Trip Report: Kayak Fishing The Willamette River

When: 5-10-14 Location: Willamette River, Portland Conditions: Awesome weather! River conditions were great: water temp was mid-50's and falling, flow rate was around 1 mph, clarity was good but the river was on the rise. Duration: Launched at around 2pm, off the water by 7pm Difficulty: Easy-Moderate I launched from the west side of the river between the Hawthorne and Marquam Bridges and proceeded to troll the area around the Hawthorne Bridge and along the east side of the river near the paddle craft dock and OMSI. There were only about 4 or 5 power boaters working the area, which was nice. Most of the crowd was probably in the Columbia River. The first few hours were the same as the last few times I've fished this area: really slow. I didn't see anyone catching anything. By about 5pm I was the only one left. The water temp was falling like a rock but the visibility was still good. As I made a pass near the Hawthorne Bridge I had two bites that didn't stick. I made a quick call to the wife to let her know that the bite may be picking up and I'll be a little late. After about five minutes from hanging up the phone, I hooked up. This fish did not want to go quietly and took a while to get to the point where I could net it. After a successful net-job I pulled off to the paddle craft dock to bleed, stow, and tag the fish. It felt too easy so I decided to make one more pass before heading in. I rigged up another herring and after about 2 minutes into my next pass I'm hooked up again! This second fish was a little smaller and didn't fight as long as the first, but I pulled up to the paddle craft dock again with another salmon in my lap. With my daily limit now filled, I headed home. What an awesome evening!!