Lower Columbia Kayak Anglers: Cold Koke Kayak Social (CANCELLED!)

If you plan to get a season Oregon or Washington license you can get your 2016 license now. Many folks get their next years fishing licenses for Christmas.  Don't forget to get the Big C endorsement.

Time to go to Bi-Mart. 

I do love me a trip to bi-mart!

91.75 this year, before the invasive species permit. Which if you get from REI you can get it without the additional mark up and can even get one that's valid for two years. They're also a much more durable permit you can stick in your kayak.

You are talking $91.75 Oregon right?   I think the conversation above was to cover Washington license for Lake Merwin.

Yes.

Fisherman's and Dick's over in Delta Park can handle 2016 Washington licenses now, as well as any Washington license vendor.  I don't think either open until 9am.  May want to drive up to Delta Park and secure a Washington license this week to avoid a late launch. 

Any license vendor in Oregon can handle the 2016 Oregon license now.

The "Cold Koke Kayak Social" is CANCELLED. Merwin is still a giant turd bowl with high turbidity and visibility < 1'. A few of us might get lucky and catch some kokanee but its going to be tough fishing and I'd rather wait until conditions have improved. Rumor has it may take another 3-4 weeks for the lake to return to fishable conditions.

Thanks for the intel. Does anyone have a better idea for fishing New Year's Day?

1.) Catch & release sturgeon - Willamette
2.) Keeper sturgeon - above Bonneville
3.) Trout - Hagg or Lacamas Lakes
4.) Winter steelhead  - Clackamas, Sandy, or Lewis

Just a few I thought about.

I have 2 trays of squid in the freezer that i didnt get to use for the sleigh ride social and I'm only 15 mins from Hagg Lake so I'd be down for 1, 2, or 3...

Looks like the plan for me on New Year's day will be hitting up Hagg Lake to try and find those elusive cold water Crappie and trolling for trout.  If anyone is interested in joining me, I usually get there around 9 am.  I am going to try the upper end of the lake again so I will be launching from boat ramp C.  I will make a recon trip up there today or tomorrow to see if the water conditions improved at all and I will report back.  Stay Tuned...

Well the water looks a little better today then it did a few weeks ago.  The water is still a little brown but not near as silty. 


I am hopeful the fishing will be better this Friday.  Hope to see some of you there.

Thank you for the intel - appreciated. Let us know how you do out there.

Bummer... I will be looking forward to a later date.

Hagg lake for crappie sounds like a plan. What kind of gear do I need?

Considering the Clack as well.

Hagg lake for crappie sounds like a plan. What kind of gear do I need?

I use my ugly stick spinning combo with 10lb test line and some type of jig head on the end (either a curly tail or a baby shad or a small tube).  I try to hold over bottom cover in deep water and jig for them.  Although I've not had any luck finding them in this lake, typically they are schooled up suspended above bottom cover about 30 ft down during the winter months.  At least that's where we found them in the lakes back east and I am assuming the same would be true here.  My problem so far in Hagg Lake is finding the bottom cover.  I have been fishing at the lower end of the lake (towards the dam) and there is nothing on the bottom there.  I found out since then that all of the cover is in the upper end of the lake in the No Wake Zone.  My last time out I launched out of Boat Ramp C and fished up there but the water was crappy (not Crappie) and the constant wind and rain drove me off the lake and I didn't get much fishing in. 

Caught this little beauty at a HOW event at Hagg a couple of years ago. Last one I'd caught before this was 50 years ago in a Louisiana bayou, we call 'em Sac-a-lait.