Musings from a career at Buoy 10

When I began my career at The Oregonian (way before OregonLive), Buoy 10 was, of course, popular but hadn’t yet achieved celebrity status.

As an elementary school student at John Jacob Astor Elementary, circa 1951 (I went there way before Arnold Schwarzenegger filmed “Kindergarten Cop”), I remember one of dad’s chiefs (we were a Navy family living in Emerald Heights long before it was retired to a public housing project) took mom out fishing.

She caught a very large Chinook on a Lucky Louie plug (way before they became collector’s items). The fish was nearly as long as she was tall, but they made her hold it up for a cherished family photo.

Still, even as I ultimately returned to this region of my roots, the estuary was simply somewhere else to go fish for salmon.

Then, through four decades of Quixotic salmon returns and management through technology (and bio-politics), I watched as Buoy 10 evolved into one of the most renowned and revered nouns in the world of salmon fishing…And I evolved from limit catches of coho outside the Hammond Boat Basin in my driftboat into a love affair with three Arima Sea Rangers that expanded my range from the buoy to Puget Island.

Along the way, I’ve seen and done things.

Last week you saw an excellent video produced by Buzz Ramsey, also a Buoy 10 veteran (nearly as long as I’ve been); it’s a primer on essential Buoy 10 tackle and never be cautious about sticking with the same presentation then going home without a fish. Experiment like a Marine: “Improvise, adapt and overcome.”

…Whether you start early for the morning bite or wait on a post dawn tide change, be ready before you  leave the dock/launch. Bites can come quickly and then die and you need as much ammo as possible to counterattack. Sharp hooks, leaders, lures, etc., all must be ready for action.

…Pay close attention the night before to frequent daily updates from Bob Rees, who is on the water every day and reports on the latest bites, baits and battle zones.

…Buzz (and me too to a lesser degree) tends to avoid dense fleets and finds success working areas not as well known or popular, but enormously productive. He and I also prefer to troll with the tide instead of into it. I learned that from Buzz, who likens it to going the wrong way on a freeway: “You’re likely to run into a lot more traffic,” he says.

…The dense fleet at Buoy 10 itself is a navigational challenge, especially with cross-currents running beneath. I often find plenty of coho in the quieter water between the buoy and the Cape Disappointment lighthouse…watch for crab pots though both there and just about anywhere west of the checkerboard at the end of Desdemona Sands.

…Watch, too, for cell-phone bites, when numbers of guide boats suddenly pick up gear and haul hell-for-leather to a new location. I once watched a nearby guide/friend do just that; but he didn’t head for the location he told me about, so I followed him to Tongue Point and we got in on a blood bath.

…Harbor seals are easier to fight off than sea lions. They’re smaller and can’t tear a fish up right away. If one grabs your salmon, get the other rigs in and chase the line. It will have to come up for air and often releases its hold. I chased one three times when it kept coming back (the fish was pretty upset too) and finally netted it.

…If a sea lion takes it, get a photo of what’s left and share it on the internet.

…There’s a deep area just west of the Megler side of the bridge that’s a Chinook hangout on the flood. It also attracts a crowd and has a very short troll, but get on the bottom and stay there.

…Chinook also join coho in deeper old river channels on the Washington side upriver from Megler. A fish finder is essential for finding the valleys and avoiding shallow water.

…Try the (anchored) ship line’s deeper water for Chinook and the north plateau of Desdemona Sands for coho.

…There are several hidden channels on the sands east of the bridge that coho prefer on a flood tide. …From Tongue Point’s red channel buoy upriver on the north side to Rice Island is good for both Chinook and coho.

…Bleed your catch as soon as possible. There’s no need to reach in and cut gills, just a simple slice between the gill plates in that triangle ahead of the pectoral fins will get the heart.

Finally, enjoy and embrace and Buoy 10.

At day’s end, whether or not you take a salmon home, you’ll agree with the age-old adage (even before I was at John Jacob Astor Elementary School): “A day fishing is better than”….you can muse that in any direction you’d like.

Despite the challenges, we’re still very fortunate to be living and fishing in this wonderful region.