Weekend Report - June 11-12

I gave sturgeon fishing another try down at the lower Columbia river area. I finally got the chance to explore down river from Cathlamet with the help of my good friend Duane.

For the past 3 years Duane has zeroed in on keeper sturgeon down in that area and was kind enough to show me where. We plotted the GPS coordinates and he showed me the passage through the islands that litter that area. Unfortunately, Duane wasn't able to join me for the weekend so I was on my own.

I dragged my buddy Tim and his son Clint for this expedition. Saturday was a good day of fishing but not catching. Clint and I only managed 1 shaker and a couple of missed opportunities. I blamed the lack of fish on the big tide swing.

Sunday was another interesting day. The day started out navigating through thick fog - for the entire 12 mile route! I basically drove my boat while following my tracks on my GPS. Tim kept a lookout for any obstacles while I had my eyes glued to my small GPS screen. It felt like I was playing a video game. Thankfully, we got to the fishing grounds without incident.

As for the rest of the day, we sat on anchor for almost 8 hours and only caught 3 shakers. Again, I have to find soemthing to blame, so I blame it all on the big tide swing and the wind that kick up around the afternoon and during tide change; yeah, that's it.

Considering the lack of keeper sturgeon, I still thought that it was a great trip, I learned a new spot and I got to know my GPS a little bit more. I'm hoping to make it back down there before the season closes. We will see.