Returned from a week of Chinook fishing in Astoria. It's combat fishing at it's finest..at one point we estimated a thousand boats a river mile as the run was predicted to be the third largest in recorded history and the word was out.
Fish were smaller this year, 18-20 pound average ( three salt fish?) largest 28 pounds but they were plentiful and we were done most days by noon.
What worked: LINE COUNTER REELS. Being old school always thought these were kinda gimmicky but for salmon they are the real deal. We'd meter a school of fish at X number of feet, using a 12 oz. cannon ball on a slider and plug cut herring we could put it right in the strike zone with the aid of the line counter every time. ( Used Penn Squall 20 LWLC and Shimano Tecota LC w/ 50# solid Spectra and old faithful G.Loomis 1265 10'6" rod).
The Smoker will be going full bore for a week :D
My bride of 46 years and mornings catch w/ line counter reel and rod:
(http://i102.photobuckt.com/albums/m88/Islandgypsy01/7b6854984c8b3fa4fc4648037d099886_%3Cbr%20/%3E%3Cbr%20/%3EAnother%20morning%20full%20cooler%20and%20buddy%20John:%3Cbr%20/%3E%5BIMG%5Dhttp://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m88/Islandgypsy01/3236bc392ba95affe512676579fb20e6_zpsk0cdmevj.jpg)
Average Columbia River up river brite:
(http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m88/Islandgypsy01/ee9db71c73f1f5f36770704d03a4300b_zps2bp7rxmj.jpg)
Nice! ;D
Nice! Thanks for sharing a great catching report.
Photos from previous post that didn't come up ???
Bride of 46 years and line counter w/ morning catch for the five of us:
(http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m88/Islandgypsy01/7b6854984c8b3fa4fc4648037d099886_zpsyfg1ody1.jpg)
Buddy John and another morning cooler:
(http://i102.photobucket.com/albums/m88/Islandgypsy01/3236bc392ba95affe512676579fb20e6_zpsk0cdmevj.jpg)
Boy I'll bet those thing are amazing off the smoker! Nice job.
....................Lou
You got that right,Lou. Use a simple salt,brown sugar,garlic,and cracked pepper brine and smoke with Alder wood.A cold beverage,smoked salmon and good football game on a cold winter day is a Pacific Northwest tradition!
Nice pic's , what a blast bet that was fun
Cheers
Very nice pics, thanks for sharing.
Sal
Man! I haven't caught a salmon in 3 years. Thanks for the report. Dominick
I was never crazy about salmon until I lived in Alaska a few years ago. I learned there was a huge difference between fresh and farmed -- moreso than any other fish I've had. There was this outdoor buffet called the Alaskan Salmon Bake and it was all you can eat salmon, halibut, steaks, king crab, etc,. It was like $60 per person to get in, but it was awesome. Great catch.
Dominick, come up to NW Oregon mid-August...we can fix that ;D
Give me a rain check for next year. If I'm still kicking I might take you up on that. Dominick
B-10 has been hot this year but I'd never fish it, too many years trying to get through the crowds to get to the ocean.
I hear ya Lee, we fish outside when we get the conditions, the bar has been ugly this year.
As I recall,
That bar is ugly every year!
It's called "The Graveyard of the Pacific" for good reason.
Two of my friends were in a boat that went down off the CR during the Ilwaco leg of the OTC this year, they survived but lost a lot of gear. It was not a good day to be out but I was in a 31' Cabo captained by a very good skipper and it took the water well. We came in 5th out of over 50 boats.
I'm glad it's not my home port, I'd hate to have to cross that bar every time I wanted to come or go.
I remember just hanging out just to watch the boats coming in, back in the 60's.
Hair raising.
Fished out of the CR for years, sometimes you get out sometimes you don't. Here's a CR bar crossing,
(http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g104/IGFA19Keta/MinakiII.jpg) (http://s54.photobucket.com/user/IGFA19Keta/media/MinakiII.jpg.html)
Go figure. You are leaning right. The guy or your right is leaning left and the last guy on your left is standing straight up and that is busy water behind you. I was in water like that twice in my life. Once crossing the English Channel in 50 mile an hour winds and once in the Atlantic out of Puerto Rico in February. The weather came up on us pretty fast and we pitched and yawed all the way back to San Juan. I did not get sick on either trip but I got really sick out of the Golden Gate which you all know about. Dominick
Yeah and your not really holding open the cooler to show off the fish? I'm gonna guess the boat your in is at least 36' with a 10-12' beam, maybe a bit bigger? Those are swells that run right up your stern and throw a smaller boat broadside. Nice halibut though, I guess the picture was proof you had fish in case you didn't make it back across the bar?
38'x13', a year later she burnt to the waterline.
But she got you all home safe that day,
may she rest in peace.
Lots of days, I lived on her of and on for several years.