There's no doubt that the Kayak Fishing scene is growing.  Now Lowrance is engraining deeper into the sport with their newest offerings - the Elite-4 series of fish finders.  Lowrance is marketting these new sonar and chartplotter units as "Perfect for Kayaks."  Its time to take a closer look at these new units.

Further down the Oregon Coast, just on the south edge of Coos Bay, you will find Sunset Bay State Park. Protected by rocks just off shore, this beach launch is usually very calm and easily navigated. Those weary of surf launches usually feel right at ease at Sunset Bay. This little-known location is a great launch with plenty of fishing to be found in the area.

When you're on the water, other boats can present hazards for kayak fisherman.  They can also be a lifeline.  Cell phones are great when you find yourself in a hairy situation, but they don't always work.  That's where the VHF radio comes in.  It allows for on-the-water communication with other boats on the water, the Coast Guard, and you can also get weather information in case you don't notice the storm moving in on your location.

Sometimes neoprene just doesn't cut it.  You need a real shoe.  You might be scrambling around oyster beds, portaging your gear around an obstical, or just prefer to keep the feet protected. The problem with shoes is that water pools up inside, mud and sand pile up and make things uncomfortable.  Baffin shoes, however, are different.

With ICAST coming up next month, I've been checking out the exhibitor list and previous years top products. I came across the Triggerfish by Think Tank Lures and just thought that I would share.

Well known for surfing and the charter and commercial Dory boat fleet, Pacific City is a hands down favorite for kayak anglers on the Oregon Coast. With summer swells normally from the north, Cape Kiwanda protects the launch site, making the surf quite manageable. Haystack Rock, just about a half mile from launch, gives you excellent fishing and exquisite scenery. Parking can be had right on the beach where you launch, or you can park in the main parking lot if you have concerns getting on and off the beach.

The second part of "How to Kayak Fish the Oregon Coast" brings us to Depoe Bay.  DB, as the locals call it, is a small hole cut out of the cliffs, making it the world's smallest navigable harbor. Because DB is so small, and there’s no river feeding into the harbor, it’s easy to drop in a kayak at the $2 boat launch, head through the 50’ x 300’ “hole” and find yourself in the Pacific Ocean without even thinking of dealing with a surf launch. But then the question hits you – How do I fish this place?

Let me introduce you to the Oregon Coast. This had begun as a tutorial on a specific fishing area, but has quickly expanded. This first part is focusing on the gear that we use here in the PacNW when bottom fishing on the coast.  We’re going to be targeting Rockfish, Lingcod, Cabezon and Greenling.  Bottom fishing on the Oregon Coast is an excellent, often fast paced fishery. So let’s get started with the tackle.

For months now Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), and Washington Dept of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) have been having a hard time deciding whether or not they should prohibit barbed hooks on Columbia River. WDFW banned them initially, but just changed their mind the other week. ODFW is still talking about it.

Congratulations to everyone who participated in the YakAngler “Old Buildings” photo contest!  Adam and I had an extremely hard time just picking 6 photos out of the all the submissions.  We left it up to the YA Nation to vote for your favorite photo and first place was a landslide with 34% of the votes!