Kayak Angler by Jason Self

Crabbing from a Sea Kayak, etc.

2011-11-21T15:17:00.000-08:00

This is an attempt to lump what should be six or seven monthly posts into one monstrous presentation. Over the last few months the world of kayaking has kept me incredibly busy and I have a ton of things to share.

7-2011
In July Chris Bensch and I delivered our first attempt at video production with this little promo piece for Jackson Kayak's Journey day touring kayak:

In August, Chris Bensch, Shay Bickley, and I, (otherwise known as OSOM) did a photo shoot with photographer Fred Marmsater, who is not only an incredibly talented photographer, but also a really cool guy. You're likely to see some of the shots used by Jackson Kayak & Ibex Outdoor Clothing among others. Some of the photos that didn't make the cut are shown below.

Photo Shoot With Fred 8-2011:

Jason paddling out:

Shay launching off the beach:

Jason and Shay paddling to the river mouth:

Chris paddling out:

Shay paddling out:

Chris Paddling out:

Chris and Shay paddling out:

Chris surfing:

Chris paddling out:

As always, I like to wet a line at the coast. I managed to catch a few crab while taking a break from the surf and snap a few photos of the scenery.

9-2011

In September the OSOM crew hit the Oregon coast again for another shoot. This time we were shooting for Tiderace Sea Kayaks, and I was the photographer. Some of the B-roll shots are posted below.

While shooting from the edge of the sea stack, I noticed dozens of crab in a depression in the sand at the edge of the rocks. I couldn't resist the urge to trap them there as the tide ebbed. After surfing for a while, Shay came over and I sent her down to grab a few of the crab. Her technique was a tad curious, but the results we're a couple of keepers for dinner.

After foot-crabbing, I managed to get a few more good shots of Shay messing around in the surf. As I write this in November, I'm already nostalgic of summer at the beach.

Yakangler's Choice Awards:

I was also voted #3 Kayak Angler & #3 Kayak Fishing Guide of the Year at yakangler.com & kayakfishingradio.com by you, the public. Thank you!

10-2011

Lumpy Waters Symposium

October brought Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe's Lumpy Water's Symposium. This event has quickly gained recognition as one of the go-to sea kayak events in the Pacific Northwest. This was my third year coaching at Lumpy, and I thought I'd offer a class on "sustenance fishing for sea kayakers". We focused on catching crab & bottom fish with minimal gear such as handline's and crab hawks on a multi-day trip. The currents & wind made bottom fishing a bit difficult, but we paddled ourselves right into an epic pile of keeper dungeness crab. Every one in the class finished the day with limits and big smiles. Photos from Lumpy Waters below:

Photographer Fred Marmsater joined us for Lumpy Waters and stayed a few days after for another photo shoot. Here are some of the great, but non-published pics:

11-2011

With the success of the crabbing at Lumpy Waters, I decided to run another "Crabbing from a Sea Kayak" class at the Oregon Coast in November. I could never have imagined the interest in crabbing from a kayak. It's impressive. At the moment I'm working on an article for Ocean Paddler Magazine on the subject, and I've got another full class set for December. I'm saving the photos from that trip for use in the article & will post what isn't published here later.

Expedition Update/OSOM Project:

We've had to postpone our kayak trip to the Gulf of Mexico until Novemember 2012, but the OSOM "Never Ending Global Cleanup Contest" is going strong. So far 620 people from all fifty US states and 20 countries have participated. The contest is responsible for over 5000 pounds of trash removed from the world's waterways to date, and we've awarded contest winners with gear from Keen Footwear, Ibex Outdoor Clothing, Klean Kanteen, Aquapac, Thule Roof Racks, Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe, Kokatat Watersports Wear, and Ocean Paddler Magazine.The contest has made the news in the kayak community, with pieces on OSOM gracing the pages of Kayak Angler Magazine, California Kayaker Magazine, and Ocean Paddler Magazine.

It's easy to participate in the cleanup contest. All you have to do is "like" our Facebook page and post photos of the removal and disposal of trash from any waterway, using any human powered craft to our FB wall. The person or group with the most trash removed at the end of each month wins prizes from our sponsors. It's simple, it's easy, and it's sustainable. Get out there and do some good and win cool gear.

Until next time,

Jason

Sustenance Fishing for Sea Kayakers: Crabbing from a Sea Kayak Nov. 13th. 8AM-3PM at the Oregon Coast $95/Person

2011-10-29T08:30:00.000-07:00

Just a quick note before I post my full report on what I've been up to the last few weeks. (I won 3rd place Kayak Fishing Guide & Kayak Angler of the Year at kayakfishingradio.com, Jackson Kayak Dealer Summit/Ocoee River TN, Lumpy Waters Symposium/OR Coast, and Coumbia River Gorge)

I'm offering another opportunity to learn how to catch crab from your sea kayak at the Oregon Coast on November 13th, from 8AM-3PM. You'll need an OR shellfish license and OR invasive species permit. I'll supply the crabbing gear, bait, and boats & paddling gear if needed. Cost is $95/person for this on-water class.

The last crabbing class I did at Lumpy Waters Symposium came back with over 10 keepers/student! Call 503-285-0464 for info or to sign up.

-Jason

Season Update: Crabbing & Surfing from a Sea Kayak, Spontaneous Beach Clean Up, Coastal Kayak Fishing at Lumpy Waters Symposium.

2011-09-04T12:27:00.000-07:00

Summer time in the Pacific Northwest is truly one of the greatest things on Earth. Warm, sunny days at the beach with mild winds and mild swell lead to days you know you will remember forever. As we move into September, dungeness crab fishing pics up, and that has been my focus as of late.

I found several spots on the coast loaded with crab that receive little to no fishing pressure, and offer easy pickings for keeper crab. Sea kayak, handline, Crab Hawk, and a chicken leg, fished two hours before low tide is a simple but deadly combination for catching these tasty critters.

How to Catch Crab With a Sea Kayak & Handline:

1. Attach handline directly to the Crab Hawk.

2. Secure weight to corners of Crab Hawk. 1-4oz dependent on current at location.

3. Push needle in center of Crab Hawk through middle of unfrozen chicken drumstick and secure.

4. Paddle directly over sandy area and hold position.

5. Let out 15-20ft of rope off handline.

6. Open Crab Hawk and drop straight down into the water, let off line until the rope goes slack.

7. Keep a little tension on the rope with your hands but do not pull on the rope with any force.

8. Give a little test pull every 5 minutes or so. Does it feel heavier than before? Does it pull back?

9. Pull line in quick hand over hand until the Crab Hawk is within reach.

10. Pull Crab Hawk aboard and sort your keepers!

Surfing Sea Kayaks:

When we're not crabbing, we're surfing our sea kayaks. Here is a nice shot of Chris Bensch ripping it up in the Tiderace Xplore. I just got a new Tiderace Xcite and I must say it is spectacular. For a sea kayak, the Xcite is quite a surfy boat. I took hundreds of hi-res shots of Chris and Shay Bickley surfing recently. I'll have a few more b-roll shots for you in my next post.

Commitment to the Planet:

When we're not surfing or crabbing, we're honoring our commitment with Out of Sight, Out of Mind to remove trash and plastic debris from all waterways every time we kayak. We're running a global clean up contest there where you can submit photos of the removal and proper disposal of garbage from any waterway, using any human powered craft, and win prizes from our sponsors. September's winner will receive a $100 gift card from Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe. Join us in our mission to take action and leave the places we love better than we find them. We spent a couple of hours picking up all the trash off the beach after a day of surfing. There is a fine line between complaining and taking action to initiate change; Several people on the beach said thank you to us as we picked up trash, a few people joined in the picking and we were happy to see that. Mostly people just sat idle and watched as we cleaned the beach in front of them. Regardless of people's reaction, everyone on the beach that day was impacted by our actions. It's easy to complain, but it takes effort to actually do something about it. That's what Out of Sight, Out of Mind is all about. We're on a mission to inspire people to take action to clean up the planet. No matter how big or how small, every little effort helps.

Before:

After:

30lbs of trash removed:

Coastal Kayak Fishing at Lumpy Waters Symposium:

Lumpy Waters Symposium is quickly approaching and I'll be offering two classes this year. The first, Crabbing From a Kayak is designed for everyone of all skill levels and will be held in flat to mild water. We'll use handlines and Crab Hawks to fish for keeper dungeness. There's potential for a little salmon fishing as well. This class is great for anyone interested in catching crab just for fun or for sustenance on a mutli-day expedition in a coastal environment.

The second class is for advanced paddlers with ocean paddling & surf zone experience and is designed with sustenance fishing on a multi-day expedition in mind; Perfect for those planning an expedition in the Pacific Northwest or Alaska. We'll launch off the beach at Cape Kiwanda through the surf and head out to the reef & big rock off shore. We'll use our handlines to jig for bottom fish, including lingcod, rockfish, and greenling.

The goal of both of these classes is not to provide a day of guided kayak fishing, but instead to instill the skills and knowledge to safely fish the ocean and feed yourself with fresh seafood while touring this beautiful region.

As always, call 503-285-0464 if you have any questions or need additional information.

Until next time,

Jason

2011 Kayak Fishing Guide of the Year Nomination

2011-08-21T07:45:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to be nominated for "Kayak Angler of the Year" and "Kayak Fishing Guide of the Year" at Kayak Fishing Radio.

Please take a second to click the link below & vote for me!

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/DVP99FL

Thank you,

Jason

Contest Announcement

2011-07-11T10:54:00.000-07:00

I'm a little late posting this here, but I wanted to share this with you. We're running a global clean-up contest on our Facebook page for Out of Sight, Out of Mind, with monthly prizes from our sponsors. Rules below.

Contest Announcement From Out of Sight, Out of Mind
To enter, simply "like" our Facebook page. To compete for monthly prizes, all you have to do is remove trash from any waterway using a human powered craft. Submit pictures to our FB wall of the removal and proper disposal of the garbage. The person/group with the most garbage removed at the end of each month will win prizes from our sponsors. July's winner will win free shoes from KEEN FOOTWEAR!

I hope to see you there!

Jason

TRIP REPORT: Kayak Fishing San Juan Islands, Wa. June 2-5/2011

2011-06-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

We launched our kayaks out of Deer Harbor, at the SW corner of Orcas Island on June 2nd and paddled towards the Wasp Islands. Three to four foot wind waves, fifteen kt winds, and a bit of drizzle greeted us as we left the shelter of the harbor and made our way across the channel to Reef Island. When we reached the reef, we dropped our jigs and began fishing.

Within fifteen minutes, one of my clients, Eric, hooked up with a fish. This was Eric's first time kayak fishing, and he elected to keep the rod and reel stowed and use a hand line. "Pull up faster!" I shouted as I made my way over to his boat to assist. Eric replied with a grunting, "I'm pulling as fast as I can!" Eric is not a small guy. If that was as fast as he could retrieve the line, then it must have been a nice lingcod. Eric had brought the fish to the surface a few seconds before I arrived next to his boat. The moment I arrived to assist, the fish bounced a bit and flopped off the hook. I got a good view of it before it swam away, and it looked to be 30-32 inches and quite healthy. Eric was stoked to have hooked his first fish with the hand line. I did not dwell on the loss, as it seemed to be a solid indicator of productive fishing to come and I was sure there would be another just like it in a few minutes.

Twenty minutes went by and Gary hooked up with, and released an undersized lingcod. We made our way over to McConnel Island to one of my most productive spots and worked it hard for two hours without a bite. Something was amiss.

If the Wasps weren't going to give me a fish every 15 minutes, I thought Steep Point on Orcas Island would. So we paddled back across the channel to the West side of Orcas. We fished Steep Point for an hour or so with no bites. I tried to deduce why the fishing was so slow, but couldn't see any big indicator. I decided to drop a line down to see if there were fish here or not. I immediately hooked up with a 22 inch lingcod, and decided we needed to focus more on technique the next day.

We woke early the next morning and launched out of Deer Harbor. Blue skies and sunshine, flat water, and 10kt winds were the rule of the day. We paddled across the channel to Jones Island and began jigging. In several hours of fishing, Eric boated a nice lingcod, and we caught and released a few copper rockfish.

This was definitely much less productive fishing than what I have grown accustomed to in the San Juans, and I began to ask around to see how other guides were fairing. It turns out that we were actually doing better than every other group out fishing. All of the guides had cancelled the remainder of their trips for lingcod season because the fish just weren't biting. This was disappointing to hear, but it did make me feel pretty good about the lingcod we had caught.

On Saturday I decided to pull out all the stops. We tried new colors, lures, and techniques to no avail. At one point I hooked a flounder on a black jig 10 feet off the bottom over rocks. Things were just weird. We pounded it out for several hours with only a couple of rockfish and undersized lingcod to show.

It's like the saying goes, "A bad day of kayak fishing is still a good day of kayaking." and the island's couldn't have produced more beautiful weather for us to enjoy.....although I'd have like to have caught more fish! The last day of the trip we decided to take it easy, have a nice breakfast, and catch the noon ferry back to the mainland. All in all it was a great trip, and I'm looking forward to next year.

I'm headed out on a scouting trip in the Strait of Juan De Fuca/Olympic Peninsula in the next few weeks to look for possible locations for future trips. The lingcod season is longer in the Strait, and we wouldn't have to deal with the ferry coming back from Orcas on a Sunday. The conditions can be a little more challenging in the Strait, but the fishing might be better. I will keep you posted on those guided trip options and announce them here first.

Guided Kayak Fishing 2011

2011-04-05T09:09:00.000-07:00

This year I've decided to run two 4 day kayak fishing trips in the San Juan Islands, WA, during lingcod season.

The first trip is set for Thursday May 26th through Sunday May 29th, and is for those wanting to fish from sea kayaks. We'll focus on fishing for lingcod with hand lines while multi-day touring. We'll establish base camp on Jones Island, off the SW corner of Orcas Island and learn the skills necessary to do a multi-day sea kayak fishing trip of your own. We'll cover more miles and be a bit more exposed to conditions than the resort based trip in June. Your guides, meals, camp fees, tackle, and hand lines are included in the price. Kayaks & paddling gear can be provided at no additional cost to you if necessary. You will need to supply your own camping gear, toiletries, personal items, and purchase a Washington fishing license.

The second trip is scheduled the following week; Thursday June 2nd through Sunday, June 5th, and is for those wanting to fish from sit-on-top kayaks. For this trip we'll establish base camp at West Beach Resort on the NW side of Orcas Island. On this trip fishing is the main pursuit and will occupy the vast majority of our time in the San Juans. Camping at West Beach offers amenities such as hot showers, running water, flush toilets, and a small store on sight with latte's & ice cream....less rustic than the May trip and perfect for those more interested in catching fish than back country camping. Camping at West Beach allows us to have vehicles, which allow us to find places to fish even when the wind is blowing hard & currents are uncooperative. We'll use them to get to different fishing locations so we spend more time fishing and less time paddling to where we need to be to catch fish. Your guides, meals, camp fees, tackle, and hand lines are included in the price. Kayaks & paddling gear can be provided at no additional cost to you if necessary. You will need to supply your own rod & reel, camping gear, toiletries, personal items, and purchase a Washington fishing license. Wall tents with queen size beds and cabins are available through West Beach Resort for an additional fee.

Cost for both trips is $650/person. Basic kayaking skills are required. One of the great things about fishing saltwater in the San Juans is there is no/very limited swell. There is current and potential for wind however, and your trip will be more enjoyable if you have a some previous kayaking experience. If you don't, it's no problem, we can arrange a lesson for you prior to the trip.

I love kayak fishing the San Juans and I look forward to sharing the good times with you!

Please feel free to contact me should you have any questions or need additional information.

Jason Self
Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe
503-285-0464
jason@aldercreek.com

Adventure With Purpose Summit 3/18/2011

2011-03-12T08:43:00.000-08:00

I'll be giving a presentation on the subject of sponsorships and talking about my current film project "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" at the Adventures with Purpose Summit Friday, March 18th from 1:30-2:30pm PST. Should be a pretty cool event. If you're in the area, stop by and check it out. Details below:

ADVENTURE WITH PURPOSE

To go…not simply “because it is there” but “to inspire change.”

Panel presentations from industry experts on:
• Building Online Communities
• Sponsorship
• Building Purpose in Outdoor Programs
• Marketing and Outreach
• Effective Fundraising

Summit will also include:
Adventure with Purpose Expo: Visit tables with information on the next season’s events, adventures, expeditions and gear.
Dates/Times: March 18, 2011
Summit: Friday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Expo: Friday, noon – 2 p.m.
Location: Mt. Hood Community College
26000 SE Stark St. Gresham, OR 97030

Registration for Summit and Expo:
Pre-registration required
For more information:
Visit: mhcc.edu/AWP
Call: 503-491-7235
E-mail: Workforce.training@mhcc.edu

Adventure – To go, not simply “because it is there” but “to inspire change.”
The Pacific Northwest offers some of the most spectacular mountains, trails, rivers and coastline in North America. This unique environment has created leading athletes and organizations in the outdoor industry. Today’s athletes and organizations are going beyond reaching summits, descending rivers, traversing continents and setting records. They are using events, adventures and expeditions to inspire change and raise support for charitable organizations, that influence positive change in a range of issues including health, the environment and human rights. Mt. Hood Community College presents the first summit exploring the community, collaboration and best practices for the emerging culture of adventures with purpose.

Who should attend:
• Social-, Environmental- and Health-related non-profit organizations
• Outdoor gear and clothing manufacturers
• Outdoor adventure guides, instructors and students
• Outdoor event planning agencies
• Print/Broadcast/Web Media
FUNDRAISING | AWARENESS | ADVOCACY | CHANGE

A Free One-Day Summit on Successful Outdoor Events, Adventures & Expeditions Supporting Charitable Organizations

ADVENTURE WITH PURPOSE FILM FESTIVAL
In cooperation with McMenamins Edgefield and Team River Runner, Mt. Hood Community College
presents the ADVENTURE WITH PURPOSE FILM FESTIVAL
LOCATION:
McMenamins, Edgefield
DATE/TIME:
Friday, March 18 from 7 to 9 p.m

I hope to see you there!

-Jason

Free Kayak Fishing Clinic

2011-03-05T08:32:00.000-08:00

I will be giving a free clinic on "Saltwater Fishing and Crabbing from a Sea Kayak", Monday March 7th, at Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe from 7-8:30pm. We will discuss simple and inexpensive methods for catching fish and crab to supplement your fresh food intake on multi-day kayak trips. Hand line fishing & jigging is the focus. The Alder Creek shop is located at 200 NE Tomahawk Isl. Dr. in Portland, OR. Check out the Alder Creek website for directions, or give us a call at 503-285-0464 if you need additional information.

I hope to see you there!

-Jason

EXPEDITION ANNOUNCEMENT: "Out of Sight, Out of Mind"

2011-01-31T12:09:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the lack of posts over the last two months. I've been hard at work on my biggest kayak fishing trip to date. After many moons of pitching and planning, we're finally ready to announce the details.

EXPEDITION ANNOUNCEMENT:

"Out of Sight, Out of Mind"
Gulf of Mexico Kayak Fishing Expedition

November-December 2011

The dispersant released under water at the source of the Deep Water Horizon oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico has never been done, and the effects are unknown. Scientist have found enormous plumes of microscopic oil particles hundreds of feet below the surface. It's been shown that a small combo of dispersant and oil can alter DNA in creatures at the bottom of the food chain, which makes the effect an inheritable trait. This "toxic salad dressing" of crude oil, chemical dispersant, and sea water will work its way up the food chain, into all living organisms, and onto our tables. 1/3 of the seafood consumed in the US comes from the Gulf.

Our project, dubbed "Out of Sight, Out of Mind", (outofminds.com is under construction as we speak.) aims to see what effect this undersea dispersant has had on the wildlife. We will observe wildlife and collect samples where allowed with the least invasive sport fishing techniques possible. The key to sampling via kayak is that we can work the shallow estuaries, mangrove swamps, flats, and reefs that power boats cannot, as well as the deeper waters off shore. We can approach wildlife with a level of stealth unobtainable with any other craft, and we travel at a slow pace in order to get a more accurate sense of place.

Our title refers to the fact that somewhere underneath the surface, 4.9 million barrels of oil are still hiding out of sight, and the Gulf has slipped from peoples minds. The effects from this spill are long term and still not fully understood. We're looking for the "canary in the coal mine" fish; An indicator of the effects of the toxic salad dressing on life in the Gulf.

As we travel the Gulf Coast, we will document our experience through video and still imagery, interweaving interviews with local people, (sport & commercial fisherman, oil industry reps, sea kayakers, kayak fisherman, surfers, etc.), incredible scenery and wildlife (tarpon, snook, speckled trout, redfish, goliath grouper, bonefish, permit, gators, crocs, sea turtles, snakes, and 500,000 birds) as well as kayak surfing and fishing action with the goal of producing a documentary film of our experience.

Beginning November 1^st, 2011, Chris Bensch, Shay Bickley, and I will spend a week in each of the following locations camping, touring, recording observational data, and fishing via sea kayaks (surfing when we can); Padre Island National Seashore (TX), Delta National Wildlife Refuge (LA), Gulf Islands National Seashore (MS), Everglades National Park (FL), and Key West NWR (FL). Along the way we will kayak the major industrial areas, including the Houston ship channel, Mobile Bay, and Pensacola to contrast the natural areas.

Our end goal has many facets, but the overall mission is to promote the ecological importance and intrinsic value of the Gulf of Mexico in the wake of the largest human caused, single-event ecological disaster in recorded history.

We'd like to thank those companies supporting our project so far:

We're still looking for businesses interested in supporting our project. Current opportunities exist for outdoor/active clothing, sunglasses, tents & sleeping bags, fly rods and reels, campers/trailers, and vehicles. If you or someone you know is interested in working with us, please contact me at jason@aldercreek.com

I will keep you posted on my kayak fishing antics here, but future posts specific to this project will appear at www.outofminds.com from now on. As soon as it goes live in the next couple of weeks , I'll announce it here first!

-Jason

Alaska Coho Fishing 2010

2010-11-01T09:21:00.000-07:00

I made my second annual pilgrimage to South East Alaska in early October. This year I left the spinning gear at home and concentrated my efforts on the fly rod. Over the period of a weak I learned a great deal about tossing flies, and although I still have much to learn, I feel confident in my abilities to get the fly to the fish in most conditions now.

We arrived at the little river on the coast shortly after a powerful windstorm had blown through. The storm surge combined with the largest tides of the year flooded the river drainage and limited our access to fishing. The big tides pushed saltwater to the highest reachable holes on the river. Instead of coho resting in the usual spots in the lower river, they were surfing right past to the tiny tributaries in the mountains without stopping.

Few fish holding meant the catching was slower than last year, but compared to salmon fishing in the lower 48, it was still top notch.

The slower fishing gave me an opportunity to get to know my friends a bit better and spend some time hiking and taking in my surroundings. Last year when the fishing was epic, I'm not sure if I saw anything except the river in front of me and fat coho on the end of my line. It was a nice change of pace and I came home feeling refreshed and rejuvenated rather than exhausted. The slow and simple pace of life- eat, drink, fish, sleep- really has me longing for an epic odyssey, and the gears are turning. A really big trip is in the works for 2011, I'll announce it here first as soon as it's official!

-Jason

Report: Lumpy Waters Symposium 2010

2010-11-01T08:50:00.000-07:00

Just a quick report on Lumpy Waters 2010-

We had a great turn out, great weather, great ocean conditions, great friends and good times at this years symposium in Pacific City, OR. Skies were mostly sunny, temperatures in the 60's and winds light. Swell averaged about six feet for the weekend, which is quite lucky considering the following weekend swells over thirty-seven feet were measured at the buoy just off the cape at Pacific City.

I didn't manage any pictures of the "Coastal Kayak Fishing" classes I lead as my hands were full, but on Sunday we caught cutthroat, surf purch, greenling, and crab at Cascade Head. All said and done it was an excellent time had by all.

Here are a few pics from the afternoon I wasn't coaching. These are mostly from the "Fear to Fun in the Surf" class.

Quite a few of the pictures are of Shay learning to handle her boat in the soup and launch and land on the beach. It was really quite impressive to see how quickly her skills and understanding developed over the course of the weekend. The coaches at the symposium are truly world class and Shay's progression serves as a testament to their abilities. I know I am looking forward to next year!

-Jason

Coastal Kayak Fishing at Lumpy Waters Symposium. Oct. 15-17, 2010. Pacific City, Or

2010-08-31T10:21:00.000-07:00

Ever wanted to catch fish from your kayak? Then join me for two days of kayak fishing on the beautiful Oregon Coast! I will be teaching kayak fishing classes and leading kayak fishing tours at the annual Lumpy Waters Symposium in Pacific City, October 15-17th.

Kayak fishing class descriptions:

COASTAL KAYAK FISHING 1

Learn the fundamentals of fishing from a kayak from expert kayak angler Jason Self. In this general “how-to” class we will cover gear selection and rigging, special paddling techniques used while fishing, angling strategy, safety & awareness, and tide/conditions management while targeting chinook salmon and sea-run cutthroat trout on flat water at the Salmon River estuary. Oregon fishing license required, fishing gear not provided.

COASTAL KAYAK FISHING 2

This class picks up where Coastal Kayak Fishing 1 leaves off, and serves as an introductory to fishing the ocean from a kayak. Previous ocean paddling experience is required, as our goal will be to fish for lingcod, rockfish, and cabezon at Three Rocks/Cascade Head (conditions permitting) and catch red rock crab at the river mouth. This class is perfect for anyone interested in supplementing their food supply on a multi-day sea kayak trip or fishing saltwater in general. Oregon fishing license/shellfish license required. Fishing gear not provided.

Call 503-285-0464 to reserve your spot, or visit the Lumpy Waters Symposium website for details and a full list of classes available and coaches attending.

Hope to see you there,

Jason

Ocean Paddler Issue #22 Available Now!

2010-08-18T21:45:00.000-07:00

The August issue of Ocean Paddler magazine features a "how to" article on hand line fishing from a sea kayak, written by yours truly, featuring photos by Chris Bensch. You can currently order them through the Ocean Paddler website, and they will be available at Alder Creek in Portland within the next few weeks. We are both totally stoked to get our obscure addiction recognized in such a fine publication.

All though my postings have been few, I have been spending my last few weekends sea kayaking at the Oregon Coast. My girlfriend has been excited to play with sea kayaks in the surf, and I have to admit, I have been pretty excited to put the hand line aside and play on the ocean.

On Sunday August 8th, we hit Cascade Head on the Oregon Coast. The swell was 5-6ft out of the NW, winds out of the W at 15kts. Temperatures were mild, in the low 70's, and we managed to stay out of the fog in a sun break for the entire day.

Shay and the guys paddled out the river mouth and turned into the surf. The first set was a big one, and she was dumped immediately. She is in the process of learning to roll, so I decided I should get out on the water just in case she needed a hand. After she recovered, I paddled out to the end of the head and caught a few really nice and clean 3-4ft waves; something I find quite rare on the Oregon coast.

We regrouped after everyone had surfed or swam until they were content, and Dave said he was going to head into the beach for lunch, then surfed in on a wave. I decided to head in also, and caught the next wave after Dave. As I started the drop down the wave face, I saw Dave broadside to me in the trough. I had no alternative but to capsize and roll to stop my momentum, but still managed to pop some gel coat off the front right gunwale when our boats bumped. I thought my self rather fortunate, seeing as how later in the day Dave would break the stern half of his kayak in two pieces, splitting it right at the seem during a rock gardening session.

After lunch on the beach we paddled out around Cascade Head and into one of the large caves along the towering cliff face. On the way into the cave we had a close encounter with a group of large sea lions. They seemed to be running from something other than us. They flew full bodied out of the water across our bows and really didn't seem to notice us at all. The whole thing made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Of course it didn't help much that I'd been watching Shark Week a few days before.

When we returned to the river mouth that evening, we pulled the crab trap we had dropped on the way out. There were several crab in the trap, but all were undersized or female and were released.

All in all it was a fine summers day on the mighty Pacific Ocean. I am always blown away by the power and immensity of the ocean. One thousand yards from the beach and you are truly in the wilderness and drop a few notches on the food chain.

On Monday, August 16th, 2010 I was set to return to Cascade Head and fish the rocks just outside the river mouth. The swell was three feet and the ocean was basically flat. Every now and then a two foot wave would break across the sand bar. This was a rare opportunity to fish this spot as the surf is usually exploding all around these rocks and the wind is usually gale force.

Earlier in the day I pivoted on my left foot while closing the car door and felt a pop in my foot. It was not exceptionally painful unless I put weight on the ball of my foot at my big toe. Thinking it was no big deal, I continued on with the trip to the coast. I had my friends unload my gear and float my boat, and we paddled out the river mouth to the three rocks a few hundred yards off shore. The conditions for fishing were about as perfect as they get, yet I felt a little jittery in my boat, every time I applied a bit of pressure on the foot-peg to hold steady, I winced in pain. I tried to adjust my foot position to accommodate, but could not make it work, so I headed in to the beach to take some vitamin-I and rest it for a bit.

As I paddled over the sand bar towards the beach, a little two foot wave stood up and broke right on top of me. I tried to brace on top of it but winced in pain and capsized. I set up to roll and as soon as I pushed on the foot-peg to snap the boat upright I stalled in pain. I tried again on the other side but it was no better, so I pulled my skirt and exited the boat.

I have to say I was a little embarrassed with my two buddies and girlfriend watching the whole pitiful thing go down a few yards behind, but when I finally made it back to the beach I realized my day was over. My foot was starting to throb and swell, and going out on the ocean in that state was really not safe even though the conditions were so mild.

It's been a couple of days and my foot seems to be getting a little better. I am hoping it's just a sprain, but if it's not better in a few more days I will go and get it checked out. I will have to wait again to complete my quest for the "Greatest Day on the Oregon Coast" personal challenge. My goal is to get a group of sea kayaking friends to the coast and drop crab traps on the way out of the mouth, surf many glassy waves, paddle around the headland into the caves along the cliff face, paddle back in to the three rocks and catch a few lingcod, then pull the crab traps and cook it all up on the beach at sunset with a multitude of cold adult beverages.

It's good to have goals.

On a sad note, my infamous pink waterproof Olympus Stylus camera was lost in a tragic accident. This is the reason for the lack of photos on this posting. The one picture from the caves was taken by Dave White. If any camera manufacturers are interested in supplying me with a new waterproof HQ digital camera, I will gladly sing your praises to the world, and credit your fine company with all published pics taken with said camera.

-Jason

Kayak Fishing Update

2010-07-26T10:24:00.000-07:00

We are halfway through the summer here in Oregon, and man have we been busy. I managed to spend another week (7/14-19, 2010) in the San Juan Islands touring and fishing and brought another large (32") lingcod to the kayak. This time I made the mistake of pulling it completely out of the water to show our group and it managed one last thrashing to jump right off the hook, after I measured it, but before a took a picture.

I have other big news to report, Ocean Paddler Magazine, the premiere sea kayak magazine published in the UK, is publishing a 2000 word/10 photo feature of my writing and Chris Bensch's photos in their August issue.

You can pick up a copy at any sea kayak shop worth its' salt anywhere in the world. Copies should be available in the US by the end of August, 2010.

I am actually looking forward to taking a break from guiding multi-day trips in the San Juan Islands. I plan on slowing down a bit, lightening my commitment load a bit, and getting to the Oregon Coast for bottom and salmon fishing, and some surf. School gets going again at the end of September, and I need to relax!

Until next time,

Jason

San Juan Islands Kayak Fishing Trip Report: 6/2-6, 2010

2010-06-29T14:21:00.000-07:00

As we paddle along the cliff walls of Deer Harbor, we encounter a series of strange two-foot waves with very short frequency in an otherwise glassy, windless harbor. My fellow guide Chris and I listened obsessively to the weather forecast on our VHF radios over the last twenty-four hours. A final check before we exit the harbor informs us a small craft advisory is in effect. Wind gusts from twenty-five to thirty-three knots, and wind waves from three to five feet are to be expected. Observing the conditions as we round the South-West corner of Orcas Island reveals a churning toilet bowl of wind-waves and confused seas. Our intended destination; Jones Island, requires an exposed crossing of just over a mile. Although the trip appears challenging, we both decide we are well within our comfort zone and paddle out into the channel.

We arrived in Anacortes, Washington, the day before. We were set to guide two clients on a four-day kayak-fishing-tour of the San Juan Islands. The weather could not have been worse. Torrential rains and high winds are predicted for the entire trip. Both of our clients are using thirteen-foot sit-on-top kayaks and have limited kayaking experience. Normally this is not an issue, but if the wind predictions hold and conditions are even close to the way they are now, it could be extremely difficult for these guys to paddle the 3.7 miles to Jones Island with four days of water, food, camping, and fishing gear packed into, and on top of their kayaks.

My solution is to pack as much of the heavy gear (50L water, double burner stove, cast iron skillet, canned goods, fruit, camp gear, etc.) into our two seventeen and eighteen foot sea kayaks and haul a load over to Jones the day before the clients arrive. Without having to push fully loaded boats, they would have a much easier time with the crossing should conditions be less than ideal the next day.

The wind screams through President Channel and bites at my paddle, trying to catch me off guard and send it sailing. Each stroke feels as if I'm pulling the blade through wet cement, and I'm beginning to regret our decision to make the crossing with three-hundred-pound kayaks in high winds as Chris high-centers on some jagged rocks on the West Side of Orcas Island. What was a few moments ago fun wave and cliff interaction is now potentially a serious problem. The weight of his kayak combined with breaking waves means a broken boat is now a real possibility. I hold my position next to Chris, going through disaster scenarios in my head. He shifts his weight around, lurching the boat back and forth while five foot waves break on the rocky cliff face a few feet away. Within a few moments he manages to wiggle the heavy kayak off the rocks and into deeper water. We inspect his boat to the best of our abilities and determine there is very little damage to the hull, so we turn our bows into the wind and begin the push across the channel to Jones.

We arrive at the island and start unloading gear immediately. After securing our boats and setting up camp, I check the VHF for an updated forecast for the next day. The NOAA weather robot voice announces, "...Current observations for Victoria... North wind seventy knots... Northern Inland Waters... North wind thirty knots, gusts to forty..." "Wait, did it just say seventy knots in Victoria!? That's only fifteen miles from here. What in the world are we going to do while hunkered down on this tiny little island for four days?", I ask Chris as we finally manage to get a fire going. All of the fallen wood we collected is soaked from days of heavy rains. A dousing of white gas from the camp-stove fuel-canister is all it takes to get it burning.

At night, as I try to fall asleep, the wind howls through the trees and waves crash on the beach, adding to my distraction. I toss and turn trying to determine the best possible course of action for our clients. I know we can get them to the island, but are they here to camp on an island while a storm rages, or are they here to catch fish? If we spend tomorrow packing boats, paddling to Jones, and setting up camp, that leaves us maybe one full day of fishing out of four. If we camp at West Beach, it gives us an extra day of fishing. The decision seems obvious. We will wake early, re-pack all the gear into our kayaks, and paddle back to Deer Harbor to meet our clients. We will propose the idea of camping at West Beach on Orcas to maximize time spent fishing rather than in transit to a remote campsite. Located a few miles South of Point Doughty, West Beach also provides protection from the North wind, and an opportunity to fish safely even in the worst conditions.

It's 5 AM and the alarm on my digital-watch is nagging me to start the day. I wake Chris and we quickly tare down camp, re-pack our kayaks, and paddle back to Deer Harbor to meet the clients. The sea has calmed substantially compared to the day before, and it looks to be ideal for kayak fishing 101. We arrive at Deer Harbor around 8 AM, and our clients, Holt and Terry, arrive at the launch shortly after. I propose our options for base camp and we all agree; Time spent fishing is the priority. With the plan set, our group, now four, paddles back out of the harbor towards Reef Island, part of the Wasp Island group. A quick check of my chart as we approach Reef tells me we are directly over the fifty-foot cliff where the island begins it's rise from the bottom of the sea. This is where lingcod live; those rocky, craggy zones with significant structural and depth changes. I look for steep, rocky points on the islands and depths of forty to one-hundred feet. If the habitat is right, the fish will be there.

After Terry and Chris catch and release several greenling, rockfish, and undersized lingcod, we pull out on a secluded beach on Reef Island to stretch our legs and take in a bit of food. After a pleasant lunch, we hit the water and paddle towards Steep Point, at the South-West side of Orcas Island. The guys boat several more undersized lingcod before we return to Deer Harbor. Everyone except Holt that is.

After establishing base camp at West Beach and a fine supper with the group, Terry and Holt drift off to sleep while Chris and I check the VHF for tomorrow's forecast. "Forecast for Northern inland waters...Tonight, rain after midnight...North wind twenty knots with gusts to twenty-five...continuing until mid-day tomorrow." This is not an ideal forecast, so we decide tomorrow we will take it easy in the morning and discuss navigation techniques while in camp, then fish the kelp bed located five-hundred meters to the West in the afternoon. Point Doughty to the North should protect us from the brunt of the wind, and we can float South with the current through slack, and ride it back North after the change in the evening.

After getting skunked on day one, Holt manages to land his first fish from a kayak with a hand line on an eight-inch root-beer split-tail and four-ounce jig while fishing the kelp bed that afternoon. At the same time, Terry hooks up with another lingcod, giving us our first double of the trip.

In the afternoon the rain stops, the sun shines, and we drift South with the current along the West shore of Orcas Island. I manage to drop a line and score a fat undersized ling while the rest of the group loses track of how many fish they have caught.

Holt switches back to a fly rod and manages a nice bendo before the wind changes direction begins gusting at twenty-five knots out of the South, pushing us right back to camp as planned.

The next day is our last full day, and the NOAA weather robot guy is telling us to expect winds out of the North to fifteen knots, wind waves one foot or less, fifty percent chance of showers, and temperatures in the upper fifties. In my experience in the San Juan Islands, that particular forecast usually means it is going to be an absolute blue bird day. This is our opportunity to cover some miles in the hunt for keeper lingcod. I have spent over a month in the last year fishing Jones Island; getting to know every rock, every point, what the depth and bottom structure are where, what colors the fish like at what time, where the bigger fish lurk, and I am extremely excited to get the group out there.

In the morning we wake at 5 AM and scarf down bagels and coffee. We arrive at Deer Harbor shortly there after and hit the water by 7:30 AM, beginning the familiar journey to Jones. The crossing with the group and their thirteen-foot sit-on-tops goes exactly as planned. With little wind and flat seas, we ride the mild current 3.7 miles directly to the South cove on Jones within about forty-five minutes of having launched. What a huge difference the wind, or lack of wind can make!

After a brief rest and short hike to scout some of the prime areas we intend to hit, we launch our kayaks and begin fishing the South-West point of Jones. As we work up the West side of the island while riding the current North, Chris catches and releases a nice sixteen-inch cabezon. Everyone in the group manages to boat several rockfish and undersized lingcod, but the really big fish have yet to show.

It's approaching noon, and soon the current will shift out of the North, so we reel in our gear and paddle North along the shoreline of Jones, headed for our intended lunch spot before the flow makes the attempt much more difficult. The skies are beaming bright blue, and after filling our bellies, a nap in the sun seems par for the course. Holt, Chris, and I find comfortable spots in the grass and commence snoozing. A few minutes later I hear Terry on the beach fiddling with gear and decide to go and see what he is up to. He tells me he wants to fish off the rocks just off the beach while the group rests. I realize that if I am going to squeeze in a few minutes of fishing for myself, now is the time. I put my spray skirt and PFD back on, hop in my boat, and Terry and I start jigging one-hundred meters from our lunch spot. As I drift over the transitional zone between the eel-grass and gravel bottom cove, to the steep, rocky cliffs to the South, I feel the familiar shake of a lingcod on the end of my seventy-five foot hand line.

I started using a hand line for bottom fishing about a year before. After destroying a few rods & reels on previous multi-day sea-kayak trips, a cheap spool of three-millimeter climbing rope with a forty-pound mono-leader seemed like something I should try. After the first few fish I was totally hooked, and the hand line has been my gear of choice ever since.

As I start pulling the rope in hand over hand, I instantly realize this is bigger than the average fish. This is the lingzilla we have been hunting for. The fight is brief; The fish comes flying up to the surface from fifty-feet down in about fifteen-seconds. One of the advantages of using a hand line is that, without the drag of a reel or the bend of a rod, the fish have no way to turn and run. As long as I am gaining line, the fish have no choice but to swim right to my kayak. Granted, the bigger the fish is, the stronger pull on the other end of the line will be!

As soon as I bring this monster to the surface, I realize Chris is five-hundred meters away with the camera. He quickly wakes from his post-lunch slumber, hops in his kayak, paddles out, and manages to get a few shots of this fine beast before I measure it at around three feet, and release it back to the sea.

All the commotion manages to end everyone's nap pretty quickly. After seeing the monster lingcod, the group's drive to catch the big one is rejuvenated. We fish the West side of Jones as we drift back South with the current towards the end of the island. Terry and Holt catch more lings and rockfish, but our catch-rate is slowing. We decide to change locations and fish the deep water between Jones and Orcas Island. Immediately after dropping our jigs, the group hooks up with a triple. Chris, Terry, and Holt all manage another dozen fish each before we return to Deer Harbor in the evening. This was a solid, ten-hour day of fishing and it paid off. The group caught so many fish that we lost track of how many were boated. Despite my best attempts to put the guys on big fish, my lingcod was the only monster of the day.

After our return to camp that evening, the weather forecast predicts heavy rains and strong winds beginning after midnight, and continuing throughout the next day. The group decides that after our perfect tour so far, they feel satisfied and aren't overly excited to try and fish in the nasty weather before catching the ferry back to the mainland. We spend our last night together around the campfire, reminiscing about the trip. All of us happy, content, a little sore, a little sun-burnt, and thankful for the opportunity to share such a wonderful experience in such a beautiful place.

Lingzilla!

2010-06-15T20:15:00.000-07:00

I managed to boat this fine beast while guiding a four-day kayak fishing tour in the San Juan Islands, Washington, using a handline from my sea kayak. Just after lunch, I put in with one of the clients while the others napped on the beach. My jig wasn't in the water for more than five minutes when I felt the familiar shake of a lingcod on the end of the line. As soon as I began to pull the rope in hand over hand, I knew it was bigger than the average fish; in fact it was right about three feet! After a few photos, I released it to go and make monster ling babies. Not to worry, I will post a full trip report and pics here soon!

For now, I'm preparing/getting excited to attend and compete in Northwest Kayak Angler's Oregon Rockfish Classic this weekend out at Depoe Bay, Oregon. I'm looking forward to hanging with some of the guys I normally only swap stories with online.

Here's to big fish and good conditions this weekend!

-Jason

TRIP REPORT: San Juan Islands Multi-Day Kayak Fishing. 5/4-9, 2010

2010-05-10T14:03:00.000-07:00

After guiding several trips to the San Juans over the last few years, I finally had the opportunity to go with my girlfriend and another buddy. It's been four years since I've hit the SJ's for fun, and this trip was definitely worth the wait.

On Tuesday, May 4th, We drove from Portland, OR to Anacortes, WA, barely avoiding a fifteen car pile-up on I-5 North of Seattle. After arriving at Washington Park in Anacortes where we'd camp for the night, we were subtly soothed to sleep by the thunderous roar of Navy bombers practicing low altitude bombing runs over our heads. It wasn't quite the peaceful nights rest I'd hoped for, but as one local put it, "That's the sound of Freedom."

We rose early on the 5th, quickly packed up camp, and headed for the ferry to Orcas Island. Once at Orcas, we drove to Deer Harbor, where we packed up our kayaks and paddled out to Jones Island.

We established camp on Jones in time to cook a nice meal and sip on a cold beer as we watched the sunset around the fire.

The following day, Shawn was feeling ill and spent most of the day resting and trying to get well. Shay and I decided to fish around Jones Isl. and take it easy. I managed to land two undersized lingcod, two rockfish, and a cabezon while jigging the handline from my sea kayak before lunch.

After catching a dozen fish or so that day, but no keeper lingcod, we enjoyed another magnificent sunset from Jones Isl.

We woke on Friday and Shawn was feeling a bit better, but still not one hundred percent. We decided to take a hike around the island with the hopes of a little exercise aiding his recovery.

I enjoyed the views, and I have to admit, taking time to enjoy the islands OUT of the kayak was a nice change of pace.

After our hike, Shay and I hit our boats and fished a bit more while Shawn got ready for touring. For some reason the fish just weren't biting like they were the day before. I changed jig colors a dozen times with no luck. I couldn't figure out why the bite had completely turned off, when I looked to my left and saw a dozen people staring at me from a boat on the water. I quickly glanced around and saw 4 boats with people on deck all staring at me. All of the sudden it dawned on me that they were whale watching boats. I turned to Shay and said " I bet there's an orca around.", not really believing my own words. I looked up the shore line and saw Shawn launching off the beach in his kayak. Shay and I started paddling towards Shawn, when all of the sudden, I see a huge black dorsal fin breach the surface 200 yards behind Shawn. "ORCA!!!" I shouted as I pointed out the dorsal. I've spent over 40 days touring the San Juans by sea kayak, and this was the first time I had ever seen orca whales. Needless to say, the three of us were giddy with excitement as we observed the whales pass through the channel right in front of our camp, sometimes coming within 300 feet of our boats. As the whales left our area, the tourist boats raced around the point to follow them as they headed North of Jones Isl. Although the experience was completely thrilling and amazing, I felt sorry for the whales. I thought about how stressful it must be having a half dozen power boats chasing you your entire life. I decided I would never follow the whales if I ever saw them again. I would simply sit and watch as they pass through and be thankful for the experience.

After the adrenaline from sighting orca whales from our sea kayaks had worn off, Shay and Shawn decided they wanted to paddle over to Limestone Point off San Juan Island with the hopes of running into them again. Shawn had left his digital camera at home, so I gave the camera to Shay, thinking pictures of orca are way better then pictures of me and fish. Without a doubt, when ever I don't have my camera is when the bigger fish strike. Shay and Shawn saw no orca, but I managed to boat two fat little lingcod two inches shy of the 26 inch minimum size. Later that evening, as I was fishing at dusk on the North side of Jones Island, I felt my jig snag. I didn't feel the clink of the jig hitting rock, so I thought I had possibly snagged kelp and tried to pull the jig free. I felt it come up off the bottom briefly and I thought it was free. As I tried to wind in my line, again I felt the jig hang up. I pulled as hard as I could when I felt the jig begin to thrash around. It felt like a BIG lingcod, which I thoroughly enjoyed for two seconds before it took my leader to the rocks and snapped my forty pound line.

At 7pm I paddled 100 yards off from the sea lion colony on Jones Isl., hoping to avoid a territorial dispute, and then continued South along the shore. Just as I rounded the South point, my VHF starts chattering, "kayaker Jason, kayaker Jason, kayaker Jason. Come in kayaker Jason. Do you read me? Over." Shawn and Shay were calling to inform me they were at Limestone Point, over two miles away, beginning the channel crossing towards Jones Island. I replied back, "Roger kayaker Shawn, I read you loud and clear. Estimating your arrival at Jones at 8pm. Confirm. Over." Shawn replies, "That's affirmative. 8pm arrival at Jones. Over."

I was impressed with the range and clarity of the VHF. A few seconds passed as I thought about our communication and how professional it sounded, when I hear Shawn's voice again on the VHF, "Kayaker Billy Bob, Kayaker Billy Bob. Come in Billy Bob. This is Rubber Ducky. Kayaker Billy Bob, you don't have to make that 'Scchht' noise. It does it automatically. Over." I couldn't help myself, and I replied, "Roger Roger. What's your vector Victor?" That incredible bit of comedy quickly put an end to any hint of professional communique.

I fished until I had a visual on Shawn and Shay crossing the channel, then paddled back up the West side of Jones towards camp to meet the two. After devouring another amazing dinner and a few adult beverages around the campfire, we drifted off to sleep, still buzzing off the orca encounter and the hook-up with the huge lingcod.

The following day was our last full day in the San Juans, and as I'd spent most of my time floating and fishing around Jones, I felt the need to do some touring. We decided to cross the channel to San Juan Island, paddle the shoreline South to Friday Harbor where we'd refill our water bags, then cross back over to Shaw Island and head back to Jones North through the Wasp Island group. It felt good to cover miles and hang out with Shay and Shawn on the water. The currents were mild, the weather was sunny and beautiful, and it was an exceptional day just goofing off and paddling.

Shawn's Derek Hutcheson impression.

We battled a bit of wind and current in the face as we paddled back to Jones, which was actually a nice change from the pond-like conditions we had experienced so far. I fished briefly after our return with no success. I'm pretty sure after pounding the island for two days strait, I had annoyed every fish there. It was time to move. Although I didn't catch any fish that evening, I did enjoy another spectacular sunset on the water.

And the light at camp was amazing:

The last morning we packed camp and loaded up our kayaks for the trip back to Orcas Island. I was feeling a bit discouraged after not hooking up the previous evening. Usually I drop the jig, and within a minute or two of jigging I have a fish on. I decided to just enjoy the paddle back to the launch and not concern myself too much with fishing. Just as we rounded the South West corner of Orcas Island, Shawn said he had seen a fish jump. I thought that a bit unusual and asked, "Was it shaped like a big trout or like a dinosaur?" I didn't think there were any salmon species present in the San Juans at that time, but wasn't really sure. The only way I could imagine a bottom fish jumping on the surface was if it was chased by a sea lion, so I assumed Shawn was joking. I asked Shawn, "Are you telling me you want me to fish? Because, you know I can make that happen for you." As we were talking, I dropped my rootbeer colored scampi 40 feet down to the bottom. One pull, two pulls, strike and miss. One pull, two pulls, FISH ON! I managed to boat another nice rockfish in about 15 seconds of fishing. Shawn managed to get the fish being landed on HD video, which I'll post here as soon as it's available. It was the perfect way to end a perfect trip.

We unloaded our boats at Deer Harbor, threw our gear in the jeep and caught the ferry just in time to make it back to Portland Sunday night.

All in all, quite an amazing experience that I can't wait to share with clients in early June. There is still space available for you to join us in our epic adventure. Call 503-285-0464 to reserve your spot today!

-Jason

Alder Creek Paddle Festival 2010

2010-04-20T12:18:00.000-07:00

April 24th and 25th, 2010 marks the official beginning of our "season" at Alder Creek. We kick things off on Saturday with our annual, free Paddle Festival at Vancouver Lake in Vancouver, Washington, with over 200 boats to demo. Representatives from Kokatat, Werner Paddles, Valley Sea Kayaks, Necky, Current Designs, Eddyline, Ocean Kayak, Wilderness Systems, Hurricane, P&H, Aquabound.....Pretty much everyone in the paddle-sports industry has product on the beach available for you to demo on Saturday be it kayak, sit on top, stand up paddle board, canoe, or inflatable.

Sunday is less demo and more clinic oriented. I'll be there along with some of the guys from Northwest Kayak Anglers and Ocean Kayak giving kayak fishing clinics on everything from rigging your boat for fishing, to on the water tips and techniques.

Attend the Paddle Fest and receive a coupon good for 20% off one item at the shop!

Check the link above for event info and directions, and give us a call at 503-285-0464 should you have questions or concerns.

Hope to see you there!

Jason

TRIP REPORT: Kayak Fishing Tillamook Bay, Oregon. 02/21/10

2010-02-23T13:47:00.000-08:00

The weather in Oregon has been absolutely stunning for the last few weeks. I don't care what the scientists say, or how dry it will be this summer... I love el Nino.

On Sunday, 2/21, the ocean laid down to around 6ft@12-15s, the sky showed not a single cloud, temperatures averaged 50F, and winds blew steady out of the East at 15mph with gusts to 20. My friend Jerrol and I launched from the marina at Garibaldi on to Tillamook Bay and paddled South toward the jetty entrance an hour before low tide. The bay is quite shallow in this area, in fact the bottom was in sight most of the way towards the jetty. This made for a much more dynamic environment than most of the other smaller bays on the coast. The shallow water produced some nice 2-3ft wind waves to play on, and just a small channel every now and then would make for a funneling action resulting in several mild rips to mess around with.

We paddled to the bayside edge of the South jetty and hopped out on the cobble beach to asses the situation and discuss bail out options & capsize plans. With a general strategy set, we jumped back in our boats and paddled down the South jetty towards the Pacific Ocean. Jerrol shouted something along the lines of "My goal is to not end up on the 6 o' clock news." I just laughed as we rolled up and down on the 3ft swell that made it through the bay entrance.

As the sea floor fell out beneath us and turned from sand to rocks, we dropped our jigs and began fishing. I used my handline again, this time with 40# Berkley Big Game Trilene. I've been experimenting with heavier line weight and knots for the last few months, and finally found what I was looking for with the Big Game Trilene. I was fishing with my favorite, most faithful fish-catching lure of all time; a four-inch pink buzzbomb. As unimaginative and low-class as this lure is, it has never, ever been skunked.

The 15-20mph East wind proved to be exceptionally challenging. Blowing strait down the jetty towards the ocean, it made keeping a line vertical almost impossible. This factor, combined with the waves and outflow around the rocks made for some seriously technical boat handling just to keep my line in position for one or two jigs before getting blown out again. It was a great place to practice boat control & conditions management, but not so great for a relaxing day of fishing.

After attempting to fight the conditions for an hour, all the while knowing there's lunkers below us but no way to get to them & offer a decent presentation, we decided to paddle across the entrance to the North jetty and find shelter in the lee side of the rocks & stacks located there. We tried again to fish the deeper water along the jetty, but faced the same problems with the wind, so we paddled further in and found shelter behind the "Three Graces".

We knew we were out of big lunker territory, but we knew there would be some smaller lingcod & possibly some greenling around the rockpiles, and we started fishing. A short bit later I started getting nibbles, but missed a few sets. Finally I managed to boat a small lingcod, around 20 inches, which I quickly released. A few minutes later, Jerrol hooked up in the same spot with another small lingcod around 20 inches.

We fished a while longer, then paddled through a nice rock garden towards shore to have lunch. Jerrol asked something along the lines of "What's the best way through the rocks?" I gave him a funny look. "Well you're the expert!" he said. Again I just laugh as we bob up and down next to the piles. I said something along the lines of "Try not to run into them." It's not that I was apathetic for safety, or mocking his questions, but I hadn't been here before, and when I'm not guiding, I entertain myself with allot of, "I wonder if I can get through there?", or, "I wonder what will happen if I go this way?", and allot of times it ends up with a "How do I get myself out of this one?" We paddled through the garden with no issues, landed on a cobble beach and had lunch.

By the time we finished eating, it was getting close to quitting time, so we floated back to the marina on the incoming tide as we mooched our jigs. Jerrol spotted some activity on his fish finder around the pilings at the fisherman's dock at Garibaldi, and we fished for a few minutes there with no result before pulling out at the marina where we launched.

I was really hoping for a lunker on this trip, but I was extremely pleased with our adaptations to unsuitable conditions. The bottom line at the end of the day is that, despite the challenges, we adapted and were still able to get fish. If nothing else, I found a great spot to practice technical boat handling in a relatively safe environment, and had a load of fun soaking in February sunshine and sea air with a friend.

-Jason

Outfitting a Kayak for Fishing

2010-02-07T15:51:00.000-08:00

Those of you that regularly follow my ramblings here know that my choice of kayak tends to be long and skinny, and my fishing gear and rigging is about as sparse as it gets. So when Mr. Baja walked into the shop and told me his idea of the perfect fishing kayak, I had to step out of my own skin to get a proper angle on the best set up for him, not me. Over the next week or so I would close my eyes and picture myself as a non-kayaker with time on my hands in Baja, and a desire to catch fish. Maybe diving off into the warm water and snorkeling, soaking up sunshine while sipping a margarita or Modelo, and fishing are what my priorities would be.

With this in mind, I laid a plan to outfit Mr. Baja's choice of the Ocean Kayak Torque. The Torque has a trolling motor "plug & play" prop as it's niche. Normally I scoff at this sort of thing. I generally don't approve of pedals and motors, as to me, they're not really kayaks. But if I put myself in Mr. Baja's shoes, with his priorities in mind, the Torque is actually a pretty bad-ass little machine.

Here are a few pics of the outfitting I did:

This is the finished product: The Scotty Stabilizer Kit behind the seat gives a bit more confidence for standing and fly-casting. A Surf-to-Summit tackle bag with four rod holder tubes goes behind the seat.

I installed an Eagle Cuda 350 Fish Finder on to the battery-hatch with a RAM Ball Mount. On the front deck in front of the battery-hatch is a RAM Five Piece Accessory Bar, with a fly-rod holder, bait-caster/spinning-rod holder, waterproof electronics box for the Droid phone, and the most important thing; the swivel-cup mount with koozie for keeping your beverage of choice cool and upright in rough seas.

For the transducer, the cleanest and easiest set up was the "shoot through" method. For this I cut a block out of closed cell foam, and carved out a hole just a tad smaller than the transducer. To secure the foam block to the hull, I etched the hull with Dragon Skin, and applied mondobond to secure the block in place. Around the shape of the transducer, I carved a shallow channel and applied silicone sealant, and set the block in place. The silicone sealant allows water to be trapped inside the void for the transducer, which is vital for proper sonar function. To make it work, you simply add a few tea spoons of water to the void, and squeeze the transducer into place in the void in the foam block.

The transducer cable is routed through the vertical wall of the battery box, and up through the hatch lid to the fish finder. Both holes for cable access are plugged with a bit of closed cell foam. Both access holes are above the water line.

The battery I selected for the Torque is a Sea Volt sealed marine group 24 12V 79Ah battery. This monster gives the motor 3.4 hours of run time at full tilt, and also provides power for the fish finder.

Simply attach the red and black cables for the motor and the fish finder, close the lid and power up!

Below is the view from the cockpit. I bolted the five-piece accessory bar through through the deck and into a quarter-inch thick piece of polycarbonate board to ensure structural integrity in the event of big fish tugging on it.

On the side I installed the Native Anchor Trolley. This unit allows you to position the anchor towards the bow or stern, so you can hold your position & direction in wind or current while fishing. With the addition of a caribeiner and float attached to the anchor line, it also allows you to quickly ditch the anchor should you hook up with a hog, or fail to see the debris or boat moving right at you.

It turned out pretty sweet. I think it is ideal for Mr. Baja, and I can't help picturing myself floating around in the hot sun and warm water with a cold one in my hand, fishing for mahi-mahi & yellow fin tuna.

The water test was impressive. When the Torque was running at full tilt into 1kt of current, it averaged 3kts. I paddled along side it in a sea kayak and was easily able to outpace it, I wouldn't eve say I was trying, but I didn't have a margarita in one hand and a rod in the other when I was outpacing the Torque either!

There is a larger prop available, and with the large battery in this particular boat, I'd say it's capable of 6 or 7kts, which is about as fast as the average person can paddle a sea kayak. There's a small percentage of kayakers who could paddle 7kts for 3.4 hours strait, so I can see the point of the motor, but I will stick to my paddle. To me, that's what makes the whole thing fun.

Until next time,

Jason

San Juan Islands Guided Kayak Fishing June 3-6, 2010

2010-01-29T20:15:00.001-08:00

The dates are set for our 2010 San Juan Islands kayak fishing trip! We'll meet at West Beach Resort on Orcas Island, on Wednesday, June 3rd, at 9 AM. We'll pack boats, get geared up and paddle an easy 7 miles to Jones Island, where we'll establish base camp for the next few days. There's great fishing 100 ft from the camp site, but on average we'll paddle 2-5 miles a day exploring the islands as we hunt for lingcod, cabezon, greenling, and other bottom fish while enjoying the beautiful San Juan Islands.

Learn navigation, boat handling, tide/current/wind management, boat packing, kayak fishing techniques, as well as safety/rescue/towing, and group management skills. There's even opportunity to practice capsize and re-entry, all under the auspice of Alder Creek's guides and coaches.

We'll paddle back with the tide to West Beach Resort on Sunday, June 6th

The price is $650/person, and includes all meals, guides, kayaks (sit in, sit on, or tandem), and kayak gear (wet suit/dry suit, PFD, paddle, spray skirt, gloves, booties). Transportation, fishing license, rod, reel, tackle, camping gear, and personal items are not included.

Basic kayaking skills are required, and very flexible. This is a learning trip, and we can teach as we go. If you're not sure if you have the required skills, feel free to call the shop at 503-285-0464 to see what we can work out to get you ready to go!

Custom trips are available. Call with questions or to book your trip.

Looking forward to it!

-Jason

Guided Kayak Fishing in Washington State

2010-01-19T17:03:00.000-08:00

After a long and tedious battle of wills, it's official; I am the first licensed and insured kayak fishing guide in the state of Washington. I'm currently taking reservations for 5 day San Juan Islands kayak fishing trips, where we'll target lingcod, greenling, cabezon & other bottom fish.

Lingcod is open May 1st to June 15th, so this is our window of opportunity to get after them.

No experience is required, all kayaking gear/boats, food, and guides are included in the price....which has yet to be decided.

I've incurred a few commercial fishing licensing fees which are going to raise the price slightly higher than a regular 5 day San Juan kayak tour.
I'll work out the details within the next week, and post here as soon as everything is set.

Please call 503-285-0464 if you need additional information, or would like to book your trip. Custom trips are available.

If you've wanted to do a multi-day kayak fishing trip but lack the experience or gear to do it on your own, this is the perfect opportunity to make it happen.

Here's to a great 2010!

Jason

San Juan Islands Multi-day Kayak Fishing Trips on Hold

2010-01-15T08:34:00.000-08:00

Just when I thought I had successfully navigated the bureaucratic waters that are the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife "Non-salmon Charter License" laws, I hit a snag.

As of right now guided saltwater kayak-fishing in Washington is on hold. I feel confident that these issues will be worked out in my favor within the next couple of weeks, and will announce it here as soon as possible.

On the bright side, we're still taking reservations for Oregon saltwater day-trip and skill building clinics. On that note I would like to thank the State of Oregon and ODFW for writing laws that make sense, and that I can understand.

-Jason

GUIDED KAYAK FISHING IN OREGON AND WASHINGTON

2010-01-11T16:11:00.000-08:00

I'm proud to announce that I am the first officially licensed and insured kayak fishing guide in the states of Oregon and Washington. I will be offering instruction and trips for kayak fishing for all levels of experience to Pacific City on the Oregon Coast for rockfish and other bottom fish, and a five-day kayak-fish-camping trip to the San Juan Islands in Northern Washington where we will target lingcod from our kayaks. Custom trips are available.

Pacific City will be a day trip, where all kayaking gear and guides are included at $125/person, minimum three people. Fishing gear, food, and refreshments are not provided, and everyone is required to have a current Oregon sport fishing license. Transportation to Pacific City is not included.

The San Juan multi-day trip is $595/person, minimum four people. All kayaking gear, guides, food, and refreshment are included. Fishing gear, camping equipment are not included. Everyone must posses a current Washington sport fishing license.

Contact Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe at 503-285-0464 if you need additional information, or to discuss custom kayak fishing trips.

2010 is already looking to be a good year. I look forward to sharing my passion for kayak fishing with you!

-Jason