Buoy 10, 2001 Planning - Can you help me out?

[cskip]

It's been 10 years since I've fished Buoy 10. Hoping to get my kids into the King/Silver fishing I used to have time for.

I'm planning a trip in August & wanted to know the best times, places & techniques. In the past we've fished Bouy 12 with a diver and whole herring but we've only caught a few Kings, mostly Silvers.

What would you suggest for targeting Kings and/or Silvers this year?

I remember a lot of folks fishing under the Astoria Bridge but I've not had much success there.

I have downriggers but have never used them at Buoy 10. Hoping to introduce my kids to the fun I used to have as a kid.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Cskip.

Welcome to Ifish Cskip. Hitting the bouy 10 fishery at the right time is a blast, despite all the boats. I suggest fishing later in August for a little better success chances. Tides are everything out there; well, and the weather too (if really windy rough fish further up near 14 to 22). Right after low slack I like to run out near the deadline around the bouy 10 area and fish the incoming tide as long as the good bite holds up. Toward the upper half and thru flood tide and down the other side a while I like to fish the area below the Astoria-Megler Bridge just a litte closer to the Washington side (look for the little white church over on the north side). You will see where the boats and flying nets are. For techs, I prefer to fish either a deep diver or 6 to 8 oz. lead to keep my bait fairly close to the boat due to the traffic. Fish plugcut greenpack sized herring on the shallow side, around 8 to 17 pulls, for the silvers. Use super sharp hooks with an extended 'trailer/stinger' lower hook for the short striking silvers. For better chances at Kings fish a slower roll on a whole green pack or a plutcut bluepack sized herring deeper. Start at 15 pulls and let out more line until you get hookups if 'Nooks are being caught; up to 25 pulls or so. Brining herring with a rocksalt base the night before fishing is popular; some add blue coloring and sardine oil, etc. Take some good saltwater lures and herring oil to try and to have for backup if you run out of herring. If you are flexable up to the time you want to take your fishing trip, watch here and elsewhere for reports and call Marinas around Hammond and Warrenton (see the Ifish mainpage for numbers) for when the fishing gets hot. ... Another thing you would likely enjoy on the same days is to take some sturgeon rigs and smelt and fresh sandshrimp to anchorfish the outgoing tide for the excellant estuary sturgeon down there. 3 good areas for that: on the Oregon side just up from the Warrenton harbor, above the bridge on the Washington side, and in the central shallower areas up toward Tongue Point. Watch for anchored boats and bent rods . Good luck. - RT

[Barnyard]

R.T.'s right on the money...We use med. deep six divers with a chain swivel in between the diver and bait. This seems to help keep the twists out of your leader. We to use whole herring and ALWAYS use as many hooks as the regs. allow(3). Right out of Chinook is also a producer. We will go to seven and troll across the river towards the desdimona sand bar. Especially good at high slack...Follow the old rule if you see someone catching fish try to see what their useing and how...

[boater]

i wait till the tide starts to run in, follow the rips up the river and fish them in front of the church, i like a green E_Z diver in 6 ounce and a whole herring about 15 pulls out, then after we limit, we clean the boat and fish and then head to ann`s tavern in astoria.

[Salmonator]

Boater, you mean Annies? Geez, don't ask me how I know that...

[boater]

ya, thats it. seems like a nice place to relax after a hard days fishin .....

I'm not familiar with this place in Astoria but I have this hunch that you guys know how to say "how much are your table dances?". Yes? No?

[Fishplay]

Thats a fact RT....stopped in by accident one time.
Get off my table Mable my moneys for beer!

------------------
FISH!........GET IN THE BOAT!!!!!

[Barnyard]

Beers a little expensive but the scenery is excellent...

[Phish_on]

cskip,

well the first couple of posts are good info, this one digressed in a hurry, eh? I also had about a 5 year hiatus from Buoy 10 fishing, but nothing has changed as far as techniques, locations, timing - there just aren't as many fish.

I won't take my boat out as far as 10, it's just not big or powerful enough - not to mention the crowd. But right on the line obviously remains pretty productive. I've had the best success on the Washington side around the Ilwaco entrance, on the inside of Jetty 'A'. Going deep at the church hole is always worth a try for chinooks when the tide is in. Also the "sawdust pile" on the Oregon side (that tends to be a desparation move on the way in ... I don't think I've ever caught a fish there, but they get some biggies at times)

Like I said, nothing has changed, I'm still fishing the way my Dad fished. Divers and whole herring, 10-20 pulls (20+ for nookies), troll the edges of the rips, be on the lookout for nets. After that doesn't work, cut the herring, go deeper/shallower, put on dodgers, hootchies, pray, check the crab pots, etc. etc.

NEVER forget the crab pots, you may not get a fish, but you'll still have fresh seafood. Still quite a few soft shells in August, toss 'em back - we use the barnacle test!

See you there - I think my blood pressure is going up right now! "FISH ON! ... TWO fish on!!"

(Oh, and call Tackle Time the day before and get on the bait list! I've been going out of Warrenton 'cause it's free and more mellow than Hammond, I thought about checking out Chinook but the WA crab rules baffled me!)


[This message has been edited by Phish_on (edited 01-25-2001).]

[STRIKE ZONE]

Never been to annie's on 29th ST.Do you prefere the front stage or back stage?????
Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

[Barnyard]

A P.S. We've had the best luck between 30-40 feet...At 30 pulls last year. It'll change some from year to year but what worked before will probably work again...

[boater]

i will be there the last ten days of august if its open for kings.

[Pilar]

Don't forget the area outside the santuary if it is open. You can limit your boat in an hour or less. You don't have to go all the way to CR. The area around green bouy 1 can be red hot at the high slack.

On the last day it was open last summer several Ifishers and yours truly went there and, well we all went home smilin!

The bend is your friend!

[This message has been edited by Pilar (edited 01-26-2001).]

[Barnyard]

We'll be down there the 2nd & 3rd week of August..Rivers End campground in Chinook ...All are welcome to stop by for an adult beverage...

[finclipped]

I'm wagering that there will be a lot of Ifish members during the 2nd and 3rd week of August at Campers West. Have your Ifish stickers visible and I'll engage in conversation. Hopefully the Ocean will be full of silvers and open. That would take a lot of the pressure off the B10 fishery. (Man how do they fit all those boats in?) I think sturgeon is closed mid August to mid September.

[boater]

hmmmm, sounds like we need some sort of wager on the biggest fish ??

[Barnyard]

You mean gamble? I wouldn't EVER do that. Bet ya a dollar you can't make me..

[boater]

ok, no gamblin, lets all just get drunk.

[boater]

also, we dont use ed`s ilwaco bait, i think he puts special sauce on his bait and probly has change for a 3 dollar bill.

[fishbait]

Jeezzz, cskip wnated to take his kids fishing and now we've got him going to annies, gambling and getting drunk with us. Next thing he will be telling us about the one that almost pulled his son overboard.... Cskip, it's not rocket sciencs and not that much has changed since you used to fish this fishery, Pay attention to RT words of wisdom, silvers don't excite me with the gear necessary, so I target Chinook, fish arround the Bridge 1-2 mile above/below, look for posts on this board as the time gets closer. The run is expected to be 100,000 Kings if my memory is right, and with the low water this year, they wont be dumping water like they were last year and we shoudl be able to get on them much better. Aug is rignt, and the later the better, but hedge your bet as they will close this fishery to allow upstream anglers a chance to harves some of these fish. Call the ODFW/WDF biolgests and get their estimation of the run closure as the time approaches, they will help you and are usually right on. and lastly, remeber, it's not catching that counts, it spending time with your kids. PS, if you can get away for a few hours, come and drink/gamble with us at annies I'll hope to see you above the bridge on the WA side an hour before high slack with a double on.......

[STRIKE ZONE]

Yep, I've got my reservations at Ft.Stevens
from 8-17 to 8-26.Hope it's gonna be a good year.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE