Puget Sound

Hard to tell from the pic, but they look fat in the abdomen area. They look like sticklebacks to my old eyes rather then sandlance.
SF
Thanks, I wondered if that was likely. The other day when I posted there were 3 different types, pretty sure the one other type that was longer and snakey were sandlance based off the picture you posted that I think DimeBrite had taken some year before and the big ones were perch. That was a cool day for me as I'd never seen so many different types of baitfish and the learning part of all this is interesting for sure.
 
Thanks, I wondered if that was likely. The other day when I posted there were 3 different types, pretty sure the one other type that was longer and snakey were sandlance based off the picture you posted that I think DimeBrite had taken some year before and the big ones were perch. That was a cool day for me as I'd never seen so many different types of baitfish and the learning part of all this is interesting for sure.

Look back or search for the picture @Vandelay Industries posted of sticklebacks earlier in this thread if you want to see what they look like out of the water.
SF
 
Not a bad outing today.

9 for 14 on pinks

3 for 5 on coho. All had a fin. First fish was a solid 5 lbs or so and was the first fish Ive had earn the reel this season. Very hot fish.

First for me today... hooked a pink out of a small pod that followed my fly near the boat, fought it for a minute or two and then suddenly a friggen sea lion shot up from under the boat and smashed it. It didn't get it the first time, fish panicked and ran down, sea lion came back around and got it the second time. Ended up having to break it off. I've dealt with them while gear fishing but was the first time I've had one grab a salmon I'd hooked on a fly rod. Scared the hell out of me when it first exploded right next to me lol

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@ffb Was hard at it out threre. I sure do love his boat



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I got out with a friend in his boat out of Shilshole this morning and I went 0/2. No Nick Clayton numbers or results so you get pictures of sky and water and stuff. A9F82868-7799-469C-BCC4-11239F382485.jpeg391524FF-A68B-43A7-B3E0-C5C7F6A4F320.jpeg

The second hookup, we were fishing a point, just blind casting, and I set into a very solid fish, line went zinging tight, two big headshakes and gone.

Lots of bait, and marked a decent number of fish between 50 and 30 feet in spots.
 
Not a bad outing today.

9 for 14 on pinks

3 for 5 on coho. All had a fin. First fish was a solid 5 lbs or so and was the first fish Ive had earn the reel this season. Very hot fish.

First for me today... hooked a pink out of a small pod that followed my fly near the boat, fought it for a minute or two and then suddenly a friggen sea lion shot up from under the boat and smashed it. It didn't get it the first time, fish panicked and ran down, sea lion came back around and got it the second time. Ended up having to break it off. I've dealt with them while gear fishing but was the first time I've had one grab a salmon I'd hooked on a fly rod. Scared the hell out of me when it first exploded right next to me lol

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@ffb Was hard at it out threre. I sure do love his boat



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Up in AK there is a group that snags coho, which is legal in this spot I’ve fished. When they snagged a fish and a seal grabs it they just chase the seal in the boat it sooner or later lets the fish go. Has anyone tried that here?
 
Up in AK there is a group that snags coho, which is legal in this spot I’ve fished. When they snagged a fish and a seal grabs it they just chase the seal in the boat it sooner or later lets the fish go. Has anyone tried that here?


Yeah thats what I've done when dealing with them when fishing downriggers. Chase em down and stay over the top of them until they have to come up and let go.

I could have tried that today but my spot lock was holding me in just the perfect spot and I didn't want to have to give that up to chase down a pink.
 
Yeah thats what I've done when dealing with them when fishing downriggers. Chase em down and stay over the top of them until they have to come up and let go.

I could have tried that today but my spot lock was holding me in just the perfect spot and I didn't want to have to give that up to chase down a pink.

Nick,
Spot lock or not, you really should have tried to save the slime rocket from that fat fur bag.
The other 3,999,999 pinks are now going to be lonely this summer. 😂
SF
 
First for me today... hooked a pink out of a small pod that followed my fly near the boat, fought it for a minute or two and then suddenly a friggen sea lion shot up from under the boat and smashed it. It didn't get it the first time, fish panicked and ran down, sea lion came back around and got it the second time. Ended up having to break it off. I've dealt with them while gear fishing but was the first time I've had one grab a salmon I'd hooked on a fly rod. Scared the hell out of me when it first exploded right next to me lol


While fishing with Kerry Batson and @alpinetrout over a decade ago out of Neah Bay. I had a black rockfish on the surface when a lingcod grabbed it, then a sealion grabbed the linger. This was a 3 second encounter that nearly snapped my 8wt on the gunnel beforeI was able to strait line it and break it off!
 
I did not have the same stellar day that Nick had. Slow start to the morning, so I decided to make a long run to check out another spot. Naturally, Nick lets me know that he's into fish as soon as I arrive at my destination which was devoid of fish. Made the long run back and got a little action.

My favorite part is watching Nick on spot lock while I'm flying down current spinning in circles. We made the best of it and I ended up 1-4 on Pinks and 0-1 on Coho. My buddy also hooked into his first good sized salmon on a fly rod which was a bit chaotic but fun to see.

@Nick Clayton heading off to slay some humpies.
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I did not have the same stellar day that Nick had. Slow start to the morning, so I decided to make a long run to check out another spot. Naturally, Nick lets me know that he's into fish as soon as I arrive at my destination which was devoid of fish. Made the long run back and got a little action.

My favorite part is watching Nick on spot lock while I'm flying down current spinning in circles. We made the best of it and I ended up 1-4 on Pinks and 0-1 on Coho. My buddy also hooked into his first good sized salmon on a fly rod which was a bit chaotic but fun to see.

@Nick Clayton heading off to slay some humpies.
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Great pic Jon!
SF
 
Fuck. I keep thinking of that last hookup and lost fish on my 0/2 morning. It felt so so solid! Then nothing.

I was 6 for 17 over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Some sure seemed to be hooked solidly….until they weren’t. Coho have a tendency to make us look foolish and in my case, swear a lot. 😂
I’m with @Kfish, I’d rather hook up and lose them then not get bit at all.
SF
 
I was 6 for 17 over Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Some sure seemed to be hooked solidly….until they weren’t. Coho have a tendency to make us look foolish and in my case, swear a lot. 😂
I’m with @Kfish, I’d rather hook up and lose them then not get bit at all.
SF
Coho: the Houdini class of salmon. Lots of ways to lose a salmon, but they seem to use magic and trickery to send us into befuddlement. 😟
 
My favorite part is watching Nick on spot lock while I'm flying down current spinning in circles.
Reading your experience "flying down current" sounds like what happens when I get over to the salt and fish with Herb - I've wondered about one of us taking turns on the sticks to slow the drift or hanging an electric off the bow (Herb's boat, he doesn't want to do that), thought about anchoring but "spot lock", what an amazing tool, in the meantime, I'm thankful to get out a few times a year and fly down current spinning in circles.
 
Coho: the Houdini class of salmon. Lots of ways to lose a salmon, but they seem to use magic and trickery to send us into befuddlement. 😟
Last year I tied up a trolling fly with a stinger hook to use behind a flasher.

I had already caught multiple fish on this fly, but somehow I had a coho take the hook off the stinger loop without breaking the loop.

Straight up magic ring magic trick
 
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