Went to the Hump on Sunday with a buddy who was familiar with the river. Had a good day and learned a lot. Also learned some good spots on the river. Fished from 7am to 6pm.

My "curse of the Kings" continues though...Ahhhhh!

Started the day on the lower river floating eggs right past log jams. The fish were there jumping. They stuck right inside of the logs so we floated the eggs as close to the logs as we could without snagging (still snagged a few times), and I got a big Coho to break cover and take the bait (Pink eggs with Red Fire Cure). He spit the hook fairly quickly, but I got a fairly good look at him (that water is crystal clear) and he was big Silver (as were all the Silvers I saw that day). The rest of the morning was terribly slow. We hopped from hole to hole down the river with no luck...not even bites. Drift boats were coming by and they weren't getting anything either.

Took a lunch break and were growing weary of the slow action...so we moved up river to a spot known for drifting (flossing). At this point we wanted a King badly so we headed up to the drift fishing spot. There were quite a few people there of course, but nothing like the peak of the Puyallup season so I've been in worse conditions. Fished that spot from about noon to 6pm and one of our buddies (the one who had the net big enough for these fish!) had to bail at about 3pm. Sure enough, right after he leaves I hooked into 3 kings, and didn't land any. They either shook the hook within the first minute, or ran me into a rock and cut my line.

This was the one that just devastated me....I had a beautiful King hooked...and I mean I buried that hook into his jaw. He wasn't going anywhere, or so I thought. He jumped clear out of the water on 3 occasions and I successfully kept him on the line. Fought him for probably 10 or more minutes and one of the guys next to us was gracious enough to offer his netting services so he patiently stood right next to me as I played the fish. I had the fish probably within 10 feet of the net, and he plunks down on the bottom and we start playing the waiting game. I figured he was about tuckered out so I was going to give 1 more pump and reel to hopefully bring him in close enough to net. Well apparently he had one last burst of energy in him and he turned and took a vicious run and snapped my hook clean off in the process. He was so close to being netted! Ahhhhhhhh! He was BIG...probably around 25 lbs. And bright too. Many of the Kings up there are at least bronze, if not total boots. But this guy was still shiny with just a hint of a bronze tint just starting. Definitely an edible fish and that would have been a lot of meat. I was pretty upset...but in the end I'm sure it was my fault. I should have played him longer and next time I will.

The group of guys next to us were killing it. They brought in some big Silvers (all 10 pounds or more) and some big Kings too. One of them landed a 25 pounder. But.....after they left we moved into their spot and saw barbed hooks on the bank where they were tying up all their gear, so we are assuming they were using barbed hooks.

I will be back...don't know if it's gonna happen this season...but if not, I'll be back there for another run. There are big Kings to be had there, and I should have had one...but for now my curse is still alive. I guess it's all a learning experience but it sucks when that learning experience means losing a huge fish.

soundkite

10/14/2013 10:03:00 AM

Thanks for the great report. I love reading stories like this from the Hump of beasts which to me are still mythical!

NFCustom

10/14/2013 9:59:00 PM

Great more flossers on the Humptulips.

mizm05

10/14/2013 10:14:00 PM

I'm not ashamed to say I drift fish. Do you end up flossing fish when you drift? I believe the answer is yes no matter who you are. Doesn't mean I or others are intentionally doing it. I just threw that in there for humor, but I'm not denying that you're gonna end up flossing some fish when drifting with a corky. I only keep fish that I hook legally.

NFCustom

10/15/2013 10:45:00 PM

Drift fishing is done with a short leader 36" or less and without a cannonball. Flossing is glorified snagging.

mizm05

10/16/2013 7:50:00 AM

Lighten up bud. As soon as the game warden tells me I'm doing something illegal, then I'll stop...but I'm not. I'm not intentionally snagging.

So many armchair wardens and elitists on these forums. Makes ya not want to submit reports.

You fish how you fish, and I'll fish how I fish. I'm within the confines of the state laws....that's that.

NFCustom

10/16/2013 3:44:00 PM

Your not within the laws. Read the second column down on the top right under snagging. Case closed.

NFCustom

10/16/2013 3:44:00 PM

On page 11 of the reg book.

mizm05

10/16/2013 4:04:00 PM

Ok Mr. Internet Warden...just chill out. I used the word flossing in my report to inject a bit of humor. If I foul hook a fish, I let it go (unless it's clearly not going to make it). Obviously I keep fish that are hooked in the mouth. Tell you what...go out in the river with an underwater camera and as I hook a fish, prove that it's not taking the offering voluntarily. As soon as you can prove in court that the fish is or isn't taking the presentation voluntarily, then come talk to me about it. Better yet, arrest 90% of the guys who bank fish the rivers in Western Washington. Like I said, you fish how you fish and I'll fish how I fish. Not once has a warden ever said anything to me about my setup or fishing technique being illegal, and I've run into the wardens on 4 occasions this season and actually sat and talked with each one for a minute or two. They were all very cool and had no problems with anything I was doing. The most any one of them has said to me was they told me to dump some eggs in the river because some guy gave them to me without also giving me a written statement. So go regulate the next guy because I'm not doing anything illegal.

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