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About Coast river business journal. (Astoria, OR) 2006-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 12, 2020)
Coast River Business Journal COVER STORY August 2020 • 7 Salmon restrictions Schenk, 73, was among the first to offer bottom-fishing charter trips out of Ilwaco as a result of restricted salmon seasons in the ’70s. “In the ’70s they started restricting the salmon fishing. They cut us out one year around July and there was nobody on the port, so I started bottom-fishing,” he explained. “I ended up taking four trips in a row down there for a total of 12 people,” he said. “We lost money on each trip doing that, but the next week I was hauling more and more because the word got out and people got excited. I was the only boat doing it. I made some money that year, not tons, but before Buoy 10 opened up. It paid for my overhead because all we had was Buoy 10. That’s how it got started. I was the only boat going down there for quite a while.” Over time, Schenk honed a bottom- fishing method influenced by salmon and tuna fishing. “Originally we had sinkers with salmon baits on them. It worked okay but was kind of expensive because those banana sinkers weren’t cheap at the time. Then we went to using plastic worms with a coho fly.” Today, Schenk prefers a finesse approach on bottom-fishing trips, using a ¾-to 2-ounce egg sinker with a live anchovy on a single hook, rather than a traditional top and bottom rig. “I like to try new stuff all the time, to me that’s what fishing is all about,” Schenk said. “The cove where we fish is pretty shallow water and the bottom is real jagged. If you’re using metal jigs they’ll hang up all the time and cost you a fortune. If each guy loses four jigs, which is not uncommon, that’s like $25 and that’s your profit on the trip. I came up with an idea of using egg weights and just a single hook like they do tuna fishing, about seven or eight years ago and it works well.” Proud to be partnering with the Astoria Medical Community to provide quality and affordable laboratory services. Black Rockfish Black Rockfish, Sebastes melanops Also known as black seaperch, black bass, black rock cod, sea bass, black snapper Charter customers head down the dock to board their respective boats for a bottom fishing trip in Ilwaco. Features: Black rockfish are dark gray to black on top, with a lighter belly, and black spots on their dorsal fins. They can grow to be 25-inches long. Habitat: They are found over rocky reefs most typically shoreward of 180 ft. of depth, and are common along jetties and other structure in estuaries. Occasionally schools of black rockfish will come all the way to the surface. Anchovies have emerged as a popular bait for bottom fishing after charters experimented with salmon and tuna fishing tactics in earlier years. Technique: Rockfish feed on squid, octopus, krill, and other fish. They readily take both bait and lures. Common lures include rubber- tailed lead head jigs and shrimp flies. A customer poses with a keeper lingcod caught while fishing aboard the F/V Sea Breeze during a bottom fishing trip off the Oregon coast. INTERPATH LAB WE’RE HERE OUR SERVICES ARE: AFFORDABLE CUSTOMER ORIENTED QUALITY DRIVEN TIMELY CONVENIENTLY LOCATED 2222 Exchange St., Astoria 541-741-3183 M ON - F RI 8 AM - 4:30 PM L UNCH N OON - 12:30 PM —Sidebar information from the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife A customer aboard the F/V Sea Breeze bottom fishes for rockfish and lingcod near Tillamook Rock Lighthouse off the Oregon coast. NEW LOCATION SEASIDE/GEARHART NE W UN OW • Tax Preparation • E-file • Tax Planning • Business Services - Bookkeeping & Payroll • Tax Audit Support & Services • Free 2nd Look Review • Peace of Mind • Enrolled Agent Audit Representation • DLTC 26932 & OBTP B15100 & B14489 HIP Our preparers are Licensed with the Oregon Board of Tax Practitioners. We offer Tax Identity Shield ® A Tool to help you better protect yourself from tax identity theft. COME BY, CALL, OR MAKE AN APPOINTMENT TODAY. 3003 HWY 101 SEASIDE/GEARHART 503.717.5206 R RS 3003 HWY 101 503.717.5206 We Provide Year Round: DE NE 1092 Marine Drive Astoria 503.325.1166
