Your Astoria Oregon Fishing Guide: Jerad Sorber

I love fishing, but I love being a licensed fishing guide more. That’s a weird thing to say but it’s true.

I caught my first fish at 3 years old when my grandfather took me out on his homemade wooden boat. He was the best fishing guide you could hope for. When the rod went down he left the rod in the holder while I cranked the reel. His shouts of “don’t stop reeling” echo in my ears today. After the fish was netted and on the deck he smiled and told me good job. There is still a picture of me somewhere holding up one end of the handle of a garden hoe. The other end rested on a wheelbarrow and the fish hung in between. That Spring Chinook was nearly as big as I was. I’m now a fishing guide and have probably caught thousands of fish including bottom fish and sturgeon. I still feel that same sense of excitement and rush of adrenaline every time the line goes tight.

Learning My Craft

Before the era of YouTube I learned how to fish from my father and grandfather. My grandfather watched patiently as my small fingers worked to wrap line into an improved clinch knot. He handed me his pliers and walked me through how to build a spinner. I tested out various combinations of spinner blades and beads in my quest to catch fish. My dad taught me to deduce the shape of the bottom of the river from the currents on top. I learned to use that underwater map to predict how the fish would travel upriver.

When I moved away from home I continued to learn. I remember reading every word from John Kaiser’s Salt Patrol articles when I started fishing the Puget Sound. Salmon Trout and Steelheader Magazine reminded me of home. Mostly though, I fished. It didn’t matter if the weather was good or bad. If it was safe and there were fish, I went out. I tested nearly every piece of tackle I found that looked promising. Spinners, hoochies, flashers, planer boards, divers, special herring helmets, meat rigs, and more were all on my boat. I shudder to think about how much I drained my bank account on fishing gear. It was a very expensive way to learn lessons, but it worked.

How I went from fishing guy to fishing guide

I was on a much needed and long planned vacation to Neah Bay, WA for the ling cod opener. On the opening day we split up everyone with two of our friends joining us in the boat. While II had never fished in the area, I had a good map. I initially started us out near the other boats, but we weren’t catching fish. Not many boats were. Feeling my patience slip, I picked out a spot away from the other boats. The map showed a small ledge out in the middle of nowhere. I set up our drift and everyone dropped their lines down. Just as we crossed the ledge one of the rods bent over and the drag started pulling. After a brief fight, a beautiful ling cod found itself in the boat.

I reset the boat and we tried again, this time it was my rod that bent over. The fish came over the side of the boat. It was another keeper! I reset for a third time, two rods hooked up. We continued on until all four of us had limited, eight ling cod in total. The other boat called us and asked how we were doing. I told them to get over here and they quickly started hooking up. After a move to the reef for rock fish we quickly limited the boat with a total of 36 fish.

We headed back to the dock with a cooler full of fish. I looked around the boat at everyone’s faces. This had been one of the best fishing days of my life. My pride that day wasn’t about the fish I had caught. It was in seeing how good a time everyone else had. I no longer needed the rod or net to be in my hand to enjoy catching a fish. My friend looked at me and said “if you keep this up, you could be a fishing guide”. While it would be a few more years before I became a full time fishing guide. On that day, the seed had been sown.

Fishing Guide philosophy

From those experiences, I learned the best parts of fishing are the moments spent with others. I remember how happy I was when my son caught his first salmon. Every time I see someone experience that type of moment reminds me of that day. I can’t help but laugh with joy as my client’s eyes go wide when a fish jumps. The ear to ear grin someone’s face when the net finally embraces that shimmering, collection of scales is my reward. Watching people point out wildlife, giving each other meaningful looks, and just being contented are all a pleasure.

That joy I felt watching my friends catch fish that I put them on is no longer a singular experience. Each trip now has it’s own meaning. Whether it’s giant sturgeon, Buoy 10 salmon, or trolling in the ocean, it doesn’t matter. I get to share in the wonder as someone catches their first fish. I get to help families make memories together that will be carried long after their loved ones have passed. Friends share new experiences and build bonds that will last a lifetime. I get to meet people that I never would have had a chance to get to know otherwise. People young and old touch and experience the wonder of a part of the world that is extraordinary. This all happens on my boat.

My work as a fishing guide is to help create the conditions that allow those moments to happen. I do everything I can to find fish to catch, including using the best bait and tackle I can find. My boat has been customized to provide the best possible experience. I adjust every trip to the my client’s goals. That is my job. I get to help people be happy by sharing something I love to do.