Northwest Fishing Reports

I fished the Anacortes Derby this last weekend. I dont get a chance to fish in the salt much since I don't have a boat but i figured we would have a couple reports from this last weekend and I saw none. We fished all day Saturday without a single bite and all day sunday without a single bite until 11:42. I Didnt see anyone with a fish on and we fished in a couple different spots (all with company around us). Saturday there was 188 fish weighed in and we saw only one person with a fish on and he lost it. Weigh-in was at 12 and we made one last stop at what I believe was guemes channel(closer to guemes) Between guemes island and fidalgo, we were South East of what is called the white picket fence and we got our first bite. FISH ON! its 11:42 when we get the fish in the boat, kick the boat in high gear race in, I jump off the boat, I know its not a winner but who knows maybe its the mystery winner for $2500. I get in the weigh-in line at 11:58. The fish weighed 10:10, good enough for 52nd place (a 75 piece tool set and 2 rod holders). We caught the fish on a 11'' white flasher with a line of purple on one side and a glow green hoochie with some blue in it. What do most of you use for your length. We were running our about 22-24'' but after talking to people it seems that is shorter then most people use.

i saltwater fish in canada A LOT, and usually run about 40 inches from flasher to hootchie, and i use green spatter back all day long!

That is the consensus I have been getting , 18-24 for coho, and 3-4 feet for kings... I've heard a couple reasons, one being coho will bite until it gets it and kings will bite once and give up? So the closer to the flasher the more erratic ... ?

ingi wrote:That is the consensus I have been getting , 18-24 for coho, and 3-4 feet for kings... I've heard a couple reasons, one being coho will bite until it gets it and kings will bite once and give up? So the closer to the flasher the more erratic ... ?

im really not sure, ive always been under the assumtion that kings are in general a more lazy fish and will follow but not even bite a very erratic lure. you know how coho are... very aggressive where chinook can be a bit more weary... ive had 30+ lb kings take the hootchie in canada when my boat in NOT moving, and the lines are straight up and down while fighting another fish...

ingi wrote:That is the consensus I have been getting , 18-24 for coho, and 3-4 feet for kings... I've heard a couple reasons, one being coho will bite until it gets it and kings will bite once and give up? So the closer to the flasher the more erratic ... ?

That sounds reasonable. Except the smaller feeder kings are pretty aggressive biters, chasers on a med fast troll. This last Coho season (2012). We had two hook ups on Coho when the boat was stopped, drifting along in the tide. While icing a freshly caught fish on the other dr. Also using glo green hoochies like FF uses in Canada........"A".

I wondered if squid are capable of swimming at the 3-5mph Coho trolling speeds? If they do not, then Coho snap at the unnatural swimming speed of a trolled plastic squid. Because of erratic movement, and food is on there mind?

Here is a simple rule of thumb. For baits that don't have any action on their own use 3 times the flasher length for silvers/coho and 4 times the flasher length for kings/chinook. With this system you run the same water speed, around 2.5 to 3mph, whether you are targeting kings or coho. Blackmouth are somewhat like silvers and seem to prefer a livelier bait so adjust accordingly. Kick it in and out of gear every so often and that should get you on your way to catching some fish.

fishenfreak wrote:

ingi wrote:That is the consensus I have been getting , 18-24 for coho, and 3-4 feet for kings... I've heard a couple reasons, one being coho will bite until it gets it and kings will bite once and give up? So the closer to the flasher the more erratic ... ?

im really not sure, ive always been under the assumtion that kings are in general a more lazy fish and will follow but not even bite a very erratic lure. you know how coho are... very aggressive where chinook can be a bit more weary... ive had 30+ lb kings take the hootchie in canada when my boat in NOT moving, and the lines are straight up and down while fighting another fish...

Maybe its just those canada fish, my dad and me have caught more then a few kings well fishing for coho, most are about 20+ too. We have watched and had kings come up and smash lures before they got lowered on the rigger, just being pulled on the surface. I think they just do whatever they want for the most part.