This is the time of year in the Pacific Northwest you really look forward to as a fisherman; it's time to fish for steelhead and salmon. These hard fighting fish regularly top twenty pounds and when you catch one, you'll remember it for a long time.
Most of the time, the launch "beaches" are pretty small. Hauling your kayak and all your gear down a steep trail or along a cliff face is par for the course. No parking lots or launch ramps here, these spots are just what a kayak is made for.
Calm days on the Columbia River are few and far between, you have to get out there when the conditions are right for kayak fishing.
It looks nice, but when the fish are around, you can be sure there will be a lot of power boats in the area. Most of the guys are pretty considerate, but there are always a few knuckleheads that you have to watch out for. Some of these guys have the opinion that kayak fishermen don't belong here and that you are taking "their" spot, always fun to run into people like that.
I would have to say of all the trophy fish here in the Pacific Northwest, steelhead are the hardest to catch. Sometimes, you can fish all day long and not even get a bite. Getting a fish hooked up is not a guarantee you're going to land it either. Regulations dictate you must use barbless hooks for steelhead and salmon so you have to have use all your skills to try and land the fish. Not to mention your line snapping or one of these big fish straightening out your hook.
How big does a fish have to be to straighten out a 1/0 Owner hook? About this big:
So the steelhead and salmon season is underway, looking forward to it!
_________________
Waterman at Work - Kayak Fishing Photos, Video,Kayak Rigging -
Blog