Headed to Garibaldi at 5:30 a.m. with one other angler, Mark. Was hoping to cross the bar and go chase after some ling cod and bottom fish. Launched about 7:00 a.m. first bar report was “restricted to all…etc.” The bar never improved enough for us to cross. We were not the only hopeful mariners, several boats were lined up salmon fishing between the tips hoping for conditions to improve, trolling for salmon with pro trolls and spinners or triangle flashers with herring.

Very slow is the report, we did not get any action. Upon returning to the dock, early, about 1:00 p.m. the fish checker had seen three chinook. The boat landing behind us was lucky, they had the fourth chinook seen. With fall/winter approaching, it appears to get more difficult to predict bar/ocean conditions. Due to this, I am going to put a “backup plan” in place. The plan is to bring crab pots, six of them, and really focus on bay crabbing if bar is restricted. I have heard the bay crabbing is good, but cannot verify this yet, lol.

We did notice a few things worth mentioning, in no particular order. Two boats on plane despite being in the 5 mph zone near the harbor entrance. Two boats that went out into the ocean despite the bar being closed, and last, crab pots set in the channel. These all represent various safety issues that could lead to problems for their boats and crew or others. The ocean is a great place to explore, but we should all be cognizant of the dangers it can present.

All in all a beautiful sunny day to float on the water, looking for a needle, (chinook), in the haystack, even though we did not land a fish. That’s why they call it fishing not catching, to be honest, if success were 100% guaranteed, I do not think it would be any fun.

Here is a great link to details about fishing Tillamook Bay and the surrounding area.