Large Salmon

[scott craven]

Buddy of mine used to guide at Rivers inlet back in the 70's.
After a long morning with no action guiding 2- large chaps from down south,
one fellow decides to take a leak. Just after he started, the rod closest to him goes off
and the reel starts smoking.
He was so excited he didn't even try to put himself back in his pants, but he grabbed the rod
and continued urinating down his leg.
I had a good laugh at that one.

 

[Theb55]

Years ago, in early 70s, I was fishing for Chinook salmon on the banks of the Credit River. It was a cool, drizzle with a low ceiling. Nothing was happening and got to talking to the guy beside me. Told me he just bought everything that am and spent over $300 on his setup. That would be close to $1000 in today's dollars. He puts his rod down and lights up a cigarette. At that moment a salmon hits. Saw his rod bounce twice on the water and then disappear. He was actually dazed and suspect he sort of went into shock. He definitely see the same humor as I did.

Got so bad out here with my adult son that we referred to peeing over the side as chumming the water.

 

[CIVANO]

Those who have used or maybe still occasionally use Wayne Laughren's Super Release Dodger, do you think its slow action catches more large springs than say a hotspot? I remember fishing with Rollie 20 years ago and he said then in Sooke it caught larger fish-still true?

 

[pescador]

Would be great to see some of these big fish posted on the "Biggest Salmon you Ever Caught" posting.

 

[Gunsmith]

Biggest chinook caught on my boat.

 

[Gunsmith]

Biggest chinook caught by my son on the Skeena 20 yrs ago.

 

[profisher]

Civano...too funny because I was thinking about sharing that on this post. I guess I have to now. Here is a picture of the (prototype) "Super Release Dodger" that never went to market. I saved my last one (before I lost it) and made my own copies once Wayne changed the pattern and no longer made these originals. The prototypes were 2 feet long and made of a heavier gauge brass...they moved quite slowly back and forth, even when trolled fast.

Back in the day you would never see me not fishing one of these on the same side of my boat. I only got away from using them when the Mackerel showed up quite often and made the extra worked required to use these dodgers a pain in the butt. More recently the fish have been deeper than they used to be In Sooke and that also makes using them more work. I have used one again for the first time in years this year and last, but only on rare occasions. I had it out in Nootka for a couple of days at Burdwood...and did well.
CIVANO---does this picture bring back memories? 49 1/2 pounds (2nd largest on my boats) on the very gear shown... June 7th, 1991... 40 feet down, super release, chartreuse anchovie special at Oter Point. I have you playing this fish on video as well. The last year I fished from my 17 Double Eagle and then bought the Seasport.

For fun I went through that summer journal (1991) and looked for all the over 30 pound fish, this gear caught. I could only find 3 more over 30 that came from the typical flasher setup which was fished on the other side of the boat. Here is the list.

SOOKE FISH
Joe Milligan 49 1/2 pounds 40 feet, Otter Pt June 7th
Ken Snyder 35, 30 pounds 35 feet Otter Pt June 12th
Brian Stewart (larger than Joe's 49 1/2) lost it at boat after 40 minutes Otter Point June 13th only mentioned this one as I think this was the largest fish I've ever had on my gear...my guess mid 50's...I had Joe's recent fish to mentally compare with a week before too
Jim Marsh 36 pounds 44 feet Sheringham Pt June 16th
Jeff Manning 42 pounds 35 feet Otter Pt June 17th
Michael Chaing 32 pounds 40 feet Sheringham Pt June 27th
Colin Creighton 44 pounds 35 feet Sheringham Pt June 30th
Ken Snyder 35 1/2 pounds 52 feet Secretary Isl July 1st
Brad Lavoie 35 1/2 pounds 30 feet Otter Pt July 6th
Ashmal Khan 35 pounds 40 feet Otter Pt July 7th
Greg Capito 32 pounds 35 feet Otter Pt July 9th
Chuck Ashby 30 pounds 30 feet Otter Pt July 11th
Myself 30 1/2 pounds 20 feet Possession Pt July 12th
BAMFIELD FISH
Myself and Bob Jackman 40, 33 pounds Whittlestone Pt (Bamfield) July 31st
Myself and Bob Jackman 39 pounds 20 feet Whittlestone Pt Aug 1st
Dereck Arnold 38, 30 pounds 30 feet Brady's Beach (Bamfield) Aug 10th
Derek Arnold 38 pounds 30 feet Brady's Beach Aug 11th
Derek Arnold 30 pounds 30 feet Brady's Beach Aug 12th
Colin Creighton 33, 32, 30 pounds 25-30 feet Brady's Beach Aug 13th
Tom Morrison 33 1/2 pounds 25 feet Brady's Beach Aug 14th
Tom Morrison 35, 30 pounds 25 & 30 feet Brady's Beach & Beale Aug 15th
SOOKE FISH
Dale Baker 32 1/2 pounds 40 feet Possession Pt Aug 22nd

Civano I think it worked very well and proves that large springs don't shy away from larger gear....I think the fact it moved slowly made all the dfference...I think it looked like another big spring was in the area if anything.

 

[Charlie]

Do some of you realize, we have been fishing for more than 30 years BEFORE some on here reading this was even born?
You guys are starting to make me feel old!

Hey Rollie,
"For fun I went through that summer journal (1991) and looked for all the over 30 pound fish, this gear caught. I could only find 3 more over 30 that came from the typical flasher setup which was fished on the other side of the boat. Here is the list." Since you went back, looked and posted your results from what happens to be one of my more favorite years. Just "for fun" would you mind going back, looking and posting those same results (from your journal) for one of my NOT so favorite years - 1995? It is just curiosity thing, on my part, promise I won't hold it against you! !

 

[SerengetiGuide]

Hey now, I'm not that young, or rather you that old are you charlie? Sure you're young at heart...

 

[profisher]

Charlie, ok 1995...these aren't on the same gear as by then I had cut it back and was fishing regular flasher setups most of the time.
1995

Derek Arnold 42 pounds, 40 feet Trap Shack had moved from Otter Pt as the whales showed up...ran to the Trap and landed it just as they were arriving there. June 12th
Derek Arnold 30.5 pounds, 40 feet, Otter point June 15th
Mark Scott 30 pounds, 70 feet Otter Pt June 17th
Chuck Ashby 30 pounds 25 feet Otter Pt Aug 2nd
Fred Murphy 30 pounds 35 feet Otter Pt Aug 7th
Peter Dobel 32 1/2 pounds 30 feet Otter Pt Aug 19th
Kevin ??? 33 pounds 50feet, Possession Pt Aug 26th
Gary Barlow 32 pounds 40 feet, Otter Pt Sept 2nd

Looking at that summer overall it seemed like it was decent enough numbers wise, but most of the fish topped out at about 27 pounds. So a trend towards smaller fish which I think you would have to agree still persists today. Not as many over 30's around like the late 80's early 90's.

 

[Jockey]

Thanks for posting that log profisher it's great to see. Look at how many big fish there used to be in June! Althought it makes me a little sick thinking about how good the fishing used to be but hey thinking positive maybe that is how good it can be again.

I quicky counted and got 27 over 30 landed for you that year. I wonder how many over 30 you have gotten in the last two or three years? This past season was actually excelent (for numbers more than size) but the year before seemed really poor especially for me.

So I have only fished for a few years and I am wondering historically does the chinook fishing generally go up and down as I have seen in the past few years or has it been a steady decline with just the odd good year mixed in? I figure you should be able to give a good answer to that question since you have all those great log books and spend so much time on the water.

 

[profisher]

Also back then 30 to 50 feet down on the rigger was it 95% of the time. One rigger was always at 40 feet which was #1 back then, not so much in recent years. I would say 60 to 90 feet now. Last summer saw a decent amount of time when the fish were shallower, then the whales started passing more often and back down they went.

 

[bushwackin]

Had to laugh at that one. Years ago when I used to stalk big carp in the gravel pits of the U.K. nothing would happen for hours so out would come the hot coffee flask and as if by magic, away would go the line as the carp picked up the bait and ran. Chaos and spilt coffee ensued!
Fast forward 35 years to Sooke B.C. My first ever decent Chinook hit (I am still a beginner) came this summer while I was taking a leak into the bailing bucket. Chaos and spilt %$*! ensued!
The takeaway from your post and this one is the way to get fish to bite is to do something else although I don't recommend taking a leak!!

Myself and buddies encourage each other to take a leak when the fishing is slow. 9 times out of 10 we get a bite, or so it seems!!!

 

[profisher]

I think the answer to that one is a little of both. Yes there are peaks and valleys with runs of fish but I think there has been a slow decline in the numbers of over 30's since the mid 90's. 2009 seemed to be a rebound year in June as I had quite a few over 30. Of the 33 over forty pound I've only taken 9 of them since 2000. Here are the top fish by year since 2000.

44 Sept 16 2000
52 July 4 2001
47 1/2 June 26 2002
46 Aug 12 2003
41 1/2 Aug 2 2004
40 1/2 June 13 2005
37 1/2 June 17 2006
38 1/2 July 9 2007
33 July 31 2008
40 Aug 13 2009
32 June 29 2010
41 Aug 16 / 40 Aug 31 2011

 

[Charlie]

Hey now, I'm not that young, or rather you that old are you charlie? Sure you're young at heart...

Maybe both, could be all three?

We were recently talking about how long I had been fishing awhile back and my mother corrected me. I have always stated I remember going fishing and holding the pole myself when we went on family vacation. My mother bless her heart corrected me and stated I have then been fishing longer than I can remember and that I had been holding my own pole since 1951 - two years old. I asked how and why would remember that. It was easy for her and she proceeded to gave me the date, time, and place. I was fishing with my father on a dock - no life jacket of course. She didn't know whether I tripped, was pulled, or just walked off the dock, but somehow I went in and was gone. She thought I had drowned at that point - End of story no more Charlie. I can see why she would remember that. My father then finished with he jumped in, found me on bottom and grabbed me by the hair and pulled me out. Of course I don't remember any of that, but since everyone in my family now knows the story, guess I have to change the official date to my fishing start was 1951, before I can even remember!

 

[ReelSlim]

Great story Charlie! And great stats profisher........I try and keep a fishing journal but not nearly as complete as yours. I think it's neat to look back and see if there are trends but I do it more to just match some of the info to some of the pictures I have. Maybe one day my kids with look through it when I'm gone and think it is cool? Or.....they might think "Mom was right he is totally NUTS.....especially about fishing!" lol

 

[Seafever]

That info about Jim Gilbert scraping all the scales off the strip and then fishing it, got me to thinking...

Anybody here ever tried scraping all the scales off a Herring or Anchovy and then fishing that?

I have heard from old guides that salmon LOVE albino herring. Herring that were put in tanks with interior white sides, assume that color (or as close as they can match it). They fish these "albinos" and they work like a charm.

If one was to scrape off all the scales on a whole herring or strip (home cut)for trolling......I would imagine this would be done BEFORE it is brined....CORRECT??

 

[TheRock]

How about using 14" full Mackerel for bait? Years ago Yammy5 and I were halibut fishing and I would not of believed it if I didn't see it with my own eyes... I was ready with the spear and appears a 35lb. Spring salmon ! with a full Mackerel stuck in his mouth ! Dropped the spear and grabbed the net !.. You just never know where a big one may be and what they will eat !
If you have your line in the water you have a chance at being in the right place at the right time.

 

[Charter Tofino]

Awsome story rock. My Hali long liner friend has told me he hits springs on his lines.

 

[tortuga]

I have heard from old guides that salmon LOVE albino herring. Herring that were put in tanks with interior white sides, assume that color (or as close as they can match it). They fish these "albinos" and they work like a charm

We used to call them blonde nymphos and mooched them live. Wham.