Fishing off the Oregon Coast

One of the most exciting things you can do while visiting the Oregon Coast is see it from the ocean. From whale-watching tours to 3-day tuna fishing excursions, there are many trips, companies and times to take a charter from one of the ports on the coast. The trick is finding the charter that is right for you.

Trips can range from smaller boats with fishing guides that stay in the bay to high-performance boat that take you over the bar in a wetsuit and into the Pacific Ocean. Your only limitation is weather – as many charters will cancel trips if the weather makes entering the ocean (over the Columbia River Bar) a dangerous situation.

In a nutshell, the Columbia River Bar is the turbulence created when the water and flowing silt of the Columbia River meets the incoming swell of the ocean. Because so many things impact that confluence –  dam releases from the largest river on the West Coast, wind and weather conditions, tidal movements and ocean storms – the bar might be several miles out to sea or just offshore, sometimes narrow and other times several miles wide. So it’s wise to leave this feat to the professionals.

Most of the charter services offer trips at a flat-rate and provide safety equipment and fishing gear. Many of the charter services have web sites where they outline when each type of trip is available.

Growing up, my stepfather kept a fishing boat moored at one of the ports about 30 minutes away from the mouth of the Columbia River. We grew up salmon fishing with him dozens of times in the ocean. Crossing the Columbia River bar on a good day is an exhilarating experience. We would begin our excursion at sun up and usually return in mid-afternoon with a few hundred pounds of fresh salmon. Of course, we had a few trips where we only caught a couple of salmon. I have been out fishing many times on charter boats.

One advantage with a charter boats is that these captains will communicate with each other in code, if necessary, to locate where the schools of salmon are. This can be very effective and productive. I have always had good luck with charter boats. Remember to take your Dramamine or equivalent. Being nauseous for a whole day of fishing is a horrible experience (been there, done that) and the charter boats won't cut the trip short for a few sickies!

There are few comparable thrills in the fishing world as trying to reel in a 30 or 40-pound Chinook salmon. My young kids were so inspired to reel in the big one or even talk about the one that got away! I highly recommend this trip if you are the least bid adventuresome. These will be lifetime memories. My wife will go on this trip at the drop of a hat.

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/resources/fishing/index.asp
http://www.pacificsalmoncharters.com/
http://www.galeforceguides.com/
http://whalespoken.org