you could start here....

Cape Disappointment State Park | Washington State Parks

parks.wa.gov

 

your advice is like water to a drowning man

 

If you go in August the salmon fishing off the N. Jetty rite in the park is great fun and very productive. Simply cast number 5 spinners on a typical steelhead rod. Easy fishing the only difficult part is climbing along the jetty boulders.

 

I have a whole bunch of #5 through #7 from my time hunting musky and pike in the Midwest, and that is very good info indeed. Thank you.

 

You can fish off the jetty on both sides for surf perch, flounder, and tom cod. Simple bait rig with clam necks, mussels, or piling worms. Can be lots of fun.

Cape Disappointment is one of our family's favorite campgrounds. Bring bicycles and take some of the short hikes. Check out the lighthouse and the Fort Canby battery.

 

Yes your welcome, those musky lures will work just fine, I usually toss blue fox spinners number 5 or some other jetty bomb spinner you can buy in Warrenton. I have caught them on bass plugs ect

 

As I said it's easy fishing just be mindful of the waves and the climbing on the rocks.

 

If you could get on a boat out of OR or WA would be your best bet for salmon success August/September. Camping is busy all summer there, so research dates and times able to reserve ahead, otherwise may be SOL. Very few sites anywhere are 1st come 1st serve anymore. Don't forget the International Kite Festival in Long Beach the 3rd full week in August, the busiest time.

 

I have kindofa lifelong vertigo problem, and I don't do well on boats. Motion sickness meds only work so much, and even the non-drowsy will make me drowsy. Then there's the part about leaving wifey behind for half the trip, which strikes me as an... unwise idea.

 

The park mentioned I believe is under renovation with many camp sites not accessible.

 

Renovations start in September with park closed till March 2025-recently camped there and inquired with park staff

 

we'll be going before the closure

 

There are campsites at the Thousand Trails facility in Seaview Wa. Not quite a 5 Star resort but close to the beach for surf fishing. Most campsites are separate from RV Park. Eagles Nest in Ilwaco also has tent camping sites and a nicer swimming pool. Both have fish cleaning facilities. In the past I've done well fishing the north jetty floating a herring under a bobber, just getting to old to scramble on the boulders anymore.

 

Make reservations is what I would recommend.

 

CD and Grayland Beach State Park are two favorite camping parks.
Look into renting a yurt if you want more comfort than the tent.
Also think about being there during razor clamming season for an added bonus.

 

we just bought a Kodiak tent that cost more than my first car... but that car had 3 wheels in the junkyard. It's a very nice tent. Wifey insisted on the whole experience, I'd have just rented a KOA cabin.

 

If you do the N Jetty salmon thing, take a long handled salmon net. The last few times I’ve gone I have taken my 4’ handle net. It was tough netting the fish but doable.
I’ve also seen people catch crab from there too using those castable crab snares.

 

I have an old aluminum net that I attached a wooden broom handle to. A fishing buddy in IL asked me, "How are you gonna get a 48" muskie into that?" and I told him, show me the muskie. He never did.

 

All the good spots are likely booked out at this point. If you havent tried to book a state park campsite in a while you are in for a shock. Gotta get them 6 months in advance to the day.

 

ditto on the reservations. if you don't already have one that ship has likely sailed. Pro tip is to pick a weekend when there is a clam tide and dig clams on the beach, bring your cast iron skillet and a burner and fry clams back at the camp site.

 

O'Neil Lake has large and small mouth bass if you have a kayak or inflatable.

 

well we're going next weekend, as it turns out. The weekend after Memorial Day had a lot of availability when I booked it. Meat rig for the jetty, got it. How heavy a rig? I have a 10' Cabela's King Cat, is that overkill?

 

Better check the regs; I don't think the river is open for salmon below the bridge unless they changed something for this latest extension.

 

The jetty won't be open for salmon fishing at all, river or ocean. Best bet is to work the jetty for rockfish and perch. A drive south to Fort Stevens that weekend gets you good clam digging tides mid-morning, I don't think Long Beach will be open for clamming. Coffenbury lake has been getting periodic trout stocking.

There's lots to explore around Cape D. 2 lighthouses, Lewis and Clark interpretive center, Waikiki beach, and then I reccomend hitting the Ilwaco marina for their Saturday market and just the overall vibe there. Grab a drink and a snack at the Waterline pub and marvel at the boats in front of the Ilwaco Tuna Club.