Nehalem Bay report 10-13

Put in at 7:30AM at the State park boat ramp. Started with a brined herring with helmet, 4' Kone Zone flasher and an 8 oz cannonball. After a tangle I trolled across the bay and along the flats. Coho jumping everywhere and a few PB's caught them but no action form me. I was close to the bottom with a steep line angle (30). After a half hour I decided to change to a 4 oz cannonball and pink spinner. Action looked good at the surface but had no takers fishing near the bottom. PB's continued to catch coho nearby. Decided to go against advice and try trolling higher in the water column being that coho were dancing on the water all around. No takers. Back to fishing near the bottom. PB's continued to net the fish but it slowed a bit at slack tide (10:18AM) and after. Joined the procession of trolling PB's trolling between the flats across from the park boat ramp and wheeler. Stayed with the spinner but lost one on a snag. Went with another spinner (pink/white) and continued to catch weeds for the next hour. My troll speed was similar to PB's. I saw they were using large flashers but not sure about terminal tackle. I know I was near the bottom because I was getting weeds regularly. I probably should have gone back to herring but I had the opposite experience on recent trips to knappton when others caught coho with spinners and I got nothing on herring. Frustrated. Still trying to net my first salmon after several trips where I was seemingly surrounded by success. Any advice would be appreciated.

Well - at least "you should have been here yesterday" wasn't the problem. JamesC and I were there Sunday and experienced the same thing. I had fish almost jumping in my yak, but none on the end of the line. James and I tried as many different combinations as we had with no luck. I never saw a PB with a fish on, either.

Don't fee bad guys, Rawkfish and I spent aobut 10hrs on Tillamook bay with nothing more than a couple of short strikes.  It's all about putting in your time.

-Mark-

Coho in the coastal bays can be super finicky. If they all don't feel like biting for whatever reason, they just won't bite, even if they are jumping everywhere like popcorn. As far as bait/lures go, if I want coho, I'll forget the herring and stick with a flame and pearl spinner in about a size 6. Make sure you clean your lures every trip or so and check that the hooks are sharp. I troll on the bottom or just off the bottom.

Nothing is more frustrating then watering fish jump around you and not hooking up.  Don't be afraid to switch it up a bit until you find something they want. Try different colors, speeds,baits, and depths.  Just because they liked what you were trolling last week or for the past 2 months does mean they will like it today.   

Thanks for the advice. I have heard that spinners are effective with coho and I'm glad at least I made an educated guess to go that way. One issue that limited the amount of time my spinner was presented to fish was weeds. I've heard others mention this issue in Nehalem Bay. I like that location and would like to make it a regular stop. Any advice there?  Again, the PB's were catching a ton of them so they were doing something that made a difference. I never saw them peeling weeds off their hooks, just coho.

Thanks for the advice. I have heard that spinners are effective with coho and I'm glad at least I made an educated guess to go that way. One issue that limited the amount of time my spinner was presented to fish was weeds. I've heard others mention this issue in Nehalem Bay. I like that location and would like to make it a regular stop. Any advice there?  Again, the PB's were catching a ton of them so they were doing something that made a difference. I never saw them peeling weeds off their hooks, just coho.

It's perfectly acceptable to ask people what they're using.  Most people are more than happy to show you what's working for them and how they're fishing it.  The best fishermen I know make it a habit to strike up conversations with lots of people on the water to get a general idea of what's working on that day.

-Mark-

Thanks for the advice. I have heard that spinners are effective with coho and I'm glad at least I made an educated guess to go that way. One issue that limited the amount of time my spinner was presented to fish was weeds. I've heard others mention this issue in Nehalem Bay. I like that location and would like to make it a regular stop. Any advice there?  Again, the PB's were catching a ton of them so they were doing something that made a difference. I never saw them peeling weeds off their hooks, just coho.

It's perfectly acceptable to ask people what they're using.  Most people are more than happy to show you what's working for them and how they're fishing it.  The best fishermen I know make it a habit to strike up conversations with lots of people on the water to get a general idea of what's working on that day.

-Mark-

Yeah, that.  I even feel that in most places people are more likely to share good tips with a kayaker as opposed to a power boater because they want to see what it looks like when a kayaker hooks into a salmon!

  I have to agree with Rawfish. Seems most (not all ) PB'ers like to see us hook up fish in our kayaks. Not entirely sure why ----- but it adds to the joy for me. Especially if I'm catching more/better fish than they are.

Yeah, that.  I even feel that in most places people are more likely to share good tips with a kayaker as opposed to a power boater because they want to see what it looks like when a kayaker hooks into a salmon!

"What?....You actually catch salmon from those things?"

As usual. Great advice and some comedy for a bonus. I'll keep stalking salmon and let you know how it goes.

Cheers! Jim.

I got a standing ovation from two PB's at B10 this year.  They were in a good mood though because each landed a fish right before I did.  Good stuff!

Most of those old timers that frequent Nehalem Bay are good ole boys that appear to be friendlier than most PBers I've encountered. Whatever the technique, they have those coho dialed in there, as I've been out there with the same spinners, same channel, but missing out on the same success. The one time I did catch a coho there I had switched to herring & a Deep 6, running near bottom in 12 FOW at 2+mph.
Tiderider it sounds like you were fishin. Keep it up you're on the right track.

I'll definitely keep it up. Before I started Kayak fishing, I did a lot of sea kayaking. I'm happy just being on the water in a kayak. Adding salmon fishing makes it a blast.

Thanks all!

I have rarely used more than 5 ozs of weight there and I troll at about 1.8-2.2 mph. I usually use 4 to 5 ozs trolling into the current and three going with the current. I have put 6 ozs on a couple of times when the current is really ripping.  I caught all but one fish there this year with 24 feet of line out on my linecounter.  The other was with 29 feet out.  I have not had much of an issue with weeds there doing this and have had good success there this year.  Well, good if you like catch and release of the wild ones. I also used a bigger Konezone Flasher and a 46-48 inch leader from the flasher to my spinner, or herring. Although, I have used spinners there almost exclusively. I use about an 18-24 inch dropper for my weight and another 2 foot leader ahead of the flasher so the flasher and weight can't tangle.

I hope this helps.