Same lines for SRC and coho. The other line I’ve found helpful for coho but rarely use for SRC off the beach is an integrated I/3. It works well when you want to get a bit deeper then a intermediate on fast sloping beaches.
SF
Puget Sound
- Thread starter Stonedfish
- Start date
Same lines for SRC and coho. The other line I’ve found helpful for coho but rarely use for SRC off the beach is an integrated I/3. It works well when you want to get a bit deeper then a intermediate on fast sloping beaches.
SF
Interesting and fun day for Ira and I.
My morning started as I left the marina at about 350 to head to pick up Ira in Edmonds. Right in front of the Kingston ferry dock, barely moving, I went through a big patch of bio-luminesence and suddenly there were glowing coho missiles scattering from under the boat. Was so cool to watch.
We started off fairly slow then Ira picked up the first fish, which had a fin so we released it as we planned to go fish up in 9 at some point. Came in to the general area we had been finding bait and fish in recent trips and found @Chucker fishing over a bunch of bait. Moved just down from them and found more bait and we worked that hard. I lost one and missed two others but fairly slow for how much herring was in there.
Just after the tide change we ran to a popular ebb tide chinook area. Got in there and found a ton of bait and set up to mooch. Ira had never mooched before, and we wanted to try for a king. Stayed there maybe an hour and a half. Ira released a clipped chinook that was borderline legal but we realized we didn't have a tape measure on board so off it went. Shortly after that he proceeded to hook the largest PS chinook I've personally laid eyes on in many years.
The fish did the big fish thing where it didn't make a bunch of large runs but just bull dogged and when he got it near the surface it just sort of wallowed and rolled around maybe 30' from the boat. It was large grade. I got a very good look at it and have thought of it all day. I'll never lose the mental image of that fish. I said 25+ at the time but the more I think of 23-25 lb fish I've put to the boat I think this was easily pushing 30. Unfortunately while it was just kinda stubbornly sitting there near the boat, and Ira couldn't budge it, the hooks just pulled. It sort of laid there and let us look at it for a second or two then slowly swam off. It was a special fish. Heartbreaking.
I then landed two nice coho in a row, the biggest that have come to my boat this season, then we decided to go check out 9.
Didn't do a ton of exploring. Got up to one of my favorite haunts, got into about 10' water and I landed a nice coho within 4 or 5 casts. And we basically never left that area till we called it a day a bit after 4. Wasn't red hot but enough action to keep us there. And I had damn near forgot how fun those fish are when you hook em on the beach. It had been a few years since I've done that. I hooked almost all my fish casting into super shallow water. I missed/lost way more than I landed but dang was it fun. Somewhere along the way Ira discovered he could catch flounder and sculpin so he spent most of the rest of the day doing that, casting on the port side where it was deeper. I spent my time casting starboard into the shallow water and had plenty of coho action to keep me happy and entertained. I also managed to catch a really nice quillback, the first rockfish I've ever caught in that area. Was a fun surprise.
I fished a pink/blue/white stinger clouser most of the day and it was quite productive.
Beautiful day but the wind was super annoying for a good portion of it. Just the right angle and velocity to make casting difficult and blow loose line all over the place. Saw a handful of beach guys throwing flies and was not envious of them having to cast directly into it.
I'm sure enjoying getting to spend all this time on the north sound. I've really missed it.
My morning started as I left the marina at about 350 to head to pick up Ira in Edmonds. Right in front of the Kingston ferry dock, barely moving, I went through a big patch of bio-luminesence and suddenly there were glowing coho missiles scattering from under the boat. Was so cool to watch.
We started off fairly slow then Ira picked up the first fish, which had a fin so we released it as we planned to go fish up in 9 at some point. Came in to the general area we had been finding bait and fish in recent trips and found @Chucker fishing over a bunch of bait. Moved just down from them and found more bait and we worked that hard. I lost one and missed two others but fairly slow for how much herring was in there.
Just after the tide change we ran to a popular ebb tide chinook area. Got in there and found a ton of bait and set up to mooch. Ira had never mooched before, and we wanted to try for a king. Stayed there maybe an hour and a half. Ira released a clipped chinook that was borderline legal but we realized we didn't have a tape measure on board so off it went. Shortly after that he proceeded to hook the largest PS chinook I've personally laid eyes on in many years.
The fish did the big fish thing where it didn't make a bunch of large runs but just bull dogged and when he got it near the surface it just sort of wallowed and rolled around maybe 30' from the boat. It was large grade. I got a very good look at it and have thought of it all day. I'll never lose the mental image of that fish. I said 25+ at the time but the more I think of 23-25 lb fish I've put to the boat I think this was easily pushing 30. Unfortunately while it was just kinda stubbornly sitting there near the boat, and Ira couldn't budge it, the hooks just pulled. It sort of laid there and let us look at it for a second or two then slowly swam off. It was a special fish. Heartbreaking.
I then landed two nice coho in a row, the biggest that have come to my boat this season, then we decided to go check out 9.
Didn't do a ton of exploring. Got up to one of my favorite haunts, got into about 10' water and I landed a nice coho within 4 or 5 casts. And we basically never left that area till we called it a day a bit after 4. Wasn't red hot but enough action to keep us there. And I had damn near forgot how fun those fish are when you hook em on the beach. It had been a few years since I've done that. I hooked almost all my fish casting into super shallow water. I missed/lost way more than I landed but dang was it fun. Somewhere along the way Ira discovered he could catch flounder and sculpin so he spent most of the rest of the day doing that, casting on the port side where it was deeper. I spent my time casting starboard into the shallow water and had plenty of coho action to keep me happy and entertained. I also managed to catch a really nice quillback, the first rockfish I've ever caught in that area. Was a fun surprise.
I fished a pink/blue/white stinger clouser most of the day and it was quite productive.
Beautiful day but the wind was super annoying for a good portion of it. Just the right angle and velocity to make casting difficult and blow loose line all over the place. Saw a handful of beach guys throwing flies and was not envious of them having to cast directly into it.
I'm sure enjoying getting to spend all this time on the north sound. I've really missed it.
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Excellent report Nick. Too bad @Irafly lost that big king.
I was talking to my wife when I got home and doing some rough math, and I have fished with Ira for pushing 15 years now. Today is the first and only time I have seen him hooked up to a fish and totally silent and subdued. Dude loses his mind over catching just about ANY fish that swims, including a whole pile of fat flounder and sculpin this afternoon, but when he was on that fish he was almost completely silent and subdued. It was something else.
I like to assume that fish had a big ol rudder and we'd have had to watch it swim away either way, but man I would have liked to put that one in the net and just look at it for a few seconds if nothing else.
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One thing to consider is fishing from a boat vs the beach. Out of the boat I fish faster sinking lines a lot more often. In open water I'm typically fishing a type 7 but am likely to add a type 9 in the near future, and if I'm in shallower water I fish a type 3 much more than an intermediate.
If I had to choose just a single line to fish from the boat it would easily be a type 3 for the south sound in particular.
Everyone pretty much covered you already but just a couple thoughts....
For coho give me a good tide and water movement any day over first light.
Just like src every beach fishes differently at different times.
Where cutthroat are hanging on specific beaches because they like the beach structure or whatever, coho are just going to be found where there is food, and the beach structure and such is far less important.
When I beach fished a ton I carried about a 6' chunk of nylon rope and after dispatching a fish would just find a sturdy stick, jam it into the sand in a couple feet of water, and tie the fish to the stick. Leaving it in the water like that was always cold enough for me
My first report of the season. MA 10. Coho were in, 2 hook ups. 1 right up at the boat. Lost it while netting it. grrrr.
The real cool thing about tonight was watching 3 humpback whales heading north, and I was in the biggest pod of harbor porpoises I've ever seen. There were 18-20 around me for a few minutes mingling off of Brace point. All in all a awesome night to be on the water.
The real cool thing about tonight was watching 3 humpback whales heading north, and I was in the biggest pod of harbor porpoises I've ever seen. There were 18-20 around me for a few minutes mingling off of Brace point. All in all a awesome night to be on the water.
So looking at tides for Sunday and Monday, it doesn't look good most of the time. If you were to fish either of those days, which tide you you target as the "best" tide?
Personally if I only had one window to focus on I'd target that afternoon/evening flood on Sunday
Edit...i meant Sunday lol
Edit...i meant Sunday lol
I didn't read that whole thing but "big patch of bio-luminesence and suddenly there were glowing coho missiles scattering from under the boat" sounds awesome!
As @Nick Clayton said, that Sunday afternoon incoming will have the best movement.
If you can’t fish late or want to avoid the afternoon sun and hot weather as much as possible, I’d suggest getting there at sunrise on Sunday, fishing the last of the incoming then fish the outgoing which is my favorite tide there. Even without a big exchange, there is always water moving there.
Hopefully by 10:00 you are headed back home with two coho in the cooler.
SF
Edit
Just remember that area is closed on Sundays until next weekend.
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Thanks Nick for the report. Sounds like an awesome day.
Sounds like some larger Chinook have showed up. Yesterday several hatchery Chinook over 20# and 32# hit the Everett launch. It has been 20 years since a PS 30 has been in my net.
Off to hit MA 10 with my son, fly rod and mooching rod packed.
Sounds like some larger Chinook have showed up. Yesterday several hatchery Chinook over 20# and 32# hit the Everett launch. It has been 20 years since a PS 30 has been in my net.
Off to hit MA 10 with my son, fly rod and mooching rod packed.
Another nice marine layer this morning.
I hope this continues…..
SF
I hope this continues…..
SF
As @Nick Clayton said, that Sunday afternoon incoming will have the best movement.
If you can’t fish late or want to avoid the afternoon sun and hot weather as much as possible, I’d suggest getting there at sunrise on Sunday, fishing the last of the incoming then fish the outgoing which is my favorite tide there. Even without a big exchange, there is always water moving there.
Hopefully by 10:00 you are headed back home with two coho in the cooler.
SF
Edit
Just remember that area is closed on Sundays until next weekend.
Hah Good catch. This current MA9 schedule kinda messes with my brain lol
Just based on pics I've seen and what all my Westport friends have been telling me it's been a great chinook year on the coast in terms of numbers but especially in terms of size of the chinook. I've already seen more 30s landed on the coast than I have in possibly any season, at least in a good many years.
2020 was a great salmon year out there with the average size of the fish caught being significantly larger than what one could usually expect, but everyone tells me that this year has been much better.
I have no idea what would account for a bigger grade of chinook on a particular season, but its sure cool to see.
Personally I enjoy catching the smaller coho on fly rods to catching big chinook on gear, but man there is something about seeing a large, hooked chinook near the boat that sure gets my blood pumping!
I've read the regs like 5 times trying to get the details down. I do know that I can't fish MA9 Sunday or Monday, I was more so just trying to learn about tide preferences.As @Nick Clayton said, that Sunday afternoon incoming will have the best movement.
If you can’t fish late or want to avoid the afternoon sun and hot weather as much as possible, I’d suggest getting there at sunrise on Sunday, fishing the last of the incoming then fish the outgoing which is my favorite tide there. Even without a big exchange, there is always water moving there.
Hopefully by 10:00 you are headed back home with two coho in the cooler.
SF
Edit
Just remember that area is closed on Sundays until next weekend.
View attachment 73890
I've scoped out 2 MA10 beaches to try. Think I'll give it a go Sunday afternoon and maybe also Monday morning.
Which of course was one hundred percent inspired by @Stonedfish
Nice work! That'll definitely cook up nicely. Next to spring chinook I'm not sure there's another salmon I'd rather eat. (Ok, sockeye are amazing but I have never fished for them). Kinda kicking myself for not taking one yesterday. Didn't really feel like dealing with it after a long day, but a fresh rezzie for dinner is sounding pretty dang good today.
BriGuy
Life of the Party
That's just your tummy telling your brain to get very excited.