Always read the regulations twice!

I can’t believe I’m writing my second DAMHIK in a week! Here goes…. 

On Saturday I had the pleasure of fishing Tillamook Bay with Spot and C-Run. We launched a bit after 7:00 and start paddling toward the fishing grounds. Before I had even managed to get my herring cut and into the water Spot had a fish on! I swear he must having been fishing for about all of 30 seconds.  C-Run and I paddle over to watch the fight and run interference with a Harbor Seal that was in the area. After a nice fight Mark gets the fish to the surface and nets it. A nice fat fin-clipped Chinook. “Nice fish Mark!” , Mark’s response “Go fish!” Okay, I can do that. Herring cut and deployed and we’re trolling around for about an hour when C-Run hooks ups! All right! After a nice fight complete with some flights out of the water Chris gets the fished netted and on to the boat. After a quick yell over to a guide it was determined that since it was a wild fish it had to go back into the water. Too bad but it was great to see Chris land another Salmon. The guy has been on a roll!

So the fishing continues. It was a spectacular fall day on the water, with nearly zero wind and even the occasion bit of sunshine. I was enjoying the day and figuring out the best way to troll with my new to me Hobie. I had trolled the inside lane of the channel and had gone a bit further south than most of the boats were. I decided to make my turn and reeled my bait up to clear the weeds and make sure my herring was still rolling. I dropped my bait back down and started north against the income tide. I then see a boat just to my left hook up and thought to myself, that’s a good sign. I continued past them in about 6-7 feet of water and feel a slight tap on my line. Was that a fish? Probably just more weeds, then BAM! Fish on! YAHOO!  I work on getting my drag set correctly and trying to work the fish away from the other boat that was still fighting theirs. I tried to make a tight circle and redirect the fish away from the boat. However, the fish wasn’t going anywhere. It was glued to the bottom and when it got tired of my pulling it started to peel line directly toward the power boat! Crap! Good fortune must have been on my side though  as the fish veered away from the boat. At that point I decided to just go along for the ride. After a number of additional runs I started to work the fish toward the surface. Once I finally got it close to the boat it swam right under my seat and I was able to see that it was a wild fish. Crap! Oh well, it was still a fantastic fight. After making sure the fish was nice and tired I successfully netted my first Chinook from a kayak! Thanks Mark on the advice of the proper way to do it. See here http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,6102.msg63522.html#msg63522 on how you can land a Chinook without a net it in the middle of the Willamette. You might want to take notes Craig 

So I’ve got the fish on the boat and all I’m thinking is that I need to get it back in the water ASAP. It was a beautiful fish and was at least twice the size of my 8lb springer from April. So I unhook it and pop it back into the water. Somehow it didn’t even dawn on me to look for my camera and take a pic. Doesn’t matter though, I had just had my best fight with a fish since starting to kayak fish and felt great about releasing it unharmed. Being on cloud nine I rigged back up and started to troll back north again where Mark and Chris are fishing. Seeing them heading to shore for a bathroom break I decide to follow them. Upon landing on the beach Mark said something about me needing to park my yak on the other side of the beach, as I hadn’t got a fish yet. I informed him I had caught a really nice one. The exchange then went something like this,
“Where is it?”
“I let it go, it was a wild fish.”
“Was it a coho?” 
“No, it was a Chinook. Why?”

After raising a rock to heave at my head, then probably thinking about the prison time, Mark explained that it was only wild Coho you couldn’t keep! Holy crap. I was speechless.  I think that I must had thought that Chris had caught a wild Chinook and not a Coho. Even though I had heard Mark mention earlier he could still get a wild Chinook for his limit. I’m an idiot. So the lesson here, always read the regulations twice and be absolutely sure you know them! Phoning a friend is also a great idea (Craig). I even had my VHF and could have called Mark, but I was 100% convinced, in that moment, that I couldn’t keep the fish. It still pains me a little, okay a lot, but releasing a beautiful wild Chinook on a gorgeous day really isn’t a bad thing. Although it would have been pretty nice to have Salmon for dinner 

Let me second the subject here.  Always read the regulations twice!

I was sure that native Coho was still open in T-Bay and would have happily bonked one until Chris checked with a passing guide.  Sorry again for the bad advice Chris!!!

We definitely held our own against the PB crowd.  We averaged 1 fish per person where even the guide boats were averaging .25 fish per person.  Kayak Fishermen rule! 

-Spot-

Noah and Spot,
  That really sucks................letting a legal fish go.But it sounds like a super good time anyway.Just think---the gene pool will be stronger thanks to your...ummm...kindness and wanting to be legal.

   I did that with a cow elk during an archery hunt a few years back.Broad-side at 10 yards..thought the area wasn't open to cows for a few more days....get back to camp at night and find out I was wrong...it happens.
   To be honest.. I did not feel better about it.Never had such an easy shot since..................

Were you guys up at the Ghost hole???

Nice job!  Bummer about turning a keeper loose.  I was down there too, sorry I missed bumping into you guys I was farther up in tidewater. 

Nice job!  Bummer about turning a keeper loose.  I was down there too, sorry I missed bumping into you guys I was farther up in tidewater. 

That's a total bummer Noah. Great job though guys getting after it.
Paddler how did you guys do out near the mouth?

Nice job!  Bummer about turning a keeper loose.  I was down there too, sorry I missed bumping into you guys I was farther up in tidewater. 

That's a total bummer Noah. Great job though guys getting after it.
Paddler how did you guys do out near the mouth?

By farther up in "Tidewater" I meant up into the bay (farther away from the ocean) in the areas where the rivers and the bay meet up.  I was upstream of them by a mile or two as the crow flys.. Lets just say a good day was had by all

   Nice write up. I hope to be salmon fishing next year with some of you guys.  I will be a novice and in need of lots of help. 

I think it's about time the ODFW comes up with a useful smart phone app that uses your current GPS location, and has live updates as to what is legal to keep and what you have to let go.

I think it's about time the ODFW comes up with a useful smart phone app that uses your current GPS location, and has live updates as to what is legal to keep and what you have to let go.

That sounds great but I'm sure they would spend 900 millon dollars on it and roll out the ap 15 years from now.

A little porn for y'all...

  Ahhh c'mon Spot--------------that has to rated PG at best.Where's the X rated stuff

Noah,
I may have forgot my net, but I am eating salmon for supper as I type this.  It was the one that didn't get away. Ha!

Noah,
I may have forgot my net, but I am eating salmon for supper as I type this.  It was the one that didn't get away. Ha!

Ouch. Left over Chinese take out from 4 days ago for me 

  Ahhh c'mon Spot--------------that has to rated PG at best.Where's the X rated stuff

HEY!  This is a family site..