Well its about that time of year to start deciding where to fish. Its always hard to make that crucial decision. I am wondering how the old timers figure it out. Last year I flipped a coin and struck out. Give me some tips.
Salty
2008-06-20 17:09:31
This is so easy.
1. Check the hatchery harvest area troll reports. You will quickly see where the fish are this year. Hint: SC
2. Go make a sport fish harvesting trip to the area you are considering starting in. I used to do this every year. It helped lead our group to opening day smashes and made me very popular with both my friends I took sport fishing and my troll group.
3. Cultivate your relationship with your local guides. They are out there every day and they have a pretty good idea on what is going on now.
4. Visit with the sport port samplers for fish and game. They are sampling sport fish catches every day. I just visited with one of the local guys going to and coming from a dinner date on a local island. He was very helpful on exactly where the bite is now as all the sport guys tell them where they caught the fish. Synopsis: It is the worst king fishing in many years for June in the Sitka area. Cohos are not showing very strong but a few are coming in. The local guy saw 7 yesterday from dozens of fishermen.
5. Visit with an old timer about timing for different areas of the coast. Talk to fish and game about the composition of this springs harvest. For example: a high percentage of Robertson Creek hatchery fish from the West Coast of Vancouver Island leads you to different areas than a high percentage of Columbia River stock.
6. Find out where and what kind of feed is out there in different areas. If you can find an area with lots of capelin or sand lance that leads you to consider different lures than if you find a lot of big schools of herring.
7. Find out from the guys fishing all spring what colors seem to be hot this year. Check out the local gear store for what is hot. Hint: Think Obama when thinking about the hot hootchie for this year.
8.Go out a couple days early and cruise around the area locating feed.
9. Check the tide book and ask the oldtimers about where to fish with huge tides opening week this year. Hint: SC will be roaring.
10. After all this charge out to fleet corner on the Fairweather grounds and go to work.
11. I had 180 kings opening day once and totally screwed it up. I should have had over 300 if I had made the tack I had planned all spring. I had 130 another opening day and should have had over 200 if I had just moved two miles to where the fleet started to build in the afternoon. I had 30 one year while a local highliner had over 200 in sight of me. I found the fish one year before the opening and was anchored near by when my partner called me to his spot. We did OKay but when one of my partners finally took my advice and tried that spot on the third day he caught 104 slugs all by himself. Two of my other partners had driven over those fish for three mornings without ever wetting a line in spite of my tips. I started there the next year when it looked even better and had 8 at noon when I finally gave it up.
My most fun opening day was when I moved off the ocean where it was 25 SW and into a calm spot where I fished 8 fathoms of wire for 66 kings that averaged 22.5 lbs dressed. Me and an old native friend of mine with sport poles were the only guys on those fish. Talk about fun. Those fish would hit the top leader and start jumping and hauling the gear around. They wanted a little spoon in a particular flavor I had and they did not like being tricked by it. Talk about battles getting them to the boat. That was my first year with the new leader, thank god. They would have killed me from frustration if I had still been fishing mono.
Salty
2008-06-20 22:09:17
I hear the first summer chinook opening will be for five days.