Got out on the water around 10AM this sunny Sunday morning. Sea was choppy with 2-3 foot swells. If you can call them swells on the inside, and a 10 to 15 knot wind. Weather report said that the wind would die down by 11. Good thing because it’s not that much fun fishing when you are getting tossed around. Scouted some new spots for the fist 2 ½ hours with out a sniff. Finally it was my turn to drive the boat. After some ribbing by my mates FA and FD I told them we would get a fish within 15 minutes. I pointed our trusty tin boat to my favorite waypoint. Ten minutes goes by and the ribbing starts. Where is the fish they say? Patience guys were not there yet. A few more minutes pass and I proclaim we are in the zone. As the words roll off my tongue the top rod goes off. FA jumps up for the rod and the battle is on. Is it a big one I ask? FA says no, it must be a small one. All of a sudden the fish decides to surprise us with a nice long run. Maybe it’s not that small after all. Back and forth the two battled, with the fish finally coming to the side of the boat. Into the net she goes. Yea…. She’s a beautiful fish, 16 plus pounds. Not huge but she was full of spunk. Get the lines back in its show time. Lines are back in the water at 165 to 185 feet. We are fishing again and FA tells me the fish hit the green speckle back hootchies. I keep my trusty coyote spoon on, as I am sure it’s just a matter of time before it is my turn. Time keeps ticking away and we have not had a hit for a while. My mates put me back on the wheel, as this must be what the fish gods want. I turn the boat and set a course back to the honey hole. Are we there yet they ask? Soon I say, soon. More ribbing from my mates, as they don’t really believe me when I say I only catch fish on one part of the Kitty hump. I put us back to the hole and the two port side rods start to dance. Double-header… and my mates jump up to do the salmon dance at the back of the boat. I bring in my gear to make room for the fish to follow but dang if one decides to break off the leader. FD plays her fish with the skill of an old salt. Her arms are burning and the fish glides gently into the net. Bonk, bonk and is in the locker. We now have two fish in the boat. The latest one breaking the 20+# mark. That’s it for my trusty coyote spoon back in the box and out comes one of those hootchies. I put it down to 175 feet and wait patiently for a hit. It was not a long wait as a few minutes later another double header. Finally I got a hit. Clear the decks for more fish but wait, mine is gone. Dang mine didn’t want to come for a boat ride. FA played his fish with the skill he has acquired over many years of guiding. This one was odd as it went straight for the surface. He was out 250 feet from the boat and wanted to stay there. My fist thought was Mr. Seal was not far behind. We were in luck, no seal and number 3 into the boat he came. This one has some length and girth must be in the low 20’s. It took a while to land that feisty fish and by now we are well out of zone. Lines down and we motor back to my favorite waypoint. Bang my rod twitches and I leave the drivers seat and jump to my rod. I crank hard to pull the line clear of my clip and wait to feel the headshakes. FA is watching and pronounces it must be a teen’r. No need to clear the decks as we can boat it easily on my now open side. Well so much for that plan as my fish now starts to take line like there’s no tomorrow. The fire drill starts on the other side of the boat with FA and FD franticly hauling their lines in. My spool is looking a little skinny and I have been upping the drag. The decks are clear and we turn the boat to try to get caught up with the fish. Now we are pointing at the fish and he starts his run back at us. I’m winding my reel like a mad man and wondering if the fish is still there. I don’t feel a thing. FD turns the boat to line up the fish. Wait for it, there he is just a few dozen yards away from the boat. My green/silver flasher breaks the water and the back of the fish makes a wake on the calm sea. I have all my line back and feel the power of this fish. The fish is slowly but surely getting closer to the boat. Maybe a little to close. The fish now wants to go under the boat. I step back and pull up and FA slips the fish into the net. He is in the boat and this one is around 25#. That’s 4 fish, 1 doe a high teen and 3 bucks in the 20+ mark. We fish for a couple of more hours with a few hits, that didn’t stick, and gently released one more undersize. What a great day at Kitty Coleman. Good friends, great weather and lots of action. A combination we rarely get here on the inside. It’s still only May and this could be the best year for fishing in a long time.
Thanks Tortuga, get out there if you can.
Lazoman that might have been us, we were in a 16’ Silver Streak with a black top.
FishBC hope you hooked up with the info we gave you out on the water.
GLG
We did see a hali come in on one boat and nets were flying for salmon on other boats.
Harold at the ramp said he has seen 3 Halibut come in and a few 25# in the last few days.
[8D]
