Salmon success in Richmond Beach!

I got to the water 5AM w/ no wind. The tides were dropping and it was going waaay down. By the book it's not the most favorable conditions but it was a beautiful morning. I started out trolling a 3 oz. crippled herring (lure) behind a 3 oz. banana weight. I was marking some really nice schools of fish around 20 ft. of water and trolled right through them. No hits so I smeared the lure with some shrimp/anise Smelly Jelly and sent it back down. Marked a ton more fish but no takers. I was trolling an area I'd trolled a lot before with no results so I thought I should mix it up and headed south. I marked lots of fish still, more than I'd ever seen but still no takers. Switched up the crippled herring for a white/green/ blackspot/pinkspot Coyote spoon slathered in smelly jelly. I got into a cove I'd never been to when I had my first takedown.  I knew it wasn't just a snag because it held on and shook a bit. I paddled another 50 yards and swung around again. Got to almost the same same spot and BAM! Another takdown.  Turned around another 50 yards later and once again BAM!... and it stuck!!  He thrashed around a bit before going fully airborne!!  Nice Salmon for sure! He was coming right at me so I was reeling away... and then nothing..     This school seemed to have takers and I wasn't about to give up.. went for one more go'round when KABAMMM!!!!  He hammered the lure full blast. I took my rod out of the holder and got into fighting position.  This mug was all over the place.. dodging and weaving, jumping and just causing havoc. After a few runs of full on ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ  music I got him near the yak where he proceeded to go full on berserk   Splashed the hell out of me... (Life is good)  another couple runs and some straight down that put my rod into full on bendo action! After about 10 minutes of fighting I had my first chance at netting... he wasn't ready..   Back again for another few rounds of straight down, left right and finally gave a sign he was tiring out. One more time back at the yak and I netted him!!!  4lb. pink salmon  What a great fight and clean fish. I trolled back to the car since I promised the wife a sashimi lunch.  Nothing on the troll back so high tailed it home. Turned out to be the best sashimi I'd ever eaten and the wife made salmon miso soup (uses bones/head/meat you can't get.. easy and very good) The wife was happy I went fishing.. fishing and serious WAF building too.... oh man!

Well, felt good to finally get the skunk off and the new Shimano TRD rod and Shimano Charter Special reel performed to five star status. It's Salmon for dinner tonight too!!!  

Life is good!!

Z

Ho Brada..nice one!

Thank you for the story and pictures.  I look forward to catching a pink, they sound like a lot of fun.  The only type of salmon I've caught are Chinook, the only type that are found in Central California in numbers, so I am excited with the variety around here.

Do you have a recipe for the salmon miso soup?  I am also very interested in learning about kelp foraging and preparation.  If anybody has any resources they could suggest I would be most grateful. 

I'll be in contact with you soon about connecting, though it looks like Wednesday might work well for me to head down and check out your local spot. 

Congratulations on your success!!!  Looks yummy!!
Cheers,
-Jesse

Sweet! At first glance, it looks a lot like a immature king, but can't tell for sure from images. There'll be a lot more pinks in the next 5-8 weeks.

Oh, to maximize your chances at pinks (and coho) try small PINK lures!

That's definitely a pink - the spots on the tail are the giveaway. 

Try trolling a flasher and little pink squid.  The little buggers hammer them. 

Sweet! At first glance, it looks a lot like a immature king

Yeah, I had to look over the charts for a while because I thought it was a small Chinook at first as well. It had a white mouth w/ black gums but the spots on the tail were the deciding factor for me like davew said.

Espiga, that salmon miso is real simple. Lightly boil (1-1.5 min) the salmon scraps (backbone & head). You can use other parts if you want also but these have the most flavor. Strain in a colander and put them into a pot of cool water and on the stove to slowly warm to almost boiling. Add your fav miso and keep warm for about 10 min. Make sure not to let it boil. Then you're set! Enjoy your fresh Arajiru.

Z 

Thank you for the recipe, I look forward to trying it.

-Jesse