???gators in the am???

ONECAST · 03-11-2003, 08:50 AM

I'm going gator huntin out in the area of kelly point can anybody give me any advice on bait. have smelt, squid,nightcrawlers, i have heard use of sandshrimp, never tried it. Anyhelp and advice would be appreciated. Not asking for any honey holes but general location and depth would be nice....THANKS ONECAST-JEFF

fishinnut30 · 03-11-2003, 08:58 AM

One Cast

I Hit that areea hard yesterday for about 5 hours and caught about 30 shakers, no keepers but what a nice day on the water.

Bait for the day was smelt and sardines filled with either sturgeon cocktail or anise oil. I alway's like to fish down river of the launch about a half mile in about 70ft of water. Look for any shelf. Good luck.

Tight Lines
Rich

Pilar · 03-11-2003, 08:59 AM

Onecast, Smelt is it. Use fresh caught if you can get it. This will matter less as the smelt run dissipates. Those gators can be very picky when the river is full of free feed.

We also use a worm garnish on the smelt when the river is running brown. Or sandshrimp tied on with stretchy thread. You will see many boats anchored between the Willamette and the container dock (T6). This is all good water. I like T-6, 80ft of water off the spray painted '2600' on the dock. Go downriver till you see the dropoff. There is a channel that winds around the end of Hayden Island and along the bank there. So you will see a drop off and then it comes back up as you go down river.

Something exotic like Cravex and anise oil mixed together will help the fish find your bait.

Cardinal rule for sturgeon is the same as for Real Estate.

Location, Location, Location

Bait matters too but location is the key. If they are not biting, move. Keep moving until you find a spot. Tide matters too. Some of my favorite spots only turn on when the tide is running out (Ebb). The rest of the time you can't buy a bite.

EDIT ?????/////

I've been cautioned about suggesting WD40 as an attractant for fishbait. Apparently tickets are being issued for polluting the water. I have to verify this but in the meantime be careful about what you put on your bait and who sees you doing it.

Bet you can't guess what I spray on mine ........... :grin:

[ 03-11-2003, 03:56 PM: Message edited by: Pilar ]

Bobby Ray · 03-11-2003, 09:23 AM

Pilar,
Good job on the info. replies like that is what makes Ifish.

Go get em ONECAST.

BnB

Killertraylor · 03-11-2003, 01:08 PM

I've had success in that area with just plain old sandshrimp. I don't use the stretchy thread, just put it on starting at the underside of the tail and finish with the point coming right out his ugly face. I pull them up on my hook so the face area is around the hook-eye and they stay on pretty good. This exposes your hook and gives you a good hookset too. Sand shrimp are not the bait of choice when there are critters (sculpin or bullheads) around - then you'll be better off with Smelt.