Catch and release salmon trolling

[speedbird]

Last year was a pretty good Coho season for me. Area 10 was a pure meat fishery, but as the season got longer the fish became less bitey and the area got more crowded. I fished at Area 9 once, and had a blast. The fish were far more aggressive, and far better quality, and the mark selective fishery led to less bites. Unfortunately, releases were tough, so I didn’t fish long. I’m picking up a knotless net for the boat before blackmouth season, and will feel more comfortable releasing undersized fish safely. However, I am a little iffy about the mark selective Coho fishing because of how many wilds vs hatch fish there are. I enjoyed it a ton more than I enjoyed the area 10 fishery, but troll gear is tough on the fish. Double 4/0 hooks aren’t great for leaving fish unharmed. Do any of you fish in this way with the intention of releasing fish? As fly fishermen, we have the opportunity to troll bucktail flies, but on many days the fish are just too deep to surface fish. I considered downsizing to single 2/0 or 1/0 hooks, but I am unsure if they are large enough to keep the fish on the line in that style of fishing. Is it best to leave Coho CNR to fly fishing off the beach, or are there ethical ways to catch them in this way?

 

[Chucker]

I don’t troll if I am not meat fishing. Not because of damage to fish, just because trolling is boring. I do a lot of jigging when the fish are deep, which I think is much more fun and possibly less harmful to the fish.

If double hooks are something that you worry about, then use singles. Smaller hooks work fine, but I am not sure they do significantly less damage, and they seem to catch more undersized fish. I don’t ever net a fish that I don’t want to keep. I use a WDFW recommended dehooker, whilst the fish is still in the water.

 

[Nick Clayton]

I'm with Chucker. If I'm trolling I'm meat fishing for the exact same reason he listed. I am not a big fan of trolling.

I dont think it's the size of the hook that becomes an issue, rather its the double hook setup. Especially with coho and their death rolls. That second hook has a tendency to cause a lot of damage. If I were fishing just to catch and release I'd fish single hook setups, spoons, etc.

Last Salmon season I started running my hoochies commercial style with a large single J Hook and I became a believer. Hookup ratio was great, and once fish were hooked they were seldom lost. We ended up referring to that setup as "the leash".

 

[Pink Nighty]

I dont really saltwater fish so this might be a stupid suggestion but here goes.

I see lots of guys who have to bring the fish into the boat to release it due to the height of their boats. This leads to fish flopping in nets, hitting the deck and generally tough handling. I think a dedicated landing bin of water would be helpful for fish survival. Basically a temporary livewell that you put the net into, unhook the fish and then lower it off the side of the boat. With a rubber net that would be pretty gentle on the fish.

 

[Nick Clayton]

I dont really saltwater fish so this might be a stupid suggestion but here goes.

I see lots of guys who have to bring the fish into the boat to release it due to the height of their boats. This leads to fish flopping in nets, hitting the deck and generally tough handling. I think a dedicated landing bin of water would be helpful for fish survival. Basically a temporary livewell that you put the net into, unhook the fish and then lower it off the side of the boat. With a rubber net that would be pretty gentle on the fish.

It's actually illegal, in marine areas 5-13 at least, to bring a salmon over the gunnel of a boat that is not legal to retain. So basically you're not supposed to bring them onboard to determine if it's legal or not. Of course people still do it, but per the regs you're supposed to keep the fish outside of the boat until it's determined that the fish is legal to retain

 

[speedbird]

How effective is fly casting for Coho from a boat in deeper water? Like all of you, trolling is really not my favorite way to catch fish either because of how much effort it takes and how dampened the fight is with flashers, but the fight of a saltwater salmon is really unmatched. But being frank, having fished Point No Point and seen photos of the other Whidbey beaches, fly casting on what is essentially a combat beach doesn’t seem nearly as fun as driving my own boat through open water finding schools of fish and is a far cry from Cutthroat fishing. Could a clouser minnow or Foul Free herring on a sinking line bring in fish?

 

[Nick Clayton]

How effective is fly casting for Coho from a boat in deeper water? Like all of you, trolling is really not my favorite way to catch fish either because of how much effort it takes and how dampened the fight is with flashers, but the fight of a saltwater salmon is really unmatched. But being frank, having fished Point No Point and seen photos of the other Whidbey beaches, fly casting on what is essentially a combat beach doesn’t seem nearly as fun as driving my own boat through open water finding schools of fish and is a far cry from Cutthroat fishing. Could a clouser minnow or Foul Free herring on a sinking line bring in fish?

It can be very effective at times. Casting fast sinking lines into deep water rips and/or near surface bait balls has been some of the most fun I've had catching salmon on the sound.

Also, having a boat means you can fish any close to shore water that you like. You're not stuck fishing the popular beaches where folks fish from shore. There's a TON of great "beach" to fish that is pretty much only accessible by boat (or access to private land of course). Don't be afraid to explore. Those popular beaches are popular because people catch fish there for sure, but just as much because public beach access is so minimal that the shore bound angler doesn't have the luxury of fishing so much other shoreline

 

[Smalma]

While trolling with gear is typically the most effective way to catch our fall coho there are days that casting flies can be very effective. I used to fish with a couple buddies and while they were trolling bait/gear I would stand in the bow and cast my flies out to the side and pump them on the swing and then strip back to the boat. There were more than a few days those casted flies easily out fish the other rods.

If you expect to release many fish, I strongly recommend that you become comfortable using a de-hooking tool. Upper your leader size and rather than putting the fish to be released in a net just grab the leader, lift the fish over the water please and reverse the hook with the tool and back into the water for the next fish. I would not be afraid to use smaller hooks which in my experience they can be very effective. I have become a huge fan of Gami Drop Shot hooks, the change to them has increased my hooked to landed ratio significantly.

Curt

 

[Chucker]

While trolling with gear is typically the most effective way to catch our fall coho there are days that casting flies can be very effective. I used to fish with a couple buddies and while they were trolling bait/gear I would stand in the bow and cast my flies out to the side and pump them on the swing and then strip back to the boat. There were more than a few days those casted flies easily out fish the other rods.

It’s the truth! Sometimes the coho are right on the surface. Especially early in the morning. Defaulting to a downrigger puts you out of the zone, and misses some really fun fishing. Trolling a whole herring in a helmet with just a small weight can be the magic combo some days. As can a flat lined plug.

If you expect to release many fish, I strongly recommend that you become comfortable using a de-hooking tool. Upper your leader size and rather than putting the fish to be released in a net just grab the leader, lift the fish over the water please and reverse the hook with the tool and back into the water for the next fish. I would not be afraid to use smaller hooks which in my experience they can be very effective. I have become a huge fan of Gami Drop Shot hooks, the change to them has increased my hooked to landed ratio significantly.

Can’t over emphasize this. You see a lot of horrible releasing practices out there.

Procedure on my boat is that once a fish is hooked that is small, we give it some slack line. A fair amount of the time the fish gets itself off the hook. Sometimes the commotion brings in a bigger one.

 

[dep]

you guys are getting me excited for summer salmon fishing in the sound