Puget Sound

[Stonedfish]

I opened up my storage bottle I used for coho stingers this summer and found some rust on about all of the hooks. Do you think this is a bad storage system to blame (repurposed pill bottle) or the Gamakatsu Octopus hooks?

If it’s the latter is there a good saltwater octopus hook in size 4 and 6? I did move them into a fly box after cleaning.

Likely your storage if it doesn’t breathe. Most if not all stinger hooks will eventually develop rust, especially if the plating gets dinged on them.
At the end of the season, it’s not a bad idea to swap out any hooks that you’ve used a lot since they aren’t super expensive. Generally I have a decent pile that need attention. I like the Owner No Escape hooks that @DimeBrite turned me on to.
SF

 

[Divad]

Likely your storage if it doesn’t breathe. Most if not all stinger hooks will eventually develop rust, especially if the plating gets dinged on them.
At the end of the season, it’s not a bad idea to swap out any hooks that you’ve used a lot since they aren’t super expensive. Generally I have a decent pile that need attention. I like the Owner No Escape hooks that @DimeBrite turned me on to.
SF

Good point on the breathing and yearly swap out aspect, I’ll incorporate a checkup in the winter on those.

I really, really wish Owner made them in a size 6. The 4s, 2s and 1/0s I own and love, stout hooks. The 4’s struggle at riding hook up on small unweighted baitfish patterns, at least for me.

 

[Kfish]

I opened up my storage bottle I used for coho stingers this summer and found some rust on about all of the hooks. Do you think this is a bad storage system to blame (repurposed pill bottle) or the Gamakatsu Octopus hooks?

If it’s the latter is there a good saltwater octopus hook in size 4 and 6? I did move them into a fly box after cleaning.

Did you rinse them after fishing? Storing them wet and enclosed sounds like a good way to get rust
If my flies are still good after a day of fishing I rinse it really well with the garden hose when I get home and let them dry in that rigged up state. If the hook is no longer sharp or fly too beat up then I trash the whole thing, my stinger hooks are permanently tied nowadays).

 

[Divad]

Did you rinse them after fishing? Storing them wet and enclosed sounds like a good way to get rust
If my flies are still good after a day of fishing I rinse it really well with the garden hose when I get home and let them dry in that rigged up state. If the hook is no longer sharp or fly too beat up then I trash the whole thing, my stinger hooks are permanently tied nowadays).

Probably not I tend to rinse, pat dry and then place my patterns back in the fly box open to completely dry. The bottle broke my routine. I’m thinking I shouldn’t blame the Gamakatsu hooks and instead my process.

Thank you both for the feedback, lessons learned.

 

[jeradjames]

I haven’t felt like taking photos but lots of cutts this week. My landing percentage has probably been 15% this week which has been tough. A lot of strikes have been as right as my fly hits the water. Been hitting some new spots in the mornings for an hour or so.



The hunt for those larger fish continues…

 

[Stonedfish]

Nice morning, though a bit windy. A couple fish to hand. I added to my beach tackle shop collection.



I believe FireBall has now surpassed Bud Light and White Claw as the most often found adult beverage container on the beaches. I think I’ve found at least six in the past few weeks.
Probably found 20 shotgun shell wad columns today.



SF

 

[Greg Armstrong]

I lost that pink Corky on the upper Green in ‘67. Glad to see it finally floated down to the Sound where someone could find it.

 

[Scott Salzer]

Very nice JJ!

 

[rotato]

Good morning!

 

[Wanative]

Nice morning, though a bit windy. A couple fish to hand. I added to my beach tackle shop collection.

View attachment 96384View attachment 96385View attachment 96386View attachment 96387View attachment 96388

I believe FireBall has now surpassed Bud Light and White Claw as the most often found adult beverage container on the beaches. I think I’ve found at least six in the past few weeks.
Probably found 20 shotgun shell wad columns today.

View attachment 96393

SF

Love me some Tadpolly.

 

[Smalma]

Love me some Tadpolly.

Recommendation on your preferred rod (weight and length) for casting those "Tadpollies"?

 

[Wanative]

Recommendation on your preferred rod (weight and length) for casting those "Tadpollies"?

Ha ha, haven't used one in decades Curt.
The chrome with red slashes was money on my home northern most north sound river though.
I'd recommend a hard hat though and a 12wt minimum if overhead casting.
Might be prudent to minimize the false casts as well.

 

[Pink Nighty]

Ha ha, haven't used one in decades Curt.
The chrome with red slashes was money on my home northern most north sound river though.
I'd recommend a hard hat though and a 12wt minimum if overhead casting.
Might be prudent to minimize the false casts as well.

Double spey em with a brownie, just careful on the lift!!!

 

[Brian Miller]

I opened up my storage bottle I used for coho stingers this summer and found some rust on about all of the hooks. Do you think this is a bad storage system to blame (repurposed pill bottle) or the Gamakatsu Octopus hooks? If it’s the latter is there a good saltwater octopus hook in size 4 and 6? I did move them into a fly box after cleaning.

Likely your storage if it doesn’t breathe. Most if not all stinger hooks will eventually develop rust, especially if the plating gets dinged on them.
At the end of the season, it’s not a bad idea to swap out any hooks that you’ve used a lot since they aren’t super expensive. Generally I have a decent pile that need attention. I like the Owner No Escape hooks that @DimeBrite turned me on to.
SF

After having a similar instance of a rust epidemic in my *(saltwater)* fly box I started carrying a small watertight glass spice bottle in a shirt or jacket chest pocket with some tapwater in it. When I change flies and at the end of the day the used fly goes in the bottle. When I get home I give the flies a quick rinse and let them dry them on a microfiber towel with my thoroughly rinsed reel and spools. When they are completely dry they go back in the fly box. It keeps all my flies rust-free.

 

[Stonedfish]

Hit the canal today. 30° when I started.
Light breeze with some rain. The tide sucked, no movement. Wish I could have stayed for the outgoing but I had obligations.
Ended up hooking six fish and landing two. Nothing big size wise and the bites were pretty subtle. Hooked everything on a small baitfish pattern. The cutts were definitely on either amphipods or euphausiids, but the action was too sporadic to get me to switch up to a floater with a long leader. One or maybe two rises and then you wouldn’t see another for a half hour or longer.
Overall a nice day and better than Christmas present shopping.
SF

 

[Stonedfish]

Not quite gray enough and a bit dry for my liking, but a nice PNW Christmas Day none the less.
SF

 

[Divad]

I fished last night from 445-530pm with an Atomic Glow fly charged under the headlamp. Caught one cutt 14” and a few rezzies. Had one large resident coho nip and jump near my fly that was in the 2-3lb class.

 

[SKYKO]

Cool to see these winter reports. I haven't fished much this late fall/early winter with ordinary life stuff getting in the way and the few windows I've had have chosen to tromp around the west end rivers which is always great. I need to carve out some mellow local winter beach time

 

[Jake Watrous]

Fished south sound today, not one to be seen. Hate to say it but I might save the exploring for spring. Easy to stomach fishing and not catching anything driving 30-45 minutes, little bit harder driving 2 hours both ways plus the gas money. I imagine getting a catalog of which beaches hold fish and which don’t during the more productive months might get me a better idea of which beaches to build my winter catalog out of.

Can’t complain about the Mountain View at the second beach I fished though… sunset made the drive worth it

We are coming into some of my favorite months for sea run cutthroat.

Here are two publicly-available maps that you may find useful to shorten the learning curve on good beaches. (Hint: Either can be good by itself, but definitely try looking at places the two overlap and combine with Google Maps)

 

[Brian Miller]

(Hint: Either can be good by itself, but definitely try looking at places the two overlap and combine with Google Maps)

I suggest also adding Gaia Maps premium with the Public and Private layers enabled to find beach public access.