We lost both fish, but we'd become hooked on fishing sturgeon on flats. We had lots to learn about tides, tackle, baits to use at different times of the year and safe boat launches. We caught and released lots of fish after that, but kept our mouths shut about fishing the flats.

But secrets slip out. Guided clients come back with their own boats, and writers write about great places to fish. Today, clusters of small boats dot the flats from April through July.

Launching out of Oregon and Washington, anglers fish the flats on both sides of the river. Flats extend miles above the bridge on both sides of the river, providing plenty of fishing area. The area in front and west of Chinook Boat Basin still produces fish on the incoming and outgoing tides. Fishing can be good from Deep River miles above the bridge on the Washington side to five miles downstream to the Church Hole area, well below the bridge on the Washington side.

I know several guides who fish the Oregon side exclusively above Astoria, launching out of John Day Boat Launch. They fish the flats and edge of the shipping channel above the bridge. Their clients consistently limit out and get plenty of catch-and-release action. They seldom see many other boats fishing for sturgeon.

Personally, I prefer fishing the flats above the bridge on the Washington side in Blind Channel. Study a navigational chart of the area and you'll see miles of flats spreading northwest of the main channel above the bridge.

A false channel runs up onto the flats, hence its name: Blind Channel. Numerous small channels crisscross the flats and feed into the main channel and the blind channel.

On outgoing tides, sturgeon pull up in front of the side channels and catch bait being swept off the flats.

Occasionally you find a 40-foot charter boat carefully following its GPS and depthfinder along Blind Channel and the side channels out on the flats. However, this is mostly small-boat territory. The big boats stay out of this area.

SAFETY
Flats fishing can be dangerous if boaters do not pay attention to tides, weather, equipment limits and launch sites. More and more boaters do have GPS and navigational equipment, but there's no substitute for common sense and learning the area you are going to fish.

Never get out and try to wade the flats. Shifting silt, sand and current can be deadly. Here are some other variables to learn about and watch carefully.

Tides
Water on the flats flows with the tides. Get a tide book and navigational chart. Tides can vary from 1 to 8 feet. The flat you boated over at high tide to get to the fishing spot can be out of the water an hour later, cutting you off from your return route.

On clear calm days, you can pick your way back. But if winds or fog blow in, you could be in danger. You may run low on gas if the easy ride out becomes a gas-guzzling fight against the current, and you'll need a cell phone to call for help.

Tides effect your launching also. Several of the smaller launch ramps are hard to get in and out of at low tide. Many boaters time their launches based on tide tables. Do you have 4X4, and are you willing to back your vehicle into brackish water over its hubs to get your boat out at high tide -- or over rocks at low tide?

WEATHER
Winds typically pick up on tide changes and in the afternoon on the estuary. How much of a beating are you willing to take, bouncing your way back against the waves? And how safe is it? The key is knowing what to expect if you have to run against the wind and waves. Does your boat have high sides? Can you take a wave over the bow? No fish is worth drowning for.