What a weekend...

Don LaFontaine voice – In a world…where fishing is a passion…where salmon is the goal…NWKA set out on a journey to find…DOGS OF THE SEA!

I finally got a chance to sleep in on Sunday. Woke up at 8am, I turned to the wife and asked, “I feel like going fishing today. Would you rather have me home to do family things?” “Go fishing if you want to; it looks like another nice day” was the response. After a few more minutes of clarifying no work/chores needed to be done around the house, I was off packing and heading to Oakland Bay.
 
After stopping at Wholesale Sports to pick up some anchovies, I arrived at 11:15 to see a car with kayak racks parked in the lot. I made a quick intel of the beach to see that the water level was not too bad since the tide was moving up from the 9:30 low tide. After unloading the yak, dragging it sideways through the narrow gate, loading my fishing gear, then I proceeded down the beach following the set of obvious yak cart tracks. I noticed the previous yaker made a couple of attempts towards the water but was defeated by mud.
 
As I paddled + peddled towards the fishing spot, the earlier yaker was returning. A quick greeting exchange then the usual, “How’d you do?” The response was not encouraging…”There’s fish out there, but I didn’t get any.” Hind sight, I should have made time to talk with him, but time was short for me today. Got my rod all setup with a wiggle wart, let out some line, and proceeded into the current. Damn! I’m peddling hard and barely moving forward. I didn’t know the speed, since I left my fish finder at home for this outing, but I would estimate around 0.25 – 0.5 mph.
 
An eternity later, I finally reached my destination where other bankers congregated. Four bankers were using bobber/float + bait and one with river setup of yarn, corky, and pencil lead. I switched over to my bobber/float rod and rigged up a left-over small herring on a mooching leader with 3/0 hooks. My plan was to cast “up-stream”, peddle to keep up with the current, and watch the float go by. After a few times of this, I knew this wouldn’t work so I tried a different technique. I would peddle “up-stream”, cast, then drift with the float. As I reached my “end” point, I would switch back to the wiggle wart rod, and peddle back to the start. Struggling against the current, I was really hoping the tide would hurry up and get to slack or at least slow down a bit. High tide at 4pm, so I will have to struggle for awhile or do something else.
 
Got back to the start, casted, then watched the float. Next thoughts…did I just blink and lost sight of my float? Crap! It went down! Set the hook! Bam! Yeeaaahhh baby!! FISH ON!!! The fish was pulling hard and the drag was whining. I pointed my bow against the current and started peddling. At first I didn’t know how long this tug-of-war was going to last, and I really didn’t want the current to take me farther down than where I would rather be. After about 10 seconds of stripping out line on my starboard side, the line went slack. Damn, lost the fish!
 
Quickly reeled in my line…fish still on! He made a splash and headed straight for my stern. All concentration was aimed at keeping the fish on my starboard side and not let it go under the yak. I turned and peddled the yak several times just to keep it on the starboard side. Picture in your mind slow-mo action of me peddling in semi-circles, changing directions every now and then, letting the fish peel out line, reeling in the slack, fish splashing…all to the tune of The Blue Danube. It was a nice waltz!
 
I would estimate this tug-of-war went on for about four or five minutes. I got it close to the yak to identify it as a huge buck chum. I switched the rod to my left hand as I reached back for the net with my right. The fish took off as if it saw the net and knowing his demise. I struggled and laid the net on across my lap, switched the rod back to the right, and the fight continues. A few more times exercising my reel and drag system, then I got the fish close enough with the rod horizontal. Rod back to the left hand while grabbing the net with the right…net in the water..rod tip raised straight up…fish went into the net head-first…net handle raised straight up…GOTCHA! HA! FISH IN! I released some slack, set the rod into the front starboard holder, then BONK! BONK! BONK! Grabbed the game clip…shoved it into the gills going out to the mouth…the water turned red. Tugged the survival knife from my pfd and slit both gills …game over!
 
As I was cleaning my net and riding down from my adrenaline rush, I became aware that I got tunnel vision through most of this ordeal. I think I looked up twice to find my bearings during the battle. Now that I was done, I was not where I wanted to be position-wise and was exhausted. It will be a long haul back to the “start”. At this point, I looked at my phone and it’s 12:30. I can call it a day or tough it out and try for a second. Hell, let’s get it on!
 
Getting back to the start I went through my last of left-over herrings and ripped open the anchovies bought a few hours earlier. I was going through the anchovies much faster than the herrings. The bodies just didn’t hold up as well from casting and drag of reeling it back in. Looking at the bank, I noticed the float guys moved positions and a few others took theirs. These new(er) folks must be getting bites with every cast because they were vigorously setting their hooks each cast. They were using hook + yarns, corkies, hoochies. One would yell out, “FISH ON!” A few minutes of tug-of-war, then, “where’s the net?” The response was, “over there.” “Well don’t just stand there; get the net and help me with this fish!” The netter grabbed the net and proceeded to wade into the water with rod still in the other hand and hook + weight flopping around. It was hilarious watching him chase after the fish. I think he got concerned with his rod at one point so he paused to attach the hook onto the rod’s guide. One hand was still holding the rod…the other holding the net…the chase was on! “Where’s the fish?” exclaimed the netter. “Right behind you!” More wading by the netter trying to find the fish…”FISH OFF!” “I had a nice chrome silver, but you couldn’t even net the damn fish!”
 
I continued to cast, drift, change bait, and return to different start positions. The tide was coming up, and bankers were leaving one by one. At about 2:30, fish jumping slowed down. At 3:00, fish stopped jumping altogether…except a few crazy ones here and there, so I decided to call it a day.
 
30 hours earlier –
 
I arrived at 9ish into the parking lot with another NWKA. We got out to look at the really low tide with lots of mud, so we walked around a bit. As I carefully maneuvered my feet around mud covered rocks…WHAM! I’m on my ass. I stepped on a really slick spot and got handed a lesson on gravity and physics. We walked around and noticed lots and lots of oysters and shells. We verified regs for harvesting oysters, so got back to the cars to get some oyster equipment. I would crack the oysters and the other NWKA complete shucking them and dumped it into our container. After awhile we called it done and was ready to get the yaks on water for some fishing action.
 
Peddling against current, I was trolling with a #4 Blue Fox. After no action, I changed out to a wiggler. Wiggler not working, tried something else. As I was reeling in, going against current, the wiggler popped up and came flying towards me. The reel wouldn’t budge, so I looked at the tip. When that wiggler flew back at me, the slack in the braided line did an aerobatic flying maneuver and somehow wrapped itself around my rod tip in a nice looking knot that I would like any boy/girl scout to explain. What a pain!
 
We casted different hw at different spots with no results. We noticed some bankers were hooking fish, so we beached our boats and tried banking it for awhile. I noticed two particular guys kept on hooking fish (they would return the next day). Each cast looked like a bite since the result was a hard hook set. I casted everything I had including herring on a float and got nothing but frustration since the guys on my right continued to hook fish.
 
We got back on our yachts and went to a different bank to try targeting cohos. No coho, no chum, no fish! We got back on our ride and went back to the spot where we saw fish action from the bankers. Not too long, my companion hooked one. I’ll let him describe his day since this is my novel. 
 
The tide was coming in, flooding the bankers area, so they trickled out. We zoomed over to the spot and got a good position to continue our fishing. A PBer close-by hooked one…then another…then another…then another…I don’t remember how many, but about a handful in a span of 30min to an hour (I think). “Hey, what are you using?” PBer asked me. “Herring since I couldn’t find anchovies”. “You should try anchovies. You can also pump the herring with gobs of anchovy juice.” Yeah, I wish I had anchovies or whatever he was using.
 
Another NWKA joined us. Fish was jumping everywhere and I’m still looking for my first fish on my Outback. I have made many attempts at salmon, but have came home empty handed each time. Frustration turned into determination each time, but have always ended with frustration and disappointment.
 
This is my first time using herring on a float trying to target chums. Honestly, I really didn’t know what to expect, but knew to set the hook when the float goes down. A few days/weeks earlier, I talked to a couple of guys who fished Hoodsport. One guy said not to set the hook when the bobber goes down. He says he waits a few seconds to let the fish nibble then swallow the bait. Another guy says he uses hook and corky. He also mentioned that he usually uses a #2 hook and sometimes would go down to a #4.
 
I was using a mooching setup with #2 hooks. Float down! Ok, wait, wait, wait…Set the hook! I felt something…then nothing. Damn it! This better not be the only fish for me. Reeled in the line revealed a couple of #2 hooks and no bait. Damn fish! I was then suggested to use 3/0 hooks. Ok, 3/0…switched out to 3/0 mooching rig.  More casting…more worthless fish jumping every direction. Actually, fish was jumping everywhere except the exact spot where I casted. I’ll out smart them…I’ll cast at the spot where they were jumping. I think my herring scared them since they stop jumping where I casted and started jumping where I casted the previous time. Maybe I should have made the effort to find anchovies.
 
Float down! Float down! I set the hook. The line got heavy. Yeah!!! FISH ON!!!! My first potential salmon on a kayak! I better not screw this up. “Hey, you need me to net it for you?” I’ve done my research, I’ve watched people net fish (to learn proper techniques), I’ve asked questions…however…, I have never done this before, I might lose this fish, I might tip the yak and fall in…NO! “Naw, I’m going to try to net it myself.” I’ve heard a lot about chums and how hard they fight. This fish is nothing compared to shads that I have fought with a few months earlier. I was eager to land the fish and started horsing it in, but my mentor talked me through it. Got the fish closer…grabbed the net…shoved it in the water…pulled the fish in…YEAH BABY! First salmon of the season! First chum ever! More importantly, FIRST SALMON ON MY YAK! The skunk smelling monkey is finally off my back! Woohoo! 
 
http://www.smugmug.com/gallery/14249001_WiFR3#1053221449_baqaZ

wow, what a set of choppers on that bad boy!!  Fangs you very munch....

 

Nice report! There's nothing quite like that first yak salmon! Wishing you many more in the future.


Dave

Right on Pix, great report. You shouldn't fish with that guy again though.. Total a$$hole.

Z

nice report. Great job on the first Yak Salmon!!

Great report man!   Nice Catch!

Great write-up pix!! Way to get the skunk off