Sabiki rod!

I just got my sabiki rod today! Did anyone say live bait fish? I am going to throw a live bait fish in a bait  ball with feeding blackmouth and see what happens. I think Mr. Blackmouth will find my hook.

What kind of sabiki rod did you get? I tried to use the Ahi sabiki rod but just went back to a light rod with a shortened sabiki rig. I really like to feel every little nibble of those small fish and you dont rip the hooks out of their mouth with a light/soft rod as easily. Just my $0.02

Let us know how it goes, I haven't heard much about live-baiting for salmon.

I got an 8 ft Ahi sabiki rod. I have found if I can hit the bait fish just right according to the FF I will almost always get bait. It was a tangled mess with a normal rod that cause me to get the sabiki rod. The idea of live bait fish came from someone in BC. He said if you can find feeding salmon on a bait ball and throw a live bait fish you will alway out fish everyone else.

Honestly, I thought live bait fishing was illegal in Washington. In florida, we almost exclusively used live bait, either caught with sabiki rigs or cast-netted, for saltwater fishing. Every place I've been here, everyone is using arti's, and literally every single type of fish is regulated to death, so I assumed live bait fishing was a no-go. Trolling with fresh live(ly) bait is about as good as it gets for a transplanted southerner like me. Might have to rethink my game-plan now.

Live bait is ok for food fish ... not for game fish. Which basically means ok in saltwater not ok in fresh water

What kind of sabiki rod did you get? I tried to use the Ahi sabiki rod but just went back to a light rod with a shortened sabiki rig. I really like to feel every little nibble of those small fish and you dont rip the hooks out of their mouth with a light/soft rod as easily. Just my $0.02

Let us know how it goes, I haven't heard much about live-baiting for salmon.

Honestly, I thought live bait fishing was illegal in Washington. In florida, we almost exclusively used live bait, either caught with sabiki rigs or cast-netted, for saltwater fishing. Every place I've been here, everyone is using arti's, and literally every single type of fish is regulated to death, so I assumed live bait fishing was a no-go. Trolling with fresh live(ly) bait is about as good as it gets for a transplanted southerner like me. Might have to rethink my game-plan now.

Live bait is ok for food fish ... not for game fish. Which basically means ok in saltwater not ok in fresh water

I got out today and tried it out. I caught two flounder,  3 sqiud, and two bull fish. One of the squid measured 12". Unfortunately, there was to much marine trafic and all of the bait fish were scattered. I will go out and try it again tomorrow.

Live bait is ok for food fish ... not for game fish. Which basically means ok in saltwater not ok in fresh water

2014-2015 WA State fishing "pamphlet" states:
Food Fish Includes forage fish, halibut, bottomfish, common carp, shad, tuna, mackerel, salmon, and sturgeon

Forage Fish Includes anchovy, sand lance, herring, sardine, and smelt.

Game Fish Includes bass, burbot (freshwater ling), catfish, crappie, grayling, northern pikeminnow, peamouth chub, yellow perch, tiger muskie, sucker, sunfish, grass carp, trout (including steelhead, kokanee, and Dolly Varden/bull trout), landlocked salmon (Chinook, coho or Atlantic), walleye, and whitefish.

I got some nice herring today for tomorrow's adventure. 5 were in the 8 1/2" range.