04/15 - 04/16 - Cathlamet, WA

R

rogerbum

New member
Is there a plan for a 2006 Cathlamet cruise? That was one of the few I could make it to last year and while the fishing was not so good, the fun was! I'd like to give the fishing another try. If there is a plan to do this again, we might consider sliding it back a tad relative to last year in hopes of better timing the springer run (assuming there is one and assuming we are allowed to fish it). From the data I downloaded from the Bonneville dam counts, April 20 seems to be close to the peak on a 10 year average. Hence 4/22-4/23, 2006 might be good dates.

Roger on the SeaDNA

Edit by TyBoo:

A couple days later said:
I just met with Jackie, we're on the books for the weekend of April 15th, 2006. Yep, it's Easter weekend.
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Signup list and Calendar entry done. See ya there.
 
Woo HOO! You stole the words right off my fingers!
I can hardly wait. Are we going to target March again?
Cathlamet is one of my favorites and I look forward to making it this year.
April works too if we can wait that long.
 
Hi guys! I'll go down and talk to the harbormaster soon and inquire about Cathlamet 2006. Be advised that 2 years ago if memory serves me, (It hasn't been serving so well lately) that the quota was met and the season was shut down on April 15th. Do we want to chance having the gathering as late as April 22nd?
 
Helen O":2oidk2pd said:
Hi guys! I'll go down and talk to the harbormaster soon and inquire about Cathlamet 2006. Be advised that 2 years ago if memory serves me, (It hasn't been serving so well lately) that the quota was met and the season was shut down on April 15th.
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Fortunately, the WDFW keeps a couple years of old rules changes in their site. So I looked. In 2003, the springer season was modified to a Wed-Sat opening effective April 9th. In 2004, the springer season above I5 closed on April 22 and closed from I5 downstream on May 1. 2002-2004 were "above average" years relative to the previous ones. So the quota which is based on predicted runs was met early when the actual runs were much larger. This year, the quota was never met since the runs were so small, so they let us fish longer (by the way, it doesn't make sense to me that this is the way things work - can't WDFW take actual real-time data into account and adjust the quotas to match reality? It really doesn't make sense to allow fishing to continue when a run is WAY below projections [end/rant])
Helen O":2oidk2pd said:
Do we want to chance having the gathering as late as April 22nd?
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Based on the above, maybe we don't want to be quite as late as April 22nd but I don't think we want to go as early as last year either (April 01-03). It's kind of a catch 22 - if you go too early, you get an open season with not so many fish (especially this past year which was unusually dismal) but if you go too late, the fish are there but the quota's gone. Maybe the weekend of the 15th? That would PROBABLY keep us away from closures of the season and coincides with the end of my son's spring break so I MIGHT be able to coax him along. It's not the best weekend for those last minute tax filers but I like it better than the 8th in terms of getting closer to the likely peak of the run...
 
Roger

I like your logic. I think we have a winner with the weekend of the 15th. I'll see Jackie (Harbormaster) and get back on this. Any other comments, suggestions or ideas?
 
Helen O":4g7ji7sn said:
I just met with Jackie, we're on the books for the weekend of April 15th, 2006. Yep, it's Easter weekend.
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Great work. I'll plan on coming. Maybe we should have an Easter egg (or Easter beer) hunt? If Brock shows, we could have the hunt on Bambina! That would be easier, I mean how many places could you hide an egg/beer on a 16'?
 
Fishing for spring chinook on the Columbia sure sounds fun! The boats all rigged up for fishing but we'll need some help, still trying to figure out all the intricacies of fishing for salmon. I'll check the calendar but if we're free that weekend, count us in. :thup

Peter & Caryn
 
Can we do it the weekend before or the weekend after Easter....
I have a much better chance of keeping my non boating wife happy if I am around for bunny time.
 
Hi Ray, I sure hope you can make it this year. I think there are at least a dozen churches in Cathlamet if you and your wife are interested. On Easter morning we're going on an Easter Springer hunt instead of eggs. If the hippity-hoppity thing is is real important, I suppose we could drop something on one of B~C's toes.
 
I just pulled up mapquest. Can one launch in Oregon and get to the other side of that humungomonomous island? :lol: Where's the best place for an Oregonian to launch? (can't imagine what responses THAT will bring ar ar ar)
Caty
 
CatyMae n Steve":2s5an8q8 said:
I just pulled up mapquest. Can one launch in Oregon and get to the other side of that humungomonomous island? :lol: Where's the best place for an Oregonian to launch? (can't imagine what responses THAT will bring ar ar ar)
Caty
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Closest is probably the Westport ramp. A bit rude, but it works. Run downriver and then back up the Cathlamet Channel. Avoid the ferry.
 
Well it depends on how far you want to travel by boat.
There aren't many places that I would leave my rig for more than a day and few that I would leave it at overnight.
One of those is the Scappoose boat ramp. I have thought about doing this but with the funds being where they are I will launch in Cathlamette.
If you do boat down don't attempt the East channel above Elochoman as it is shallow. You really need to know your way up and down that channel. I used to have a paper on it but I can't find it. Besides, the trip around the island is scenic and you will enjoy it.
 
For those who have not made this trip this is a sample of the scenery...

Ray_on_Sea_Lion.jpg

One of my favorite pictures of my boat.
I really enjoy this outing and hope to make it.
 
:mrgreen: Hey, I see that ChuckPacific has signed up to come to the Cathlamet gig. I'm sitting here salivating like one of Pavlov's dogs. Could it be possible that Stone Wolf Vineyards will be represented here again this year?
 
That would be Saturday and Sunday, April 15 - 16. I recommend getting there Friday if possible, the boat ramp will be rather busy on weekend mornings. This is the peak of springer season. :thup
 
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