Just kidding. We were only stuck on that tidal flat for about 3 hours. I had just turned the wheel over to the unnamed owner, with the marina only about 1/2 mile away. He caught sight of the docks, and wasn't watching the water directly in front of him. I noticed the black mud the jet was kicking up behind the boat right before we ran aground. He saw the marina and dropped his guard. And I said on our way out, "I wanted to leave while at low tide so we can see where all the sandbars and flats are".

Thats Ok. It wasn't completely unpleasant. Plus I set out the plugs. I heard there were springers around.



And here's a pic of the unnamed fishing partner ordering pizza.



And about 30 minutes into the side adventure I shoot a pic of the marina. Its the lights right in the center of the pic.




Really, it was actually pretty funny. I laughed pretty hard once I realized we were they until God and Gravity brought the water back. It wasn't a wholly bad way to end a seriously interesting scouting trip. I'm holding out on what we found until I decide whether I'm heading right back out next week, and if I'm going to try and publish these scouting trips in one of the fishing mags.

I'll give you guys this teaser. After 2 miles of 8-12 foot deep water in the middle of the river channel, we hit a 45 foot deep hole. The sounder lit up. Springers rolled here and there. If I thought I wouldn't get fired, I'd stayed out until I ran out of water and dry clothes.

Teaser pic

Soooo.... How did they get the pizza out there in 30 minutes or less?!!?
Nice tracks in the mud.

Your situation was not nearly so bad as the one I saw in Sequim Bay on Thurs. Looked like a bayliner ciera, 22-24 ft., high on the shell reef near the entrance to the bay, surrounded by green buoys, but they were on the wrong side them. Must have grounded as the tide was going out- estimate around 11AM, they were still high and dry at 5 PM. 4 people just sitting on the reef waiting! Looked like 2 young couples, maybe out for their first boat trip- at least their first in Sequim Bay. Would have been interesting to hear the conversations on that one!

Looks like someone is in for the "Golden Carp" award on this one.

Youngs Bay is a tricky area as you found out. Nice pic of Saddle Mtn.

Since when did Fultanos pizza make delivery out to the flats

Looks like he ground his way up there a bit!
I had a couple of buddies in high school who were running back from the Ivar's fireworks display accross the sound at about 1 AM. They had been drinking, and were going about 35 mph through the dark.... Well they made it about half way accross before running up on a log boom being towed to shelton! They hit the thing, caught air, and landed in the middle. Both were ok, but that was only by sheer luck. It was lucky that the boat was flat bottomed and didn't roll on them....
The tug operator checked on them, and they begged to be towed off, but instead they were towed all the way to shelton where the cops were waiting.
Ooops!

Well....
Long time lurker (man that sounds creepy), first time poster. I uh chose this moniker a while back, but perhaps should have went with 'dumb ass'. Yes, I was the unnamed driver. You may be familiar with some of my previous work in the Prince William Sound. I will say that I did feel just as much of a dumbass as that drunk tanker captain... in my case though, drunk would have been good. Although I do feel better after reading some of the posts above and on the previous related thread. Ahh well. Besides freezing my ass off, it was a good expedition.

Sounds like the makings of a country song to me:


"Still Stuck on the Sand Bar of Your Lovin'"

Dumbluck,


I can't give you too hard a time. You were the only angler available to make a long drive out to Astoria, to fish a place neither of us had seen, based on some technical reports posted on the internet. Not everyone has that same sense of adventure. And if we had beer and a couple blankets, it would have been downright pleasant.

If you can make it back out, and I have to work, you should post an open seat here. Use the GPS to follow my trail out and back.
That river and the big hole had alot of salmon.


VHawk

shhhhhhhhhh dont blab it out loud : ) i have this theory that if its going to happen......it will happen to vince.

Wait Vince!!!!!!!! Dont cast!!!!!!!!! Theres fish over there!!!!!!! hahahahahaha, how did you do yesterday Merg?

If someone had a reason to be embarrased it would be a 20 year old kid named Matt, who grabbed my rod in the middle of a cast, and said "Wait, wait, don't cast. There's steelhead right there, you'll spook them."

This was about 2 seconds after the oarsman and I both said "there's steelhead right against that bank".

I had a beautiful nest in my reel that a robin later landed on and laid an egg.

Not that he's new to fishing. He goes by Steelslayer on GF, and has 2,963 posts on there.

I might have been mad if they were chrome springers, but the shock and novelty of someone grabbing my rod during the swing forward on my cast was funny, only because he instantly realized how insane he had just acted. Or maybe he's an undercover agent for PETA.

I'm still laughing. I forgive you Matt, your ok to fish with. But I did promise you..."Dude you know I'm going to have to put this on PiscatorialPursuits."

Matt pulls the hood over his face and says "As long as you don't have any pictures of my face." Sonafagun I don't.

VHawk

or.....

Can we change VHawk's designation from "Three Time Spawner" to "Still Stuck on Sand Bar"?

Shiat, Let me see if I can find a pic of him, lol Matt has given me enough crap, time for payback....... Heading back out in a little bit today if anybody wants to go. Room for 1.

Vince you should take Mergantroider with you next time and stop off at Annie's bar on the way out . There some fine Springers in there if you don't catch any on the water!

Vince,

You think good eggs a a few tricks would catch fish down there?

Keith

I don't know. Kevin Lund tells me that those are probably carp. The commercial gillnetter who gets to set his nets on that stretch (Its a 100% hatchery run), and who was anchored off to the side of that big meat hole, says that those are springers, carp and sturgeon. I sure would like to sit on it for a couple of hours with bobbers and gooey wet eggs. Or maybe hover fish with brined anchovies. Either way, doesn't seem that willamette stock springers should act all that different than springers from the Lewis or the Cowlitz.

And than again those are fish, which probably means I don't know what the hell is going on. But its definitly an interesting fishery.

Vince

haha vince it was great fishing with you too! looking back i honestly don't know wtf i was smoking, but i want some more! i can't keep from laughing at myself over the whole ordeal. funny how you still managed to turn one of those fish, but you crackered it with the early hookset! but hey i don't feel as bad now after seeing the latest stunt you just pulled.

hahaha adam i have some pics of you too! i hear the bar giving me a call tonight... hit me up.

Vince and Dumbluck, Nice report and story.
Dumbluck, if nothing was damaged, (other than ego) it's still a good trip and a worthy story. I've never stuck a boat on a sandbar but have buried a couple of trucks in the mud.