Sturgeon

lyle-t · Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 1:04 am Post subject: No keepers

Mike,
We did not get any keepers. Sad

The wind was blowing so hard we could not get a decent chance to fish. Crying or Very sad

The boat kept swinging around too much to keep the bait down.The weather channel said it would be just as bad next few days so we cut it short and I left about 2:00pm. Larry said he was going to look at the water and either try to get home tonight or in the morning which ever looked like the smoothest ride up river.
You were very gracious host like always. The smoked sturgon was delicious. Thumbs Up

If I had not been driving when I was nibbling I would have had a beer Beer

with it and that would have been PERFECT snacking. It was just right , the larger pieces were done all the way thru.

TyBoo · Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 1:35 am Post subject:

Lyle -

Thanks for the report on the elusive fish and the smoked fish.

The water looked pretty calm at about 5:00 this afternoon down here at the end, and it was smooth upriver everywhere I could get a glimpse of the river on the way home. I saw Larry logged on here about the time I posted my message, so we know he made it home safely. The only spot that would give him any trouble is up around Tongue Point at the end of the ebb (remember that?), but it was a real small turnaround, so I am sure he had a pleasant voyage.

There's a kid at work who really wants to latch onto one of those fish, so if I get out on time and there are no whitecaps, we might give it a try tomorrow evening. Unless Kay is busy and needs me to run the oldest to 4H and back (remember that?).

See you weekend after next, or maybe sooner? I only get sick about once every four years, so I should be good to go.

I got the fish out of the canner. Plenty of oil/water came out in the bottoms of the jars, so it wasn't too dry. But I think I should have paid closer attention to the rules and not given it so much smoke. It looks pretty dark through the glass. Tomorrow evening, me and the girls will give it a try.

It was good seeing you guys, and again, sorry I was so grumpy.

Helen O · Posted: Thu Jun 02, 2005 12:39 pm Post subject:

Home safe & sound. Had a real fun time surfing upriver with a following sea that was rough enough to stand the boat up a few times. It was kind of like a roller coaster by Tongue Point.
No keeper fish this trip, but had a great time visiting with Lyle and seeing Mike & Family.
There's going to be a lot of sturgeon caught down there in the next month.

TyBoo · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 12:08 am Post subject:

rogerbum · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 12:28 am Post subject:

Does the truck drive OK with all that weight on one side? Laughing

Nice fish - I really need to get back down there for some sturgeon fishing. BTW - have you tried/played with shad fishing? 167,000+ of them went past Bonneville yesterday and most look to be between 2 and 4 lbs. Might be fun on light gear and also might make decent sturgeon bait. With that many in the river, the sturgeon must eat one every now and then.

Lynn Marie · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 1:10 am Post subject:

They say a picture is worth a thousand words and to that I would add so is a question. So I know the truck is new and must be from this season so that also means that the fish on the back bed are also this years. Mike, good going and it's great to see so many fish on one truck but my question is, where did you catch them all?

This is the perfect lead in to a full powered sign up for the sturgeon fest and now maybe some of those late sign up types will give us "river mouth" folks a bit of a look for a sign up for yet another gathering. I can't wait for my chance at the river this week-end cause I know how good those rascals are on the smoke and in the can.

Tim

TyBoo · Posted: Tue Jun 07, 2005 1:41 am Post subject:

Tim -

Those were tonight's fish. I came home from work and the river was dead flat. My favorite time of the tide had just passed, but it looked so good I called Kay from the bridge and said we had to go fishing. She said the three of them would be ready, but they had to stop at the store for dinner fixin's. Out we went to the sands and I rigged up the poles while the girls cooked up the pork chops. Nothing but crabs for an hour or so, then a couple shakers. Next thing I know, dinner's over, there is a fish flopping on the floor and another one biting. We got several shorts, two 45s, and a 47. They all came after the mid point of the ebb, which is usually dead there. We tried to get the last one, but the current stopped and the bait was dragging, so we pulled up and high tailed it just ahead of a real ugly looking black cloud coming up the creek.

I got the first one, let Jamie take my second, and grandma wouldn't give up Tiffany's pole for the third (and biggest) one. Tiff did land the first fish, but it was a stretch to get it to measure 44", and no way could we coax one more inch out of it.

Tomorrow is Jamie's first softball game, so the fishing will have to be on hold. Then I have overtime Wednesday, Thursday, and probably Friday. So the river is all yours for the evening high tides the rest of the week. If there is no wind at the Desdemona station the next few evenings, get across the channel to my spot on the sands at high tide and sit it out until the bite hits. Usually it is the first two hours, but today it was the fourth hour.

TyBoo · Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2005 8:51 pm Post subject:

Hey Tim -

You do any good? How about Raven? I gotta tell you, that was one fine ride across the channel coming back in. Pretty steep. We were heading over to the flats to check in with you, but the Warrenton entrance came up first so we tucked our trim tabs between our legs and went in. That's the roughest I've seen it this year.

We got just one short all morning. The kid who was with us hooked him, and had a blast. He had never caught anything but a little trout before. Tomorrow about 6:00 I am taking the young man back out for another try. If you tell me the bite was better where you were, I might just shoot over there instead of the sands.

According to the Desdemona weather station, the wind hasn't let up any this afternoon. WNW at 16-18 knots all day. Maybe it will blow itself out overnight. How come it always does this on the free fishing weekend? I don't think I have ever caught a fish on a day I didn't have to tag it.

Thanks for the smelt. The crabs really liked them.

Lynn Marie · Posted: Sat Jun 11, 2005 9:32 pm Post subject:

Hey Mike,

Didn't bring anything back but still had a great time and AND with my own keys. All are our action was with that one good flurry that involved the big rascal that just kept going towards the dolphin. When I finally put on the brakes was when he straightened out my hook. After we got in I went to Englunds and purchased some new hooks and tied them up for tomorrow. Just after my fish Judy had on a shaker I think that came up, jumped and rolled, then spit the hook. Our only other bite was a flounder that I had on the cutting board ready to bonk and even he spit the hook and flopped back in. It was Judy's fish and she wanted it felted for the fry pan. I think we did as well or better than most and I'll start out there in the morning.

Raven Dave pulled in just behind us and he, like you, didn't have much nice to say about the crossing. I'm sure glad I came back across to fish or I would be fishing alone the balance of the season. Dave did have one fish that was a whopping 45 1/2" depending on the way you layed his tail out. Good thing the kids have all left home cause if he splits it with his pardner and only takes home half it will be a lite supper at the Raven house tonight.

Tomorrow has got to be a better day. See you at the dock.

Tim

Lynn Marie · Posted: Fri Jun 24, 2005 9:13 pm Post subject:

Friday night and Judy and I are getting ready to hit the river in the morning. We should be up there between 5:00 and 5:30 to head out for another attempt at trying to get our years sturgeon catch caught up to that of the TyBoo. Alas I fear I don't have a chance of doing that cause we don't have a Sturgeon Queen on board the Lynn Marie. That gal sure knows her stuff when it comes to hooking those big fellers. Hum, I wonder if she'd consider fishing on a different boat?

Oh well, even if we don't catch anything we always have a good time and that is really what it's all about. The boat, the family, and the sharing of all the fun.

We'll give you all a report tomorrow after our return and if others are interested, come join us on the river or at the dock.

Tim

Lynn Marie · Posted: Sat Jun 25, 2005 7:27 pm Post subject:

Spent seven hours on the river and I still have bait for tomorrow. Only one short shaker for us but boats below did catch fish using Anchovies, I only had smelt.
Got back to the dock and found Greg, the guy from Portland with the old Laurna Joe. He came back for another try at sturgeon but this time brought his wife, daughter, and dog. Got a chance to tell him where we'd been fishing so maybe they'll give it a go on the evening tide and have a bit better luck than us. Sure hope so otherwise he'll be starting from scratch in the morning like the rest of us.

Tim

TyBoo · Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2005 12:01 am Post subject:

I only got out fishing for a couple hours this weekend. This evening after dropping the kids off at camp. Nice water, but no fish.

I did make it down to the dock to say hi to Greg and his young son yesterday. Never did see Tim.

One more week, and this sturgeon season will be a bust. We only landed 14 keepers this year, but we did waste a bunch of prime time with the three oversized fish we got to the boat. I will have to get out a couple more times to beat last year's mark of 16 legals. We probably spent three times as long fishing this year as we did last, but the weather and the fish wouldn't cooperate. Oh well - the salmon might show up soon.

TyBoo · Posted: Thu Jun 30, 2005 12:28 am Post subject:

Bad news. They extended the sturgeon retention season on the lower Columbia. According to the local paper, instead of closing after July 3, it will stay open through July 10, be closed from July 11 through July 14, and then open again for two days. Why in the world they did it like that, I don't know. My tag is full, but Kay and the girls still need a few. Now I'll never get the boat cleaned up in time for Blakely.

We went out yesterday and sat down on a hot bite right off the bat. Had several missed bites and six fish in just a couple hours. No keepers. Today we went to the same spot, but the wind was blowing and the water was bouncing, and we did nothing for a couple hours. Then we went to a calmer spot, and about an hour later got the first bite. It was a 48" fat feller. Since we only had one available tag on board, we called it quits shortly after.

Lynn Marie · Posted: Fri Jul 01, 2005 11:11 pm Post subject:

OK I'm going again,
Tomorrow is another day and I'm going to give it a try since they left the season open and I haven't filled my tag. Shoot, I haven't even hardly started to fill it so I gots to go. Same plan but different week-end and because this one is longer I either have a better chance of catching a legal or getting skunked at least one extra day this week. Life is so depressing when your not catching. But, I know it's even more depressing if you're not fishing.
Where's the guy that keeps talking about "Teach a man to fish"? I think I need a lesson.

Tim

TyBoo · Posted: Sat Jul 02, 2005 1:37 am Post subject:

Back out this evening. Got a few shorts and one oversize. I don't know how big he was, but a couple of the passengers got a good look at him a hundred or so yards out when he came up and rolled, and they said he was huge. All I saw was the end of the splash because I was watching the line disappear from the spool. I had him coming toward the boat for a bit, but decided to just bust the line off. At one point, he had more than 150 of my 200 yards of line out, and I thought I would have to break it then. Nice water on the incoming with the wind blowing the same direction, but it was a little bouncy crossing the channel on the way out just after low water.