Took my brother's Searunner on its maiden CR voyage today. Original plan was to cross the river at Longview and launch from the Oregon side near Clatskanie. NO GO!

ADVISORY: Be forwarned all... Longview bridge is closed thru 5:30 am Monday.

Plan B... launch from Washington side at Cathlamet. Cross over to Clifton Channel and join the troll festival.


Within an hour, we hook our first springer on plug-cut brined blue label herring trolled behind a green Fish Flash in 16 ft of water at the bottom end of Tenasilahe Island. The cookie cutter chromer puts up a nice topwater show for my brother, but throws the barbless hook during a boatside pirouette. Within minutes, another takedown, but doesn't stick. Yeah, baby, they're biting! Major confidence builder for the day to come... NOT!

We troll the entire channel up, down, and sideways for hours right up to high water.... and not another bite! The non-bite was shared with a hundred other boats who managed to scrape up a fish here and a fish there, but nothing like you would expect for the number of boats out there.

We round out the bottom end of the island back over to the WA side of Tenasilahe to anchor up with Kwikfish. Almost immediately, one guide boat is on the fish... BONK! Minutes later, another... BONK! Finally we get a double whump drive-by on a K15 Chinese Measles. AARGH.... 0 for 3!


Twenty minutes later, Chinese Measles gets pounded again, but this time line is absolutely ripping from the reel!


Finally, my brother is redeemed... but wait, what's that fleshy thing near the tail?


Native number one released.


A few minutes later, my rod goes down, and a flat-lined K16-X Fickle Pickle finds solid chrome. Yee Hah! Another plug loses its virginity.


This fish is red hot, but as it nears the boat... you guessed it... native number two.




Fickle Pickle and Chinese Measles each get one more takedown in the next two hours, but neither one sticks long enough to let the fish turn and bury the rod.

Had a great time learning some "new" spots (for us), but it just wasn't our day to put a fish in the box.