Puget sound chinook

BlackRyder · Jul 19, 2016

Heading out tomorrow am with my dad to see if we can put a dent in the small quota this year... Anyone had any luck in marine areas 9 and 10? I've only heard one report so far and it wasn't that encouraging... I'll let y'all know how we do, and if anyone wants to share their secret techniques or locations, please do!!

No_Regerts · Jul 19, 2016

Find bait and keep your line clear of scum. Dogfish are thick this year, so spoons may be the trick. Cookies and cream spoon with inline purple haze flasher was a good combo last year.

BlackRyder · Jul 20, 2016

It was a long, slow day but we finally brought in a decent sized (12 pound) keeper. Caught it on a cookies n cream spoon behind a green/glow flasher. Thanks, @No_Regerts for the suggestion- I never would have tried that one!
We started out at the west side of the possession bar where we were marking tons of fish but couldn't seem to get them to bite- I tried all my tricks and only succeeded in hooking a couple small wilds. They were in the 10 pound range and fought like beasts! Brought those up with a herring aide spoon behind a purple haze flasher. I only saw one other boat (out of like, 500 that were out there) land a fish so I don't feel too bad about our lack of success- sometimes they just don't want anything to do with us... We went to pilot point and hooked the keeper at low slack tide.
Good luck my fellow puget sound salmon fishermen- enjoy it while you can!! (Although the way the fishing seems to be going there might be a little more time than we expected before the quota is reached...)

No_Regerts · Jul 20, 2016

Glad you got into one. The 3.5 and 4.5 cookies and cream spoon was killer last year when we couldn't keep out of the bycatch with bait. No BS, I got a flounder on a plug cut herring.

I'm now using herring helmets on medium spin for all my bait fishing. The bait seems more durable with more consistent spin.

BlackRyder · Jul 20, 2016

When I was a kid my grandpa took me on a fishing trip to BC where the guide had us use those herring helmets. They worked really well, and I thought they were super cool. I should try them again- it definitely makes rigging a herring easy as pie!
Ive been trying spoons on and off for the last few years with not very much success (I was a cut plug herring or hoochie kind of guy), but after today I'm sold on them. Not one dogfish was caught! And not having to worry about whether or not our bait was still on the hook was definitely nice. We did cheat and squirt some of that Dick Nite salmon gel on the back of the spoons, though.

Caveman Jim · Jul 23, 2016

Agreed, in the salt the helmets work best IMHO.

No_Regerts · Jul 23, 2016

BlackRyder said:
When I was a kid my grandpa took me on a fishing trip to BC where the guide had us use those herring helmets. They worked really well, and I thought they were super cool. I should try them again- it definitely makes rigging a herring easy as pie!
Ive been trying spoons on and off for the last few years with not very much success (I was a cut plug herring or hoochie kind of guy), but after today I'm sold on them. Not one dogfish was caught! And not having to worry about whether or not our bait was still on the hook was definitely nice. We did cheat and squirt some of that Dick Nite salmon gel on the back of the spoons, though.

Bloody Tuna is my favorite scent. I use inline flashers on spoons. I like Shortbus real well.

BlackRyder · Jul 23, 2016

Nice! I'm actually going to try one of those shortbus flashers tomorrow- tried to find one in purple haze but every fishing supply store around here is sold out of most everything. Got one in a green haze kind of pattern.
My dads boat is having engine trouble so I'm going out in my zodiac, which I haven't put a downrigger on yet. So I'm going old school, with a deep six or even a sliding cannonball sinker. I'm also going to hit up point no point for some mooching. If you're out tomorrow and see a lone fisherman in a black zodiac wave hello!