishing is just getting started in there. Anchoring up can be productive as well as trolling.

Is there any place to plunk on the Multnomah Channel?

 

[Toyracer38]

Really not much access mikeee other than Sauvie Island Wildlife area. I tried there a couple years ago and only saw very few caught. Take a long handle net, Atleast 3' above the water. Seems they run up the Scappoose side mainly.

 

[Hooked on tugs]

Columbia opens back up May 15th till June 15th

 

[mikeee2362]

I'm now in San Diego for a wedding wishin' to be fishin' back home.....oops did I say that outloud?

 

[halibuthitman]

As you travel north on hwy 30 just before you enter scappoose you will see a shell station on your right, turn right on the next road, travel around 2 miles until you see a bridge the road goes under, just before that you will see a big dirt turn out on the left.. Park there. Cross the road and you will come to a very worn trail that leads up and over the old road bed and continue on this path until you come to a worn bank side location, if you see 65 thousand beer cans and a couple pounds of condoms and you are there. Theres trees and pilings in the river so its a technical location to work. The springers run about 20 ft out, the walleye and bass are further out-

 

[mikeee2362]

As you travel north on hwy 30 just before you enter scappoose you will see a shell station on your right, turn right on the next road, travel around 2 miles until you see a bridge the road goes under, just before that you will see a big dirt turn out on the left.. Park there. Cross the road and you will come to a very worn trail that leads up and over the old road bed and continue on this path until you come to a worn bank side location, if you see 65 thousand beer cans and a couple pounds of condoms and you are there. Theres trees and pilings in the river so its a technical location to work. The springers run about 20 ft out, the walleye and bass are further out-

Thanx HHM. Gonna give that a try. Nice to hear of a shore possibility for Walleye!