Salmon Fishing on the Willamette

I do enjoy a good fishing trip. I like fishing best on warm days, when I can sit on a rock in the sunshine and daydream while I watch my bobber. It was not a warm day last Sunday. It also wasn't dry. I wore a tank top, a t-shirt, a thermal/fleece, a waterproof thermal, a down vest, a gortex jacket, a fishing rain coat, and another waterproof jacet on top, all at once, AND a hat! And I was still kinda cold. But I had fun anyway, and there was plenty of day dreaming time since the boat has rod-holders. I hardly had to watch my pole or do anything at all except sit there munching my snacks and holding my fingers up to the portable propane heater. Pretty posh, huh?! Yeah, we were with a fishing guide. I guess people who fish regularly with guides expect things like heaters in the great outdoors!

The Willamette river flows through downtown Portland, and I've never fished there before. But it's spring Chinook Salmon season, and who can resist a day on the river? (well..grandma did. Said it was too cold and wet). We put in before 6 am next to an old gothic bridge called St. John's and shot down the river to the heart of the city, dropped our lines and slowly tacked back up, under most of Portland's beautiful 12 bridges. I caught just one Salmon (about 16 lbs) and it was wild so we couldn't keep it. Nobody else on our boat had even a bite. Grandpa and I had never fished together before, believe it or not! I enjoyed spending the day with him and with our friends!