Depoe Bay report 4-Jul-2019...my 1st kayak salmon!

Actually, my 1st two.  Other than Kokanee, I’ve never tried to catch a salmon from my kayak.  After catching our limits of Black Rockfish, Brian & I started pedaling toward Japan.  We got about half way there when Brian saw a fish jump.  We simultaneously marked some bait balls so we circled a large area until I had a fish try and rip the rod out of my hands.  I only had 13 pulls (that’s what salmon fisherman call it) of line out so it didn’t take very long to get the fish to the kayak.  Two swings of the net and it was mine.  I wondered why my net is so large.  Brian pedaled over to confirm it was a hatchery fish and I proceeded to bleed it.  Man, these thing have scales that get everywhere.  Now I had to get out my phone and virtually “tag” the fish.  Not too difficult as I had practice earlier this year on a halibut.

I caught this fish and two others (1 native) on something called a Gucci Spinner with a piece of herring weighed down with 6 oz. of lead above a Dodger.  I’m an Angels fan so was hesitant about using this setup, but Brian said it’s the only way to catch these silver unicorns. 

Brian also landed his first two Coho salmon from a kayak, but one was a native and had to be released.

Now I have to figure out how to prepare them.  The fillets are dark red, unlike the orange salmon my wife gets at Costco.  I want to just eat them as sashimi, but knowing how Black Rockfish have worms, makes me pause.

A great morning on the water and my freezer is finally beginning to catch up with my appetite.

excellent.

Good job, Dave!  Nice bag of fish.

Did you have to go out very far?  I've heard they're in close right now - not that they ever come close enough to good old Port Orford for me to reach them.  I just want to envy those who can get out to where they are.

awesome!

Woo hoo...SALMON.

We were out at 165'

Thank you.  Now that you're a pro, go get some more.

Nice haul!

I've never seen a salmon with worms, by the way. You'll be fine eating it raw, just make sure to freeze it for 48 hrs beforehand. I usually skip that step and eat it fresh/raw, and have never had an issue.

Very rarely have I seen salmon have parasites, but I have seen it. And they're not your typical bass worm. The last time I saw em in coho they were very very thin and short. If you are going to try eating it raw (which is amazing btw) cut it very thin and take your time looking through the pieces you're going to eat. Or as suggested above freeze it at or below -7degrees F for a minumum of 4 days.

Worms in salmon are uncommon but it’s certainly possible.  I’ve pulled plenty of worms out of salmon before - I worked in a retail meat counter for several years in the 90s and have seen a lot of things.

 If you absolutely must eat it raw then slice thin and candle each filet, then each piece you cut.

I’d just freeze it as stated above if that’s an option available to you.

Man you Depot Bay guys are making me extremely jealous with your posts! Perfect sunny/glassy conditions too.