Elliott Bay- the agony of defeat

Well, I had my first salmon next to my kayak today.  It was a beautiful big fish.  It hadn't put up that much of a fight till it got next to my kayak at which point in went nuts.  For some crazy reason I didn't loosen the drag to let it burn off some energy, but instead released the bail completely letting the fish run freely and shake the hook free.  I was, and still am, so bummed.  A few minutes later a power boat caught a big Silver, which I assume was my fish .  Oh the agony of defeat!  So I have 2 questions:

1. How much longer does the salmon season last in Elliott Bay (Golden Gardens)?

2. What's the best way to get a salmon from the side of your kayak into your boat?  I'm used to just tiring out east coast stripped bass and lifting them by their mouth into my kayak.  Is this how everyone gets their salmon in their yak.

Can't wait to get out again!

Peter

      peter,
http://www.northwestkayakanglers.com/index.php/topic,6898.0.html  This recent thread may help a little.Do a search on landing fish.You will get a lot more help that way.

You really need a net. All of us that are fishing for salmon carry nets with us. You only other option you have without a net is to head toward shore and try and jump out and land your salmon on the bank. Heading towards the bank isn't very easy if you have to play a fish and paddle at the same time. Slightly easier to bank a fish in a Hobie because you're peddling to shore instead of paddling. I've done it both ways, but would HIGHLY recommend at least a medium sized salmon net. Sorry you lost it!

Welcome to the left coast fellow right coaster.  I used to suffer from striper thumb until I moved out here.  During, my first salmon foray I got made fun of for taking a trout net with me.  During, my second attempt I hooked a nice coho only to loose it at the side of my yak, even thought I  had a bigger net.  Since then I figured it out.   Get a big salmon net and don't put it into the water until you are ready to net the fish.  Once you get fish on the side of the boat quickly dip the net in and scoop the fish up.  The fish will frees out, but if you get it between your legs you can pinch the net so it can't get out.

Sorry you lost your fish, that's a bummer.

I'm used to just tiring out east coast stripped bass and lifting them by their mouth into my kayak.  Is this how everyone gets their salmon in their yak.

Don't try and grab them by the mouth like other fish.  They have some nasty teeth.  If you don't have a net and you can't get it to shore, get it to the point where it is really tired and your best bet is to try and grab it by the tail and lift the head with your foot at the same time.  The easiest method is to use a big net though. 

"really tired"  is defined as the fish lying on its side, weakly finning and gasping.  If there are seals or sea lions around, you may not have that luxury.  Best get a medium-size net, be sure to put a foam section on so it floats.  At some point, you'll find out why that's necessary----don't ask me how I know!

   kallitype---sorry bud---but I gotta ask--how do you know

   rawkfish---The visual I'm seeing when I read " grab it by the tail and lift the head with your foot" is cracking me up.Do you have any video or pictures for illustration ?Or is there some kind of boot I don't know about ?Heck----I can barely pick up a sock barefooted.Talk about 2 left feet...........You don't even want to see me dance.

    and finally Peter---you didn't mention what style of yak you are in--that can make a difference in how much stuff you're packing with you on the water..i.e. nets,gaffs,other landing/handling gear.If you are in a sink---you can always just sling the fish inside with you.Be sure to secure the fish before you hold it up for pictures though.My wife was trying to show off a nice silver she hooked on the Swanson River (in Alaska) and the fish kicked out of her hands back into the drink and was gone.Way to fresh--not dead--then gone.She went on to catch several others that day but was still mad at herself for losing the biggest one.
  If you are in a SOT yak--follow ndoggs advise.But definitely SECURE THAT FISH!!!!!!!

Get a net.  I just got a new net and like it.  My first kayak net, a Promar folding net, was lost due to lack of a float, a sea tug, oil barge, and a brain fart.  I actually like the one I now have better, a Frabill Conservation Series net #9510, $55 at Outdoor Emporium.  We will see if I still like it when I hook that 30# er.

Question: if you hook a fish from the kayak and then drag it to shore to land it, do the points count toward AOTY?

Net technique on a yak is not the trivial pursuit it is on a PB.  First, make sure the sum of your leaders (e.g., flasher and bait leaders) is not longer than you can reach the net.  DAMHIK.  Second, you'll need to handle your net one-handed, because the other hand will be holding your rod with fish attached.  The typical PB stab and lift won't work and you'll need to guide the fish head first into the net.  I control the net handle with one hand and stabilize the shaft of the net hoop on my foot which is extended out from the yak.  Once the fish is in the net, lean back, lift the foot, and grab the net.  Some anglers have success stabilizing the handle in their armpit and holding the shaft farther toward the net.  I have found that if you can get a smaller fish's head above water they can be pulled across the top of the water into the net.  Also, having the net already in the water as you guide the fish to the kayak will tend to spook the fish less than dropping a net in front of its face. 

I think solo net technique is probably as individual as the fisherman. 

I think Wally had a good idea of replacing the netting with overlong netting so the net could be rotated to lock the fish in.

I have toyed with the idea of using my rod holder as a net holder, but have not yet figured it out.

Anybody ever try one of these??


http://www.frabill.com/detail-page/?post_id=20

GET A BIG NET!
Bigger than you think you need. The netting needs to be deep enough that once the fish is inside you can either rotate the hoop vertical to lock them in or simply hold the hoop far enough out of the water so that they can't get out. Let them thrash then bring them on board.
Oh a practice helps... 

Anybody ever try one of these??


http://www.frabill.com/detail-page/?post_id=20

I was playing with one of these at Cabelas last week.   It is rather heavy at about twice the weight of a conventional aluminum net of same length and net opening.   The net would fold and retract into the handle constantly with no issues, but needed to be opened rather aggressively so to lock the net in the open position.     I could close it easily with one hand but took both to open.   I think they were going for around $80 there.