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Lower Willamette 4/12 Pic

565 views 8 replies 4 participants last post by  BrionLutz 
#1 ·
Got a late start, motored up to the Fremont Bridge around 11AM and trolled down. Didn't see a whole lot of action. Might have been a morning bite.

Saw three fish caught during the whole cruise from Fremont to Multnomah Channel entrance.

Took off around 3PM.

Been taking a lot of grief from Jack Glass over my lack of bait skills so I thought I'd go out that evening and work on my herring skills. Watched the video that one of the Ifishers posted (do a search on "Rigging Herring") and went on out.

I got some Gamakatsu pre-rigged hooks, the fixed ones with 30 lb test and 3/0 and 4/0 hooks. Rigged it with a sliding weight gizmo. 18" lead line.

Cut a herring cutting gizmo, sliced the herring, cleaned out the guts, rigged the herring and hooks like the video said. Got the roll the video said was good, fast tight roll.

Put on about 6 ounce. It was 6:30PM and not much current.

Now....where to fish. Figured the fish in the mouth on the Willamette would be looking for some shelf. So I checked the charts, looked for the first less than 30 foot shelf area and scooted on over there.

Dropped the line over, checked the roll (looked good). I trolled around 1 mile an hour. Dropped the line to the bottom. Bounced it back a bit so it was on the bottom at that trolling speed then cranked it up about 4 feet so it wouldn't snag and started trolling.

About 10 minutes...shoot...the thing is snagged...just a steady bending of the rod..going...going...Eeek! Fish on. Holy Smokes Indy!

A nice 15 lb sunset hatchery springer.



[ 04-12-2003, 09:13 PM: Message edited by: BrionLutz ]
 
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#2 ·
Beautiful fish, I saw the same video and can't seem to get the perfect roll. What would you suggest a guy could do to achieve the perfect herring roll as far as cut and where to put the hooks into the bait? We were in OC today and saw the massive wall of boats trying to prevent the fish from making it upstream. Sounds like you fished where the majority of the people weren't. Congrats on the fish, you did it right today.
:cheers:
 
#3 ·
Steelheadslayer,

I watched three of the videos. How to cut and rig the herring and how it should roll in the water.

I couldn't get it to roll right either. What tipped it for me was the advice to take the 2nd hook, the one that's holding the herring, and run it right through the spine of the herring.

If I remember the video, it says to look right into the cleaned out cavity and get the hook right in the center as deep as you can and then bring it up through the spine.

I think centering the hook is key. He said to get the hook through the spine and then make sure it is just breaking the skin on the back (dorsal area).

I did that and it was rolling perfectly.

Just keep working on it until you get it right. You might go through some herring practicing but it's worth it.

When I went out at 6PM it was a ghost town. A few boats headed home up the Willamette and a lot of barge traffic.

That's kind of a downer...you always want to have all the other boats see you catch a fish <grin>. But as long as I can work the remote on the camera for pix...I'll take a sunset fish. It was really cool out there tonight...see Hogmaster's pix.

There was a big crowd up near the launch ramp on Swan Island around 2PM. I saw some guides, Eric Line and Len Self fishing there trolling around the NOAA boat.

Be curious if any Ifisher were fishing there and how was the bite? I was marking fish like crazy but didn't see any bites.

Brion
 
#4 ·
Brion, I got a call from Scott Silagy who was fishing below the Willamette falls with about a few thousand of his good buddies and he said they had one and a lot of fish were being caught. Second hand info at about 1:30 so don't know what happened in the later hours. Sure were a lot of boats down there when went into Fishermans at OC this afternoon. Looked like a big floating circus. :dance: If I had more time I would've liked to hang around Clackamette park when they were all trying to load up at the ramp. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:
 
#8 ·
Way to go Brion! I finally got my hering rolling right today .......I can get the larger blue lable to roll but the smaller green label I can't seem to get to work right. I was finally comfortable today with the way it was rolling . Was fishing near Freds Marina in the Willamette down river trolling when I saw a seal making its way up river . Just as I went by the last spot I saw it , my down rigger cut loose ...I snatched up the pole reeled down and with thumb on reel set the hook. Yikes ...the sucker took off up river so fast I burnt my thumb trying to hold it on the reel. Thought for sure I hooked the seal.
finally got it turned around ,got it up to the boat ( fishing by my self ) with net in hand was ready to scoop soon as I saw if it was a hatchery or not when it decided to do another sprint up river ......broke off at the hook.... :whazzup: Oh well .....good to hear some one got one today! :smile:
 
#9 ·
Land Shark,

Way to go Brion! I finally got my hering rolling right today ...
<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">I think you mean way to go Bounty Hunter , he's the guy who found the video and posted the link. And thanks to the guy who did the video, it's a real clear explanation and the pix on exactly what a good herring roll should look like make for great feedback.

On the Blue and Greens, I've only done the Blues. I remember the video mentioning matching hook size to the herring so it could be that. It also went into the "long" and "short" side of the herring.

Hopefully some of the folks who know what they are doing can give you some info.

Of course now I have to add how to do prawns for the days they aren't going for herring.

Prawns and herring are as far down the bait road-to-perdition I plan to go <grin>. Thankfully the fall Chinook like metal.

Brion
 
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