Nehalem Coho!

Howdy all,

Got up at 3:30 this AM get down to Nehalem Bay by sunrise to try again for a coho or so (but not a so-so coho).
Everything was packed and ready to go in the car, and so I just showered, had a drink of water, and jumped in the car.  Bombed down 26 to 6 to Tillamook.  Got to Tillamook right at 6am, and was in Wheeler by 6:15.

The moon peeked out - brilliant and just a sliver, but you could see the whole orb, with Venus(?) off to one side.  Got even brighter as the sun got closer to rising.

Rigged the 'yak up, and dragged it down to the water.  Tide was right around the high side of slack low.  I had rigged my steelhead rod with a big 2 oz. silver and blue Kastmaster, and my trolling rig was setup today using CBY's advice - I decided to use a blue/silver pattern Kwikfish X-11, unweighted.  I decided to try this out as all of the coho that I have been seeing in Nehalem Bay have been porpoising and leaping.  Might as well see if they are interested in this one.

I dropped the lure in the water, made sure it was wobbling right, and then hit freespool.  I let out line for about 10 seconds while slowly pedaling, and then aimed at the downstream "no wake" buoy below the Wheeler ramp.  I got past it, and then "WHAM!"  Since I haven't rigged up my rod holder yet, I have been trolling with the rod in hand.  I felt the bump, and then the tug.  At first I thought I had snagged the buoy line, but whatever was on the line was moving.

I pumped once, reeled, pumped again, reeled a little more, and in very little time had a big fish right next to my boat.  I reached back and grabbed my net, and realized very quickly that my net is insufficient.  That, and as soon as I got the net near the fish, it shook it's head and lodged one of the trebles on the Kwikfish in the netting.  So there I am am, rod high in the air with one hand, leaning over the side of my boat, fouled net in the other.  I tried for another pass at the fish and decided that I would chance a lift, even though the fish wasn't completely in the net.  I pulled the whole mess into my lap.  I was pretty sure that I had a Coho in my lap, dancing away half in a small net, with a couple of treble hooks swinging around - one lodged firmly in the jaw of the fish, and the other spun up in the net.  And the fish's mouth was firmly shut.

Like a fool, I tried to pry the fish's mouth open with my thumb, and then understood my folly.  Coho are not little stocker 'bows.  No, they have teeth.  Little ones compared, to say, a shark, but big enough and pointy enough to put a hole in my thumb and draw blood.  I grabbed my lip gripper, and pried it into the mouth of the fish.  Black lines on the inside and outside, with white at the base of the teeth!  Whoohoo - nice native coho onboard!  First Salmon Ever (okay, not really, see below)!  My tag now has a salmon/steelhead entry!  Hooray!

Now how to deal with the fish.  Now that I know it is a keeper, I need to "calm" it down so I can really focus on un-futzing the net.  First order of business, bonk.  I have no club, but I do have a stainless steel water bottle that is full of water.  Thanks to combat training a la the USMC, I know waterbottle-fu.  Bonk, with a second Bonk to make sure the fish stays still.  Then I yank a gill to get the blood flowing.  I slide the fish onto my game clip, and release the lip grippers.  And then discover that I have neither pliers nor a knife (besides the safety knife on my PFD) on the boat.  I cut the leader so I can get the rod out of the way.  I'm making almost no headway with getting the net off of the treble, and paddle over to the dock where there is a guy casting.  I borrow his leatherman after tying off to the dock, get the hooks out of the fish, and then get most of the netting off of the hooks.  One of the barbs managed to punch right through one of the knots, and wasn't coming out, so I cut the net.

That'll learn it.  Actually, it just means I have more reason to get a better net.

Fish on the boat, lure re-attached, head back out to try for a bag limit.

I stayed out until about 8:30.  More and more PBs were on the water, and the sun was well up.  I decided to call it a day, as I already had a fish, my net proved next to useless, and I had no way of keeping the fish cool if the sun decided to come all the way out.

Got back to the car, loaded up in the pouring rain.

Bombed back down 6 to 26.  My radio starts to make funny noises right as 26 passes 217.  and then cuts out entirely, while several of my dash lights come on.  Oh.  Crap.  I'm doing 60.  The engine isn't acting funny, but my dash lights keep coming on and off (brake, abs, check engine).  I hit the hill and line it up.  I realize my battery is drying up, and it probably means my alternator is shot.

I managed to make it all the way to 4th and Barbur at Duniway before traffic comes to a halt, and my engine hiccups.  Right at the entrance to a parking lot.  Perfect.

I roll in, kil the engine, and try and restart it.  No dice.  I carry a spare battery in the car (bought a year ago without making sure it was the right one, too big).  Try jumping with it.  Nope.  Long story behind why this is happening, but of course it happens the day I land a brilliant fish.  A brilliant, very expensive, fish (to the tune of a new battery and alternator).

Hope it is worth it.

Beautiful fish and great story! If possible, I'm always holding my rod in my hand. I love those bites!

Madoc,

Thanks for the detailed report and congratulations on the coho.  I really need to get out there, but I don't see that happening any time soon.  Sorry to hear about your car.

BTW, that's gotta be the smallest fish I've ever seen.  Oh wait, I mean.. that's gotta be the smallest fish photo I've ever seen.  What's with the thumb nail?

Brian

Oh sure, now that I post the fish picture is bigger.  Thanks for fixing that. Nice fish!

Nice lookin' Coho and great report. What an adventure.
BTW never try to guesstimate how much a fish might have cost you. It's a very dangerous path to go down..

Z

Nice lookin' Coho and great report. What an adventure.
BTW never try to guesstimate how much a fish might have cost you. It's a very dangerous path to go down..

Z

A buddy once was telling me that between gas in the boat and his rig, the salmon one he caught last year on his one trip cost him about $220. I told him at that price, it's a good thing you only caught one.

Oh, and Madoc, 26 to 53 to 101 is the way to get to Wheeler...

BTW never try to guesstimate how much a fish might have cost you. It's a very dangerous path to go down..

No kidding, the eight or so fish I've actually brought home this year must be pushing $50/lb right now.  I'd hate to know how much they might have cost me from a power boat.

Nice job Madoc. Congrats on your first Salmon!!

Okay, I just realized this isn't my "first" salmon.  It is in fact the second salmon.  The "first" was during the end of the shad run on the Columbia last year (08) up at Cascade Locks - the sockeye season had just opened, I didn't know but had tags on me and had my rig set up correctly, so I got to keep it.  But since I was specifically angling for Shad, I really didn't see it as catching a salmon, where you go out and specifically target them.

Now I have a bunch of eggs.  Cure them for bait, or cure them for eats?

Cure them for bait, or cure them for eats?

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,200.0.html
This recipe rocks. Mix up some wasabi soy sauce and pour over the eggs on rice and top with strips of nori. Heaven...  

Z

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,200.0.html
This recipe rocks. Mix up some wasabi soy sauce and pour over the eggs on rice and top with strips of nori. Heaven...  

Z

MMMMM.  Of course, in my specifically stocked kitchen, I have no mirin or sake.  Which is weird.  I have everything else.  Maybe I'll modify the recipe and use Zubrowka.  Of course, if I plan on sharing it, I should probably do a non-alcoholic version as well.

Only two small skeins - probably three cups worth in the end.  Time to get curing.

Nicely Done!!!  

Amazing how much adrenaline courses thru your body when you realize you have salmon on isn't it?  Thanks for the well crafted report!  

-Spot-

BTW:  True value of that fish = priceless

http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,200.0.html
This recipe rocks. Mix up some wasabi soy sauce and pour over the eggs on rice and top with strips of nori. Heaven...  

Z

MMMMM.  Of course, in my specifically stocked kitchen, I have no mirin or sake.  Which is weird.  I have everything else.  Maybe I'll modify the recipe and use Zubrowka.  Of course, if I plan on sharing it, I should probably do a non-alcoholic version as well.

Only two small skeins - probably three cups worth in the end.  Time to get curing.

I have used vodka and sugar in a pinch ... out in the wilds of Alaska, had soy sauce but no sake or mirin.

-Allen

Great job!  First of many!!  If that was fun.. Imagine the fun a nice, pissed off, 35lb Tillamook Chinook would give you..  Same drill different bay..

Use this as a learning experience.  Think of what you needed and didn't have, what was in the way,  what would have made it smoother etc. etc.   I ended up moving things on my yak, once I had caught some fish,  that if I had put some thought into in the begining I would have had less holes to patch .   

The first fish is always expensive.... the rest are free