Favorite species???

Catfish are a blast from kayak or float tube.  I've been drug all over the place by even a 2 pounder.  Top it all off with hushpuppies, slaw, and big cold glass of lemonade and it's about as good as it gets.


Lots of guys fish for Kokanee with a big flashed and a hook (or two) with the baby plastic squid over them.  I'd assume this would work for their free roaming cousins.

Wow, you guys sound like my stump jumper buddies from high school. Deep fried Mississippi catfish and hush puppies is a true delicacy. Think I'll hit The Lost Cajun in Frisco, Colorado for some tonight. They make great Beignets, too. Even serve Dixie beer.

Ihop, it's all a facade.  Born and raised in.....Oregon.  Just kind of hooked on the cuisine.

Posers!!

I can't relate on the salmon experience, but I completely agree on the ling bite!

What the F dude?!?!?  You live steps from some of the best salmon fishing on the Willamette.....   

-Spot-
(earning his asshats one comment at a time)

I have to throw in with the Lingcod crowd.  I think they taste better than Salmon.  The real reason though, as PP said before, all day action.  There is absolutely no fishing more fun than constant lings and the bycatch of rocks all day.

My favorite fish in the Northwest is Salmon, kings to be exact.  Why, because I spent most of my childhood dreaming about them and now I can be on the water fishing for them in 10 minutes.  My all time favorite fish is winter flounder.  The first warm day in spring I used to head out to one of the Boston Harbor islands and jig for these tasty little morsels with ultralight gear. 

Has to be the lings.  Something about the vicious, heavy strike of a big ling that always feels like a suprise.  Still...nothing beats the burning run of a 70 pound yellowfin tuna.

I saw a ton of cats when I swam a section of the John Day scouting for bassholes. 

They kept scaring the crap out of me, because I would slowly poke my head around a rock and all of a sudden be staring into a giant mouth.  I though about trying to wrangle one, but I was too much of a wimp.

So far, lingcod last week was about the most fun I have ever had fishing.

Kind of a toss up for me. A good ling bite is hard to beat... But a steady coastal 'nook bite may just take the bait, something about that rod loading up gets the blood pumping. Never gets old to me no matter how many I catch.  Not being able to decide what's your favorite is a good problem to have.  And then you have dinos and estuary sea runs......   

Lings.

Such an aggressive and toothy predator, plus their habit of "hitchhiking" is pretty badass!

Such a tough question!

This was the first year I hit the pinks hard from the yak, and i gotta say, i am an addict. Kayak is the ideal vessel too, because you can stealthily troll along til you see surface-busting action, and then zip right to it. Powerboaters cannot do stealth or turn on a dime like a yak, so you can outfish them all day long.  And there's nothing like tossing yer buzz bomb 10ft in front of a jumper, knowing he's gonna slam it.   And slam he does!  They aren't massive, but pound for pound they are incredible fighters. When the run is in full swing, they will keep yer rod bent all day. And I don't give a rip what people say about pinks being bad table fare.  FALSE!  Fresh, they are deeeelicious. And they smoke up great too. I wish they ran every year!

Paid for by the pink salmon council of america

Chef Ron, I got some further enlightenment via Sinker.  Grab your knives and Nalgene of fryin' oil; Team Poser needs to roll to the catfish grabblin hole. 

Such a tough question!

This was the first year I hit the pinks hard from the yak, and i gotta say, i am an addict. Kayak is the ideal vessel too, because you can stealthily troll along til you see surface-busting action, and then zip right to it. Powerboaters cannot do stealth or turn on a dime like a yak, so you can outfish them all day long.  And there's nothing like tossing yer buzz bomb 10ft in front of a jumper, knowing he's gonna slam it.   And slam he does!  They aren't massive, but pound for pound they are incredible fighters. When the run is in full swing, they will keep yer rod bent all day. And I don't give a rip what people say about pinks being bad table fare.  FALSE!  Fresh, they are deeeelicious. And they smoke up great too. I wish they ran every year!

Paid for by the pink salmon council of america

+1 on every single thing you just said. Last year was my first year fishing pinks out of the Sound and it was AWESOME. So much fight in those little guys. I used a light steehlead/heavier trout style gear and steelhead jigs (aerojigs). Cast and retrieve when they surface and catch them all day. I don't know what people are talking about when they say they don't taste very good. They made some of the best smoked fish I've ever made.
Wish they ran every year. 

Chef Ron, I got some further enlightenment via Sinker.  Grab your knives and Nalgene of fryin' oil; Team Poser needs to roll to the catfish grabblin hole. 

Have kayak trailer, will travel!    Totally in anytime!

 Hush puppies with Jalapeno honey butter, fried catfish, slaw, mac n cheese, some Franks hots sauce and a cold beverage or two...Heaven.. seriously...would be in my top 5 "last meals"