Northwest Fishing Reports

I was hoping someone who has experience fishing for Chum in the salt could lead me in the right direction regarding techniques and baits to use. I have read some info about Hoodsport but that is about all I have to go on. I will be fishing out of a small 15ft boat.

Any info helps.

Yeah yeah, I just seen someone else posted the same topic.

And I say once again, this time s l o w ly; the only place you are going to catch a chum is in an estuary or the mouth of creek or river. The other thread mentioned a bunch of place to fish them. Go do it. You guys are asking for and answer that isn't there. I even presented lures I've used. I've caught lots of chum, just not in the salt.

the mouth of a creek or river that spews out to a Puget Sound area is SALT water.. ;)
Hoodsport for example.. you wade in the salt and catch them in salt before they go up the fresh water creek.. its easy logic..

Brine your anchovies in pickle juice overnight. When you are ready to fish, attach about an inch piece under your bobber and cast away. Wait, wait, wait, wait, BOBBER DOWN, you got it chum. How does that feel CHUMLY?

You all are freaking killing me do the research google use the web what its made for ! hereis a little that I have came up with and seems good 2 me try and please let me know what you think!



Saltwater Chum fishing

The fall runs of Chum salmon start to return in September and by mid October, literally hundreds of thousands of these salmon will be migrating their way through Puget Sound. While chum are often caught at terminal fisheries on Hood Canal, they are usually ignored by saltwater sports fishermen. Pound for pound they may be the hardest fighting salmon of all five species.

There are two problems with Chum that affect their popularity with sports fishermen. The first is that their taste is entirely different (much milder) than the other species of salmon. The second and possibly the most important reason is that sports fishermen dont understand how easy Chum are to catch in saltwater.

The freshwater angler has little, if any, problem hooking chum until your arms ache. The saltwater angler faces another problem. The vastness of the area where you will find them. Finding the chums in the first place defines how successful your fishery will be. Chums may be in deep water, but often can be in very shallow shoreline water, thus giving the beach angler and the car-top boater an opportunity for some excellent angling.
Fortunately, schools of chum will show themselves by jumping and splashing. The Chum angler in order to maximize his time on the water should keep a sharp eye out and look for schooling Chum before ever putting a lure in the water. Once located, follow a few simple rules and get ready to hang on.

Rules for saltwater chum fishing:
Rule One: Most chum will be in the top 60 feet of water. Concentrate your fishing there, while paying close attention to the top 30 feet of the water column. The majority of the chum runs return on the west side of Puget Sound.

Rule Two: Slow troll. Troll as slow as possible, then try to go slower. Dodgers are made to troll slow, so this may be the one time they will out-fish flashers. Normally, flashers in order to fish effectively need to rotate. For Chum, that is not necessarily so, but sometimes with plastic flashers such as Hot Spots, they are next to impossible to stop rotating.

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#2 chrome dodger


If you are using flashers, try to stay away from glow colors, as Chum are prone to strike anything that is green. They often will grab the flasher, resulting in terrific strikes and no hook-ups.

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Large Hot Spot clear/gold flasher


Rule Three: Use lures that appeal to Chum. Chum are, for the most part, plankton eaters. As they return to spawn, they seem to develop a taste for herring. Chum also are attracted by lures in green, purple, and hot pink colors. The closer they are to their spawning streams, the more likely they are to take herring. Up until then, artificial lures are the most effective.

Since Chum are plankton eaters, small mini squid (usually called Mini Sardines or Michael Bait) are usually the most effective. Add shrimp Smelly Jelly to your squid leader and flasher or dodger.

Chum do respond to colors, especially greens, purples and hot pinks. Ive found the most effective mini squid colors are distributed as Gold Star (Silver Horde) Mini Sardine in the following colors. Green is always a good choice, color number in Mini Sardine is F54R. Purple, becoming my first choice for Chum, Mini Sardine FG138R. Last, but not least, a Michael Bait in color number MB181. If your tackle box lacks these colors, use green or purple squid and cut the tentacles by half. Rig these Mini Sardines with a 6/0 to 9/0 black or blue hook. These should be fished on a 23" to 26 leader. If you cant troll slow, lengthen the leader by 6 inches. Ideally, slow troll, Smelly Jelly, Hold On!

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Mini Sardine in F54R color on a 9/0 blue hook


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Mini Sardine in FG138R color


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Michael Bait in MB181 color on an 8/0 blue hook


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Moochers can also do well targeting Chum. Moochers should fish the brackish saltwater areas off river mouths.

John Keizer, one of my cohorts in salmonuniversity.com usually anchors in 6 to 10 feet of water at the mouth of the Nisqually. John rigs a herring below a dink float with about two to three feet of leader below. He pinches a split shot about a foot above the herring. Cast your herring out, let it drift and dont spill your Guinness Stout when your rod tip slams down.

Chum is currently being marketed by the commercial fishing industry under the name of Keta, the Latin name for Chum. Chum is best prepared smoked. To achieve their excellent flavor, take good care of your fish once caught. Bleed your Chum immediately upon catching. Clean and ice down your catch within 15 minutes after netting.

When smoking your catch, two pans of chips is usually enough, then finish your Chum by putting it into your kitchen oven at its lowest setting for two hours. Place a drip pan under the fish as Chum retain a lot of fat. When done, eat, enjoy and tell your friends its Keta.

Good areas to fish for Chum include Point No Point, Jeff Head, Vashon Island, Snohomish River system, Gig Harbor, and the southern river systems such as the Puyallup, Nisqually and Chambers Creek area.

Looks good to me. I've caught hundreds of them by hook and line standing on the shore of river, creek or very close. I have never caught a Chum trolling in open water. Caught a lot Coho in < 40' of water and in the areas mentioned but, never a Chum. As stated in the article Chum are plankton eaters so they don't bite on the usual fair we offer, kind of like Sockeye. They don't get into the aggression biting and meat eating till they take on their secondary sex characteristics. Give it a try! I've had my best luck with big homemade spinners like are used on the Columbia for Kings. Anyone that thinks they're going to catch a dime bright chum anywhere in PS is deluding themselves. From commercial harvests with nets in the open water we would typically get < 2% "Silver Bright" chums, the rest being "Semi Bright", being metallic with the beginnings of red stripes, then "Darks" being the ones with no more metallic sheen or the green gators most of you will catch at the river.

So far everyone that has piped up about catching chums in the salt have caught them in areas I have described, not out in the open water. I don't care to split hairs. I'd love someone to prove me wrong. From here on out I will be waiting to get pics of fish and an exact location. Go knock them dead! And of course have fun!

Thanks for the replies. I've done my homework, but some of the research I have done online can be viewed differently from guys on here who have personal experience, so thanks Snake7676- lighten up bud .

This site has provided me with tons and tons of useful info from guys who have been there and done that. And anyone can be a google genius and copy/paste. I was looking for help from guys who have experience fishing for Chum mainly in Area 12 and 13.

Anyways, I'll be hoping to hit area 12 in the middle of November or so when they are in pretty thick. I have no intentions on keeping them, I am seeking a bobberdown from these dogs.

Over the past 37 years I've caught 100's of saltwater chums from Alaska south. Of that number I'd guess less than 100 were saltwater chrome bright. I mean so bright that they looked like ocean caught coho.Nearly all the bright chum were incidental catches while either fishing motor mooched plugged herring or trolled flasher and hoochie. Almost all were caught along tide rips by a back eddy behind a point. In the sound the incoming chum are really moving. Usually its high diddle diddle right down the middle, and rarely are close enough to shore to cast to them. I've caught a few from shore up on Whidby but again incidental caught and right at a tide change coming out of an eddy. When they do slow down its usually in an eddy and only long enough for them to get their bearings and they move on the next tide. Once they get back to their home estuary they finish morphing into their spawning condition and enter their destination stream. Or they mill about until a freshet raises the stream level enough to allow them entry. They behave like an entirely different fish once they reach their home estuary and begin their ripening and waiting period. They become very aggressive and curious about anything in front of them. I've caught them on live bait under a float, dead bait under a float or cast and retrieved, small spinners and spoons, and a lot of them on cast flies in sizes 4, 6, and as small as an 8. On numerous occasions I've had them grab my float and run with it. A lot of fun to catch! I never keep them as I have plenty of brighter more palatable fish already in storage. I've seen folks dragging a limit of chum across the parking lot at Hoodsport that were dripping eggs and milt destined for the table and smoker. Yuck to me but to each his own.
Jens, since you have a boat you can position it up tide from the schools milling about in the estuary and let them come to you. The schools move around a lot but will usually travel up tide towards the creek. Position yourself far enough away from the beach anglers so as to be out of their casting range. Once the fish get within casting range of the beach/wade fishermen they get met with a hail jigs, corkies, flies, and float bait. This assault either drives the school away or if a fish or 2 are hooked the fish spook and retreat. Usually not for long as their mind is on doing their business in the river.
My favorite method is float/chovie. Never more than 4' from the float. Rigged so the chovie sets horizontal in the water. Presentation is dead stick. What I mean is throw it out there and let it set, don't try to impart any action to it. Chum have spent their saltwater lives being primarily plankton feeders and have never had to chase down their prey. They are clumsy in their approach to the bait and if you move it too much they will often miss it or grab the float instead. Small herring will also work but you will need to pump it full of chovie oil.

Thank you wolverine, this is what this site is all about, thank you..