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Picture Of The Month



SD2OR with a trophy fall walleye

Topic: Me and Salmon  (Read 3893 times)

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Tinker

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Kevin
  • Location: 42.74°N 124.5°W
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3304
I have no luck with salmon.  I admit it.  It started years ago when Ms. Barbara stood between C_Run and I and hooked a bright hen and later took unnatural pleasure in chanting: “I caught the biggest fish” because that's the day the curse began and my luck with salmon went right over the cliff.

The same is true with steelhead, since she caught a true trophy steelhead on her third ever, in her whole life, cast - but it’s not steelhead season down here.  We'll get to that later.

And I should admit I’ve reeled-in much larger salmon than the one that doomed me to disappointment.  Those, however, were caught from a driftboat and folks, the second guy in the boat, the one minding the rods -me - is not fishing.  The fellow on the oars is fishing.  I’m just reeling them in.  Those fish don’t count.

Still, my optimism for catching my very own salmon never wanes.  Every year I dutifully take a fishing pole (and a kayak) and go in pursuit of salmon, just like I did last week...

Last week, that guy I fish with most often called to report there are salmon in the bay.  He saw splashes in the water on his way home from work and while a less optimistic person might have dismissed that claim as a seal submerging or a sea gull pooping as it flew overhead, I took him at his word.

There’s a spot far up one of the sloughs where he likes to fish for salmon.  It’s a short, narrow area with a tide gate conveniently located at the end, just for we fishers, and it’s mostly well protected from the winds that have plagued us all year.

It’s not my favorite spot to fish mostly because last year I sat in my kayak, butt going numb, taking pictures of the salmon he was catching, and he caught three fish in three trips.  Still, it was only the third time in 2020 that I’ve been in a kayak - counting the mandatory self-rescue trip - so I was easy to convince.

I didn’t expect to see salmon, but I did.  They spent their day rolling and jumping right in front of me - I could have touched them with my rod tip had I been prepared (and slightly less startled).  That’s not as much fun as you might think because my companion will instantly start casting right at the center of the ripples, without thought to whether I’ve moved out of the target zone.  Once I gather my wits about me, I need to get the heck out of his way lest I become the one wiggling on his hook.

Honestly, I don’t scramble out of his way simply for self-preservation.  I’m absolutely certain the season hasn’t opened for Irishmen and there’s a pretty stiff penalty for hooking one of us out of season.

After a while, the salmon disappeared and we thought we might work our way down the slough to see what was happening down there.  A half mile down from where we launch we saw salmon rolling near some pilings and gave chase.  I was all a-twitter, because if I have no luck with salmon, I have an amazing lucky streak going on with pilings and I was sure I’d at least hook into something.

What we found when we got to where the fish were teasing us was another, quite small, tide gate.  The salmon seemed to be milling around that little gate so we backed-off to casting distance and started working the area.

It didn’t take long before I hooked the tide gate and the fight was on.  It was quite a struggle to get into the proper position where I could reach my fly to release the undersized tide gate, and just as I had the fly in my hand, two big salmon rolled right in front of me.  I wouldn’t have needed a fishing pole to poke that pair, they were reach-out-and-pet-them close.  I back-paddled as fast as I could and as I looked down, there were salmon everywhere beneath me, foolishly believing that other guy wouldn’t cast at me to catch them.

The fish and I were both in luck because he was intent on casting at the tide gate where the two fish had rolled and didn’t see the shocked look on my face when I discovered the salmon following along underneath me.

We fished the spot thoroughly, not hooking up with a salmon, until the wind started to build.  Not too strong, except it was a surprisingly chilly wind, bringing along thick smoke.  My butt was about as numb as a butt can get and we called it a day.

Loading up our trucks, I wasn’t feeling much like talking.  Another day of catching no salmon can have that effect on me, but as I finished strapping down my kayak and went to lend that other guys a hand, he reminded me that the day had been a fabulous success: I’d upped my game by catching a tide gate instead of settling for common pilings.

There are reasons I keep fishing with that fellow.  That wasn't one of them.
I expected the worst, but it was worse than I expected...


hdpwipmonkey

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Location: Cornelius, OR
  • Date Registered: Nov 2014
  • Posts: 1481
 :laughing4:
another good story.   I try not to laugh too much at your expense but I can't help myself.
Ray
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C_Run

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Location: Independence, OR
  • Date Registered: Apr 2011
  • Posts: 1214
Keep your line in the water. This could be the year.


Tinker

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Kevin
  • Location: 42.74°N 124.5°W
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3304
another good story.   I try not to laugh too much at your expense but I can't help myself.

Sometimes the days when nothing good happens are the most fun.  I sort'a have to believe that.  :happy2:


Keep your line in the water. This could be the year.

We both know better than that.  Still, I expect we'll be back there fishing the slough tomorrow.  Irrational optimism has no limits.  :sunny:
I expected the worst, but it was worse than I expected...


C_Run

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Location: Independence, OR
  • Date Registered: Apr 2011
  • Posts: 1214
Show me that slough. I'll bring my magic spinner.


DWB123

  • Salmon
  • ******
  • Location: Seattle, WA
  • Date Registered: Aug 2013
  • Posts: 841
another good story.   I try not to laugh too much at your expense but I can't help myself.

Sometimes the days when nothing good happens are the most fun.  I sort'a have to believe that.  :happy2:


Keep your line in the water. This could be the year.

We both know better than that.  Still, I expect we'll be back there fishing the slough tomorrow.  Irrational optimism has no limits.  :sunny:

don't sleep in. that first light tide gate bite can be outstanding.


YakHunter

  • Salmon
  • ******
  • Retired!
  • Location: Wyoming
  • Date Registered: Jun 2020
  • Posts: 513
I agree with hdpwipmonkey, sorry to laugh at your expense but I needed some humor today.  Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
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Cackalacky

  • Perch
  • ***
  • Location: NW Oregon
  • Date Registered: Mar 2020
  • Posts: 79
Ha! Good story Tinker. It captures my experience salmon fishing so far too, especially in the ocean. This is the year though, you know blind squirrels and all.  ;D


Tinker

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Kevin
  • Location: 42.74°N 124.5°W
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3304
don't sleep in. that first light tide gate bite can be outstanding.

Time and TIDE wait for no man - we time it for high tide.  Okay, I don't, but that other guy does and I find it's best if I fish with someone who doesn't mind freeing my fly when I snag it in my bow rigging.

There!  That's one of the reasons I enjoy fishing with him.
I expected the worst, but it was worse than I expected...


Tinker

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Kevin
  • Location: 42.74°N 124.5°W
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3304
I agree with hdpwipmonkey, sorry to laugh at your expense but I needed some humor today.  Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

You're very welcome.  No one would ever worry about laughing at me if they'd ever heard my companion hooting and guffawing at my escapades.  I've been fishing with him for years and have't yet felt a need to slap him with my paddle.

I hope you have a good afternoon; we all deserve them.

Ha! Good story Tinker. It captures my experience salmon fishing so far too, especially in the ocean. This is the year though, you know blind squirrels and all.  ;D

I gave up on thinking persistence would ever pay off for me years ago.  I keep at it out of pure orneriness and determination to someday hook a legal-sized tide gate - but I wish you the best of luck gathering bright and shiny "nuts" this year.  Go get 'em!
I expected the worst, but it was worse than I expected...


YakHunter

  • Salmon
  • ******
  • Retired!
  • Location: Wyoming
  • Date Registered: Jun 2020
  • Posts: 513
Yeah, I have friends like that too............. :-\
Hobie PA14
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Hobie Adventure Island
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Tinker

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Kevin
  • Location: 42.74°N 124.5°W
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3304
Yeah, I have friends like that too............. :-\

But you still fish with them, right?

I should be much more complementary of surf12foot.  He's a fine fellow of sterling character with a sunny disposition and a bright philosophy on life - and he doesn't feel the least bit embarrassed by my antics.  That's important because when you put me in a kayak and hand me a fishing pole, you can never tell what's about to happen.  I've put on stunning number of professional-grade clown acts over the years.
I expected the worst, but it was worse than I expected...


surf12foot

  • Lingcod
  • *****
  • Location: North Bend Oregon
  • Date Registered: Nov 2011
  • Posts: 480
I love a good circus! :icon_clown: :icon_clown:
Scott


Tinker

  • Sturgeon
  • *******
  • Kevin
  • Location: 42.74°N 124.5°W
  • Date Registered: May 2013
  • Posts: 3304
I love a good circus! :icon_clown: :icon_clown:

It's a dirty job but somebody has to do it.  Thanks, and bless your little heart for the astonishing bounds of your patience.
I expected the worst, but it was worse than I expected...


skayaker2

  • Rockfish
  • ****
  • Since 2010. Formerly known as "skayaker"
  • TAFKAS (The Angler Formerly Known As Skayaker)
  • Location: Seattle
  • Date Registered: May 2018
  • Posts: 104
Over the years I have found out that reverse psychology works wonders with fish. Case in point: casting dry flies with my 6 year old daughter in a a WA alpine lake last year. A furious hatch and actively feeding trout late afternoon made for perfect conditions for teaching her how to do it and keep her interested if the trout would cooperate and wanted to play with us. Sure enough after a few casts, wind knots and close calls (both with trout and our heads) she connected with a fish almost as big as her smile, after admiring the shiny colorful trout for a moment, we released her. Fish were still feeding pretty close to us and although we tend to release almost all trout in WA, sometimes we keep some alpine brookies to eat by the campfire. My daughter wanted to released them all that afternoon and the fish cooperated and played with us...till she said "why don't we keep one for dinner", at which point fish turned off and proceeded to ignore us for the rest of late afternoon. As we slipped into our sleeping bags, my daughter figured it out: "they heard us, they knew". We developed a plan for first light the next morning: walk to the lake and mention in passing that we were not going to keep one that morning... sure enough fish were cooperating again and we had fishmellows for breakfast. Something similar happens with salmon, I would suggest pretending to ignore the rolling salmon and instead focus on sight-fishing for tide gates, weed lines, rock snags, logs, pilings, jellyfish... when you hook your salmon you will be as surprised as him/her. They know.   


 

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