Springer fishing.......?

[jbett98]

Picked up my first Willamette springer today.
Nice little 17 lb hen. One of the other guys in the boat got a 12 lb hen.
Thinking real hard about going back out tomorrow morning. The slack tide will be around 10:00 am, so I won't be in a big "O Dark Thirty" hurry to get on the river, but you still have to get a parking spot at the Basin Ave. ramp.

 

[Mikej]

Parking won't be too bad 'till Saturday.....And after the Columbia closes. People don't' want those inferior Willamette fish. Did we talk Wednesday at the ramp? Maybe? I was with a buddy in an 18' Hewes with a black top.

I don't bother fishing the tides. We just go early and take out around 2:00. Your "Little 17lber" is a fine large fish from what I'v been seeing coming off the Willamette. I picked up two out there Wednesday, might have been 11lbs.

 

[jbett98]

I didn't talk to anyone yesterday at the ramp, except for one guy asking me what depth we were fishing.
I'm heading out this morning with a new to me 7.5 Honda trolling motor that I bought from a member here.
I hope I don't have to row my 14' boat back to the ramp.

We were right under the Steel Bridge when that guy jumped off into the river.
The Portland Fire boat sure came down river fast and they plucked him out in a hurry, but they couldn't revive him.

 

[jbett98]

Went out today around 8:30 am and picked up a nice fat 21 lb. hen.
I have been trolling a little faster the everybody else and making serpentine tracks behind the slower boats as I overtake them.
This one was picked up in the same location as yesterday, and as I was crossing real close behind a guy going up river near one of the bridge abutments.
I thought at first that I had snagged a stick because my rod tip just bowed down real slow and steady.
I have learned that this years Springers are not real aggressive and are lightly mouthing the bait.
If in doubt, just feed them a couple of pulls while tipping the rod down into the water and try to feel them swimming away.
I am changing to a sliding lead line instead of the traditional wire spreader above the flasher, because after my first attempt to net it by myself, I got the wire spreader caught in the net.
I really lucked out and was able to try a second attempt at netting before she wised up tried another run.
I am also using a small treble hook below the upper larger single hook and all of the fish have been caught on the treble hook way down into their mouths.

 

[Mikej]

21 pounds, that's a trophy this year from what I've been seeing. I've had a heck of a time getting the "Corkscrew" roll I want so I've gone back to the sliding hook and a nose clip. I've always been a wire spreader guy but this year I went to the sliding lead. I've been with people every time out so not having to worry about the self netting. Not that I mind it though.

 

[Sgt Nambu]

Sell your boat, sell or give away your tackle, stay home! That's what I did! Nice and warm in here!

 

[jbett98]

I have been using one of those "cut plug herring jigs" for my bait.
I lost too many fish with the sliding hook setup, and went back to the fixed hook rig.
I soak the green label herring overnight in 5 cups of water with 1 cup of rock salt, a dash of anise oil extract and a bunch of ice cubes.
It really helps toughen up the bait so it doesn't get mushy while trolling.
I have an old small sized playmate cooler just for this process and put it in the fridge to keep the ice from melting. Today's fish was caught on yesterdays bait.
Keep the frozen bait in a freezer that isn't a frost free model. Mine are stored in a small chest type freezer.
I have also been soaking all of my tackle in a 1 gallon bucket filled with river water and a couple of drops of Dawn lemon scented dish soap as I'm running up river before I get ready to troll.
I wash my hands with the soapy water, then bait the hooks.
I found that wrapping a clean terry wash cloth around the tiller handle also keeps my hands cleaner and free from the engine oil smell while I'm trolling.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Sell your boat, sell or give away your tackle, stay home! That's what I did! Nice and warm in here!

Well I did the first thing you suggested but the tackle is staying put till I find a ride in someones boat.......

 

[oknow]

Well I did the first thing you suggested but the tackle is staying put till I find a ride in someones boat.......

If you want to head down to Vancouver your welcome

 

[Caveman Jim]

If you want to head down to Vancouver your welcome

Convo started.

 

[jbett98]

I'm three for three so far. Right around 15 lbs. The bottom treble is the only way to tie up a double hook herring rig. Green or blue flasher work the best at 16 feet down with 8 oz lead ball.
There is definitely more folks on the Willamette since the Columbia river closed down.
Some clown from Idaho parked his truck in one lane and his trailer at an angle across the adjoining lane this morning, and I almost got a hernia dragging it out of the way so I could get the last spot.
I thought of leaving a nasty note on his windshield, but somebody had beat me to it.
They weren't as kind as I would have been.

 

[Caveman Jim]

Is the Columbia closed for springers? I am test riding a new to me boat tomorrow morning in Lake Oswego & if it's open I'd like to do a maiden voyage to get some stink in the boat......

 

[jbett98]

Closed for now, but it might reopen for a day or two, just when it gets full of fish, they will also let the nets back in.

 

[Mikej]

I'm three for three so far. Right around 15 lbs. The bottom treble is the only way to tie up a double hook herring rig. Green or blue flasher work the best at 16 feet down with 8 oz lead ball.
There is definitely more folks on the Willamette since the Columbia river closed down.
Some clown from Idaho parked his truck in one lane and his trailer at an angle across the adjoining lane this morning, and I almost got a hernia dragging it out of the way so I could get the last spot.
I thought of leaving a nasty note on his windshield, but somebody had beat me to it.
They weren't as kind as I would have been.

What time did you get there? We put in at about 6:20 and there were about seven rigs there. Assuming your launching at the lagoon?

We had four chances, three for the buddy boat owner and one for me. Buddy got one up close enough to get a good look at and hooks came out. I got one chance and landed a 17 #er. The fish was real pretty but had pale meat, all the fat and not much color. I call it a "Cream Sickle" fish. Fish checker at the ramp today, first time this year, had six fish for 26 boats including us at 3:00.







I'm sure curious who you are out there jbett. We could be passing/speaking to each other several times a day if you're fishing between the railroad bridge and the Fremont?

Mike

 

[jbett98]

I'm running back and forth between the Fremont bridge and down to the two blue dock cranes on the west side only.
I drive a Aluma-Craft 14' boat with a 7.5 Honda motor. Nothing fancy, but it's a lucky little boat that doesn't leak a drop and handles well for one guy by himself.
Yesterday I showed up at 9;30 am because I am using the Solunar Tables as a guideline, along with the river tides as well.
I am switching to the evening bite Sunday because it's going to be a zoo at the basin ramp this weekend.
Some nights, I'm the only one out on that stretch of the river.
Jeff

 

[Mikej]

Wifey and I spent 10 years in a 13' Smoker Craft with a 9.9 Honda, in all kinds of weather and water. I've been running a 17.5 Smoker Craft since '01. At times when I'm running I STILL say "I love my windshield"! We've been fishing the Harbor this year with a retired buddy who picked up an 18' Hewes Jan '14. His wife won't let him go alone, so...My poor boat has only been out once this year. I miss it, i'ts kind of like my like home on the water.

Wifey wanted to go back out Monday but it's a royal pain out there with the East wind, predicted for Monday. We're going clamming instead.

 

[jbett98]

What I miss is having my old boat moored at the Troutdale Sundial boat ramp/docks for only $120.00 a year.
You avoided the hassle of launching and could just walk down to the docks and cast off anytime you pleased.
Those were great times on the river and summer/fall fishing back then was great.

 

[Mikej]

I used to launch my 12' aluminum boat out of the back of my pick-up, Eska 7.5 separate, off the beach there and fish up at the mouth. Some of those old timers I learned to hog line with up there told me some pretty crazy stories of the booze and fish caught in the "Old Days". We hog-lined with the daughter and son-in-law, among others, of the old gal that owned the house and property there. Jim & Birdie Creech. The old gal was allowed to live in the house until she passed and then the gravel company took over. That was a beautiful home there.

 

[jbett98]

The owner of the gravel company removed the floating docks from there moorings, so he could deepen the channel closer to shore.
The Corp of Engineers then refused to let him return the docks to the original pilings and everyone lost their moorage.
Some of the best Salmon fishing I ever had was right below the ramp and close to shore just upstream from the Sundial dry dock.
There was an old guy named Burt that had one of the first Duckworth boats and as we headed up to the mouth of the Sandy river, we wondered why he wasn't fishing up there with us.
I noticed that he was anchored below the ramp one morning and parked next to him because I had a friend that was showing up late, and I didn't have enough gas to run up and down the river, so I set anchor next to him.
He was not happy to see me, because he had found a secrete honey hole and was hauling in the fish without releasing off his anchor.
I no sooner set my line and lure to the bottom, when I connected to a huge Salmon on the back bounce.
I kept my mouth shut about it, but now there were two boats not showing upstream in the usual hog lines, so within one week the word got out and there was stampede to get in that line.
My wife and I could put four fish in the boat before sunrise it was that good of a spot, and you saved a lot of gas being so near the docks.
We figured the Salmon would hang tight to the cooler waters under the dry dock and when the tide changed, they would head upstream right into our lures.
We called it the "Retirement Hole"

 

[Mikej]

Funny how things change......People hadn't really fished that spot for years, now I think they maybe are again, a bit. The power line hole there is a nasty place. Rude people, HEAVY current, 20oz water with snags for your lures AND anchor. I stay above the power lines, fish go past there too.

Burt? Deaf Burt?....Leaky boat Burt? Used to fish around him and his bilge pump would be kicking on every ten minutes or so! Always liked the guy, quite nice and even tempered as long as I've known him. I'm not sure he's out there anymore, for quite a few years he was always off by himself in some non nondescript water.

I've got a few more names. The people that guided me to hog line fishing. I used to hike/bike out to the mouth of the Sandy and see the hog lines out there. When I got the aforementioned 12' boat I was welcomed and educated by some of these guys that still fish out there.
There's Jim and wife Marta, always had dogs (labs) with them and Jim would pull out a burner/cast iron fry pan and cook up a chunk of fresh caught fish to hand down the line.

Mel and Herb, always together. They reminded me of the two old guys in the balcony on the Muppet Show. Mel was the mellow one and Herb was the grouchy one.

Dave, fished alone sometimes, and after Herb past Mel and Dave fished together and still do. Those two NEVER washed their boats, they still have Columbia grunge on them from the day they bought 'em.

Did you fish out there when the Russian guy Walter and wife Leida fished and sold hand made wobblers out there? He made them from thrift store toasters. "$4.00, they work for me, they will work for you" on a piece of cardboard on each side of the boat. It's one of those lures that caught the 44# fall fish Wifey got, pictured in another thread. Walter caught what could have been a 60#+ fish the day I met him in 1988 I'd say.

Seems fishing [catching] was better then than now even though there are hundreds of thousands going over Bonneville now?!