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Ask the Pros
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Specific
area, run timing questions – Straits
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| Q: John, We fished
out of Sekiu last week and wondered about the trolling patterns we
observed. We watched the tides and trolled with the "current" as you
recommended as a general rule for Puget Sound trolling. It seemed
like we were in the minority and that most were trolling north/south.
In speaking with some of the other fishermen, they reasoned that it
was better to cover more depths and to find the channel that the silvers
were using instead of choosing a bottom depth and sticking with it
on an east/west pattern. I think that we had a lot more action than
most other fisherman and were some of the few to come away with hatchery
keepers. Did we play this right, or were we just lucky? By the way,
the fishing was pretty tough up there for hatchery silvers. There
were a ton of blackmouth, even in the shipping lanes and the top 60
feet of the column. We did hook several very nice native silvers,
and the abundance of blackmouth kept things interesting. On our third
day of fishing we hit 3 hatchery keepers in the 7-9 pound range in
a matter of 40 minutes, about 30 minutes after sunrise and an hour
after high tide. These were the only keepers for the trip. Thanks
for your feedback. David |
| A: David, Coho trolling
finding the tide rip is the key. Troll on the rippy side of the tide
rip not the slick side as that.so where all the crap lads up in..
Sometimes this might mean just off the beach other times well out
in the shipping lanes so use caution. As far as depth I have taken
then from 20ft to 120ft just depends on the fish at the time. So your
right experiment with the riggers. Capt. John |
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Q: John & Tom:
I've never fished Sekiu and I'm interested in the 7/8/02 opener for
Kings. I have a 17' Smoker Craft with main and kicker motors. Not
sure what the water conditions are like for this size boat. I've used
this boat at Columbia Mouth (bouy 10). Need to know where to put in,
where to fish and how to fish it. Suggestions???? Chad
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A: Chad, Sekiu means calm waters.
You should not have any trouble fishing it in your boat. Most of the
boats they rent there are the same size as yours. Good luck and nail
a slab. Capt. John
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| A: Chad, Sekiu
has very quiet and placid waters compared to the mouth of the Columbia
River. It is also a very easy place to fish. There are a number of
boat launches right in Sekiu and Clallam Bay. I would suggest you
read John Keiser's article on the "Salmon University" web page on
"How to fish Sekiu" Tom Nelson |
Q: John:
Thanks for the response. Could you give me some pointers on where to fish, how
to fish, tidal issues? Will it be a complete zoo with 3 hour lines at the boat
ramp? Where to put in? I'm an experienced fresh water salmon/stealheader.
Saltwater, downriggers and hardware are new to me in the last couple of years.
Have had limited success down here in Tacoma waters so I'm hoping to improve my
catch rate. Chad
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A: Chad, for
kings early in the morning try off the kelp beds in front of the caves, slow
trolled herring should be the ticket. Check out our page on Sekiu on the SU
site. Also there will be a map in the July issue of The Reel News on fishing
this area. As far a boat ramps there are only three. Olson's Resort, Van
Ripers, and Coho Resort. expect a line at all of them with the king fishing
open in July. Good Luck Capt. John
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Q: John:
Thanks for the tip on Sekiu. Didn't have much success on the opener. Most of
the first morning was an education process. We trolled flashers, hoochies,
herring & bucktails to no avail. The people who were catching fish were
mooching in shallow water early morning. This is a new technique for me. I
didn't see very many nets out the first morning but the experienced guys seemed
to do okay. I wouldn't describe the bite as "hot". Have you heard otherwise?
Has Tacoma area been holding up? Any migratory fish showing up yet? I picked up
4 small blackmouth 2 weeks ago but haven't been out since. Chad
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A: Hi Chad,
I wasn’t there, but I heard that there were 550 kings checked in on
opening day at Sekiu, that Monday morning and evening were good, as well as
Tuesday morning. The 2,000 fish quota only lasted four days. As far as Tacoma
is concerned, we are just starting to see fall kings near the Clay Banks and
the Slag Pile. Better luck next time, John.
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Q: John, I
enjoy mooching for Coho out near the shipping lanes off of Sekiu. I use a 2 or
3 ounce lead and cut plug herring mooched from 40 feet to the surface. I was
curious if there are areas in South Puget Sound or Hood Canal where Coho can be
mooched or are they off the bite when they reach these areas? Thank you,
Bill
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A: Bill,
that technique should work for you all the way from Neah Bay to Possession Bar.
After you get father South in Puget Sound the fish will be more scattered but
you can catch them mooching. Capt. John
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Q: Hello, my
name is Jeff. I would like to say I really appreciate your web site. A lot of
useful info. for a novice like me. A question I have is, who in the Port
Angeles area would you recommend for a chartered fishing trip in U.S. and
Canadian waters to fill both the U.S. and Canadian limits? Any other info. you
could pass along would be both helpful and appreciated. Thanks, Jeff
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| A: Jeff,
there is not a charter operator that fishes US / Canada in the Port Angeles
area. You will have to travel to Neah Bay. In fact there are very few charter
operators even fishing the US side! Capt. John |
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