I took my boat upriver from Everett looking for surfacing humpies. The first small school I spotted was by the new riverside development where the Eclipse Mill used to be. On the third cast I hooked and landed a nice one of about five pounds. Gosh these humpies can fight. She must have circled the boat five times. I use a 7 foot medium spinning rod with 8 pound test line and a 1/4 oz pink jig with a squid tail. I jig it real slow. I see so many people reeling in way too fast in my opinion. I also like fishing on the incoming tide as the fish move upriver.

By the time I landed her the school had disappeared upriver so off I went to the bend at Lowell where I spotted some more and hooked another good female on my second cast. Around and around we went. It's always a challenge to net these guys with just one person in the boat. She was another really nice bright fish.

Another huge school passed through Lowell but they just would not bite. Too busy chasing one another and thinking of sex I suppose.

I got impatient and moved upstream to one of my favorite spots at Norwegian Bay. Lots of people there but very few fish. Finally a school came through and I quickly caught my third one, a male. A really fun day as usual on the lower Snohomish. Three bites and three fish.

Pink jigs are the way to go though a small pink spoon works well too. By the surface or down ten feet I just don't think it matters. Most of my bites are early in my cast just after the lure sinks down.

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