Bay fishing with a little dingy?

[oregondak]

I'm fairly new to salmon fishing, and was wonderin' if you guys new which bays a small 12' aluminum boat (four horse) could safely navigate? Are there even any, or am I just looking for a death wish?

[Grits]

oregondak-With a twelve footer and a 4 HP motor I would probably wait for the fish to come farther up into the rivers. The Siletz river around Coyote Rock would be perfect for your boat. If you wanted to do some crabbing the Siletz would also work for your boat. The tides can get pretty strong in the larger bay and you could have a hard time making headway with a 4 hp. I fish a 14' with an 18hp motor and there are days I don't feel comfortable in T-bay. If you want any info on fishing the Siletz search the archives. If you want any info on crabbing the Siletz let me know.

[Hogmaster]

oregondak -

You don't say where you are from. If you are in the Portland area, both the upper Tillamook and Nehalem bays are fine for your boat. The waters narrow at the top of tidewater areas and there are basically never waves other than the those made from other boats.

I would recommend getting a ride from a friendly ifisherman er, woman as we get into September and have them show you the ropes. Basically most people either fish with bobber and egg setups on the outgoing tides or troll spinners on the incoming.

You can launch at 5th street into Trask tidewater in Tillamook, or the Oyster House (Memalouse) and fish the bay there without and worries.

In Nehalem you can launch at the bridge or Wheeler and be in protected waters as well.

I used to have a 12'er (although it had a whoppin 6 horse on it so it was much more powerful than yours sounds) :grin: and caught lots of salmon in these areas with it. The manuverability of a small boat in these areas is actually advantageous as long as you pick your spots and keep fishing instead of expecting to always run to another (we call that "chasing rainbow syndrome").

Good luck!

:cheers:

[ 08-13-2002, 09:36 PM: Message edited by: Hogmaster ]

[Phish_on]

Put in @ Wheeler Marina and stick close to that general area - no problem. If your boat sinks, get in another boat.

When you see a boat waving a net and bent-over rod, go over there ... no, not THAT CLOSE !!!!

:grin:

[Bait O' Eggs]

I saw the title to the thread and figured you had a fishing report from fishing with Catch and Eat in the Bay. :whazzup: :whazzup:

[oregondak]

Hey, thanks for the posts guys!
Cheers!!! :cheers: