Where does the time go? I guess when you're moving fast and having fun, the summer just flies on by. 2014's Buoy 10 fish camp was our longest to-date at 5 days but came and went all too fast. Last year's B10 camp was a highly productive 3 days of fishing and with an even larger number of fish expected to pass through the estuary this year, expectations going into the 2014 campaign were very high.
My 6th year fishing the saltwater of the estuary and 4th year setting up "camp" was extra special as we decided to bring the family along and stay in a phat beach house. Dave, Todhunter and I chased salmon during the day while the family played in the Seaside sand. At the end of each day, it was great to head to a home near the water vs. the "elegant" Astoria motel of years past. The home also had a gigantic sub-zero freezer which allowed us to vacuum pack and freeze each day's catch right away.
We kicked things off with a 3:15am departure Sunday the 17th from the Portland area and headed to the Hammond Boat Basin. Arriving around 5 or 5:15 usually puts me in a good spot to quickly get my boat on the water. That would not be the case this year as we were welcomed with a long launch line and a 1.5 hour wait to launch. In the days that followed, we arrived pre-5:00am but still had at least a 30min launch wait… next year, the boat will be moored.
With the increased boat traffic, we tried to set a game plan and stick with it regardless of where the monkey see monkey do boat traffic went. This year, we found most of our success hugging bottom in 28 to 32 feet of water. Even though surface water temps on the outgoing tide were 70 degrees, this year was a herring bite with 90% of our fish coming on headless green label*.
Overall, catching was great and for us, exceeded 2013’s success. However, it’s fishing and some days are hot while others are beyond slow. We had one day with a full boat limit* (8/21), another day where we were 1 fish shy of a limit, and another where nothing went right and we broke a rod while not able to even bring a keeper home. It sounds like a lot of people were struggling so we’re feeling blessed with the volume of fish we were able to hook into and bring home.
Coho / Silver (white jaw)
Chinook / King (black jaw)
Weather and water conditions this year were just as variable as the catching (hmmm…). Earlier in the week, we had to fight the fog in the AM and some pretty rough water where later in the week, it was gorgeous from the get go. All days brought afternoon sun and t-shirt and shorts conditions… so much so, Todhunter decided to jump over board and go for a swim before heading to port one day.
When the fishing is slow...
It’s always heartbreaking when a great trip final has to come to an end. You know it’s a success when you’re already planning next year’s trip before the boat and gear is washed and stored.
*If I could only use one flasher, this trip made it crystal clear on which one I’d choose. The statistics of fish caught while using it over the week was mind boggling.
**A limit is one chinook/king and one coho/silver per person.
