Whole lot of "firsts" for me today! First time to Baker, first time out with the new Tohatsu 9.8, first time using a downrigger, first time use of new Garmin 551dv, first time after sockeye salmon! Wife, Boni, and I up at 2:00 AM and out of the house by 3:00, heading for Baker Lake. Had to wait to launch at Swift Creek, fifth in line... on the water by 5:30 and headed north. Took our time, trying to figure things out... started marking fish, so fished our way up to the fleet... fishing at 25' off the "rigger", long line with 4oz weight and lead-core line. Cloudless sky, temp at outset, 58 degrees... water temp at 68 degrees on the Garmin. Made it to the fleet by 6:00, couple hundred boats, equally divided between the Swift Creek side and the Noisy Creek side. Fishing tough!! Nearly everyone fishing in the deep water, between 150' to 170'... from 6:00 to 8:00, saw maybe four fish caught, about that many lost... Wasn't marking fish, so headed north... began marking lots of fish in the shallower water north of the fleet, in water 30' to 20'... stayed on them, but no bites... didn't know what I was marking, so headed back to the fleet and continued to fish in deeper water. About 9:00, noticed strange action on the long line, so had Boni reel it in... surprise, a 10" Kokanee! Continued fishing the rest of the morning, alternating from north (Swift Creek side) to South (Noisy Creek side). By 10:00 the fleet had spread out and many were heading home. We headed in by 11:00, sun high and getting hot!
Learned a lot about my gear... motor performed flawlessly... figuring out the Garmin... some learning curve with the downrigger... but a highly successful day fishing, not so much "catching". Fished with varying depths on both rigs, down to 60' off the downrigger. Fished with two red Gamakatsu hooks with hootchies and Smile Blades tipped with my own cured shrimp, behind Purple Haze and chrome dodgers... Had to learn how to tie the two hook leader... always fun to add new wrinkles to the arsenal. Koke had both hooks and the shrimp in his mouth!
Saw no more than six fish landed all morning... Took an hour and a half to get the boat out, long line up at the ramp. Spoke to a fellow I saw out on the lake, fishing with his grandson and granddaughter... has fished a half dozen times this season... limited twice last week... said this was the worst he's seen. Said he marked fish into the mouth of Noisy Creek, in 10" to 15' of water... lost two in the shallow water. He believes the fish are getting ready to spawn, said he thinks the season is about over!? I don't know... possible, I guess.
Anyway, great day on the lake... scenery awesome. Learned a lot...Big bonus on the way home, big herd of elk grazing in a field just east of Hamilton. PTL!

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