Fresh bait in Port of Ilwaco!

Killertraylor · 06-25-2001, 07:31 PM

Don't know if they are still there, but if anyone is going sturgeon fishing this week down at the mouth of the Columbia - there were millions of sardines in the Port of Ilwaco this last weekend! My wife and I jigged about 200 of them in about 2 hours Sat. night in the dark. They were all congregated around the port lights that were shining directly on the water. I had a friend who jigged them during the day and was getting 3 and 4 at a time with regularity. I kept them alive in a bucket of water and then put them right on ice in a colander and used them first thing the next morning. I'll bet you could get them with a smelt net or with a cast net also. You'll also see big bait balls out in the river and can jig them at high slack. Man - I wish it was legal to use live bait for salmon fishing!

finclipped · 06-25-2001, 08:42 PM

Why is it illegal to use live bait? Not that I have ever had a chance to.

OneLastCast · 06-26-2001, 04:08 PM

Killertraylor:

I am away from my regs right now but check yours. I'm pretty sure it is legal to use live bait if it has been taken from the waters you are fishing in. When I get near the regs I'll double check.

OneLastCast

OneLastCast · 06-26-2001, 06:05 PM

Okay:

Here are the regulations. Page 11. "live fish may not be used or held for use as bait,exceptlive nongame fish may be used in the ocean, bays and tidewaters when taken from the waterbody in which they will be used." Oregon Sport Fishing Regulations, 2001.

I remember this because several years ago my brother-in-law was catching candle-fish and putting them live under a bobber. He caught fish.

OneLastCast

Pilar · 06-26-2001, 07:09 PM

How do you catch a candlefish? They have to be good bait every ocean salmon I bag is crammed full of them.

Some things just make you say hhhhhmmmm.

finclipped · 06-26-2001, 08:25 PM

So once in Charleston, I ran out of bait, had plenty of time to kill, and was a couple fish short of a limit. I began to gut the cooler fish, when I noticed several good size squid in the their stomachs. Long story short we used it and caught our limits. Hope I didn't gross any one out, but maybe hhhhmmmm...... I guess you could think of it as another way of recycling. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Killertraylor · 06-26-2001, 11:50 PM

I'm not sure why - and to be honest I've never actually checked the regs to confirm it, but I've always heard it was illegal. I know it is legal for Tuna fishing because I've fished for them out of Westport with live anchovies. I was fishing next to some crabbers this spring in the Columbia for Springers when they hooked a chinook smolt. They put it back out with a hook in it and let it swim around for about 10 minutes. A springer picked it up and they cought it. Someone next to me started yelling at them that it was illegal and they left real quick.

Hog One · 06-27-2001, 04:52 PM

Killertralor

We are going to try for sturgeon this weekend at Astoria.What do you need to jig sardines? THANK YOU FOR ANY HELP!

Hog One

Killertraylor · 06-27-2001, 06:45 PM

You just need a bait jig. You can buy them at the Chinook store if you don't get them until you get there. It's just a long leader with small white flies attached every 8 inches or so. They have yellow and orange beads too I think. I think there's 6 or 8 flies on the rig. You tie the top onto your mainline and just snap a 1 oz weight to the bottom. If I do it again I'd try the smelt net at dark under the port lights. They're pretty quick little fish though. Good Luck - and post a report as to how the fishing goes. I'm going to be out of town hiking into the high mountain lakes in North-Central Washington fly fishing with my dad for 10 days.

Hog One · 07-14-2001, 06:36 AM

Sorry this reply is so late,been realy busy with the kids ball games.We fished 6-29 thru7-1.Only 27 shorts three keepers and lots of bullheads.Found most of the fish off of tounge point in 60' to 80' of water and up the blind chanell.Not that great of fishing but great R&R. Thanks again for the jig info.

chuckee · 07-14-2001, 12:41 PM

Any specific place in the port? would like to bring the kids down tomorrow and try it? thanks

chuckee · 07-23-2001, 03:43 PM

Was in Ilwaco 7/22 and there are still plenty of bait fish there!!! We were catching fish that looked like herring, but people walking by said they were shad?????? Anyway my son was catching them 2 or 3 at a time!! We gave a few to some boaters and they said they worked great for silvers,anyway just letting everyone no there are thousands still there waiting to be jigged, and also got couple hundred anchovies but they were pretty small [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]