Kelp Bed Coho

Until this past month the only water type I had fished for coho salmon in the saltwater was offshore.  A few weeks ago that changed.  I was fishing a rocky point surrounded by kelp.  I started by fishing the edges of the kelp and the rips that formed just offshore of the point.  I was having decent success but almost all of the fish were small chinook salmon and I wanted to find some of the approximately one million coho returning to Puget Sound in 2011.

The bait was concentrated inside the thick kelp beds.  As I was paddling through the kelp heading back to the launch I noticed big swirls deep within the kelp bed.  I stopped the kayak and formulated a plan to go after those fish.  I quickly realized that I couldn't fish a sinking line or weighted fly because I would be snagging kelp fronds on every cast.  I came to the conclusion that the only way to fish this area was with a floating line and a popper.  I rushed to switch out my sinking head to a floating head and a gurgler was plucked from the fly box.  I paddled into position and started to drift through the kelp.

I started casting.  What is different about casting in the kelp from casting in offshore rips is that accuracy really matters.  If your cast is off target you will be tangled in the kelp.  As I drifted I aimed for the clean pockets between the kelp.  It wasn't long before the first coho started following and swirling at the fly.  When fishing poppers for salmon the one thing you learn quickly is that for every five to ten boils or follows you will have one solid hookup.  Sometimes the hookup rate is better but not often.

It seemed like every two or three openings in the kelp resulted in at least a swirl on the fly.  Soon a coho came for the fly and there was weight.  What followed was an amazing display.  The fish was instantly in the air.  Not once, but four times the salmon came out of the water while at the same time wrapping the leader around numerous clumps of kelp.  The fly eventually pulled loose while I attempted to untangle the fish.  I continued to fish and rose numerous other salmon.  I hooked three other salmon that day and all of them put on amazing aerial displays along with hard runs into and around the kelp.  Amazingly I was able to land two of them.  Looking back I could not remember a group of hotter fighting coho salmon in my years of experience fishing offshore.

Of course, since that day I have returned to that location many times attempting to recreate that tide change.  The best I have done since is have four rises and two fish on.  But in keeping with the first day of fishing the kelp beds each fish hooked displayed the same great fighting ability.

This morning I returned after a bit of a drought at this location.  The recent windy weather hasn't helped but the fishing seems to have really slowed down.  This morning dawned very chilly with a brisk wind.  I paddled out and tried fishing the outer rips for a bit before coming back in to the kelp.  The wind was blowing a little stronger than I would have liked so I paddled up on top of the thickest clump of kelp I could find and just sat and observed the water for awhile.  I was convinced that the wind would likely die down at some point so I spent about an hour enjoying the sights.  It is amazing what you see fishing out of a quiet and slow watercraft.  Earlier in the morning a family of river otters was feeding out in the kelp.  The seabirds were dive bombing the abundant schools of herring swarming the area.  Herons were perched motionless on the floating mats of kelp waiting to ambush any bait that swam too close.  A large number of turkey vultures circled a thermal just inland. 

Soon enough the wind did start to diminish ever so slightly.  I decided to take advantage of it and start fishing the kelp.  Casting the gurgler to open targets resulted in nothing on the first drift.  I paddled back and started a little closer in to the rocks.  After about ten casts I saw a fish charge at the fly.  The slash came from the side.  The salmon missed but I kept the fly moving and he came at it again and missed.  I continued the retrieve with little hope the fish would come back for a third time.  Luckily I was wrong and the third time was the charm as the line came tight to a coho salmon.  After a couple surface head shakes the fish bolted.  He was on the reel instantly and instead of running underneath the surface I could see his back out of the water the entire time he was running away from me.  It was as if I had hooked him in a foot of water instead of the twenty foot depths he swam in.  Eventually the running stopped and immediately the line went slack.  I will never know if he started running back towards the kayak or if the hook pulled out but the fish was gone.  I eventually got the fly untangled from a piece of kelp the salmon wrapped the line on and started fishing again.

That was my only fish of the day but it was a memorable one.  I think I have a new favorite place to catch coho salmon in the saltwater.  I really enjoy fishing deep within the kelp.  Not only for the challenge of the casting but the extra fight the salmon seem to have when they have to battle from deep within the kelp forests.

Bad Timing...

The alarm clock went off early this morning.  I turned it off and stumbled out of bed.  I shuffled to the computer to check what the wind was doing.  It was blowing fifteen and gusting to twenty so I decided to head back to a warm inviting bed.

After waking up I decided to head out to the water anyways.  Rolled up to the spot and it was glassy calm.

"Perfect," I thought as I rigged up the kayak.  I rolled it to the water and started paddling out to the distant kelp beds.  I arrived in time to see that the bait was still packed into the kelp.  As I approached the start of my first drift it started to rain.  Along with the rain came a stiff breeze.  Both the rain and the wind continued to build.  I tried to fish but the wind and current were pushing the boat way too fast to have any chance of fishing effectively.  The rain started to die down but the wind kept building.

In approximately twenty minutes the wind waves built to around two feet.  I decided to head home knowing that I should have come out earlier in the day.  Next time I'm staying awake.

I guess I didn't learn the lesson from this day.

Salmon with Live Bait

This morning I decided to head out for some local saltwater fishing.  I didn't wake up early or rush to the water and missed my favorite tide change but sometimes getting out is enough.

It was a beautiful sunny day with not a breath of wind.  The rainshadow was in full force with low clouds to the west, thicker clouds to the east, and big puffy clouds building over the Olympics.

The fishing was slow for everyone but I did have a quick pulse of action.  I hooked a tiny chinook (eight inches) and as it got close to the kayak I could see six or seven coho swirling around it trying to eat it.  The coho were keyed up and after I slipped the hook from the shaker chinook I quickly flipped the fly ten feet from the boat.  One strip and I could see the coho take the fly.  I set the hook and felt weight but the fly did not stick.  I could still see the fish swimming under the kayak as I quickly flipped the fly back into the water.  Just as quickly as before I had a coho on the end of the line and just as quickly it came unhooked.  I so wanted to inspect the fly and make sure the hair wasn't fouled but I knew these fish would be gone as quickly as they appeared so I roll cast the fly back into the water.  One strip and another of the coho inhaled the fly and turned.  This time the hook held and I was able to quickly land the fish.  I wish I could say that the action remained hot, but that was the last I saw of any adult salmon.

I'll try to remember this beautiful warm sunny day on the water in a couple months when it is cold, wet, and gloomy.

Do Whatcha Wanna

I wanna fish

Limitations

I no longer have the large saltwater boat that allowed me to enjoy the spoils of Neah Bay and the Pacific Ocean. The days of exceptional fly fishing that most people would not believe are mostly memories.

These days my saltwater fly fishing is limited. I am limited to wading saltwater beaches and fishing from a kayak. Being kept within the boundaries of where one can wade or paddle shrinks the amount of water one can fish in a day. I can no longer start up the engine and run ten miles to check out a spot. In the kayak I attempt to stay within a few miles of the launch and might even stay closer depending on the currents and weather.

While the memories of the past are always there, I think I really am enjoying these new found limitations.

Two days ago I launched the kayak from a local spot and paddled out to look for some pink salmon. I headed out into 150 feet of water and started looking around. I saw some fish rolling and occasionally a couple boils on the surface. I could also see numerous fish around thirty to fourty feet deep on the fish finder. I had on a heavy shooting head so I cast updrift and allowed the line to sink. I started stripping line back in and could feel light bites and taps, but no solid hookups. As the flies got closer to the surface I could see salmon following the fly. Finally after about thirty minutes and a couple fly changes I felt a strike and lifted the rod to solid weight. Of course, the pink salmon came loose after about ten seconds but I figured now I would start hooking more.

Well, I was wrong about hooking more. They continued to lightly peck and follow the fly but I could not get any more solid hookups. I left the water that evening itching to get to the vise and tie up some new patterns to increase the hookup rate.

Fast forward to this morning. I arrived at the launch armed with a box stuffed with new patterns to try out. The sun was just starting to rise over the distant Cascade Mountains barely visible through the summer haze. The water was as smooth as a backyard pool. My anticipation was sky high. I paddled out to where I started fishing two days before and started fishing. I saw occasional signs of salmon on the surface but nothing sustained enough to get close enough to cast to. The fish finder also marked fish at depths I could reach. The new flies were tied on and sent into the depths. While there were numerous signs of fish none of that translated to salmon at the end of my line. The only fish hooked was the smallest king salmon I have ever seen. Of course, I needed a fall guy for the lack of fish so I decided that it must be the bright sunshine. I’ll get to test that hypothesis over the next week as the forecast call for clouds to start moving in.

We all have limitations we impose on ourselves when fishing. Sometimes those limitations can make you feel like you don’t stand a chance. For me, the limitations have brought even more excitement into fishing. The fishing is more difficult and the successes are that much sweeter.

Back to the Bay

Decided to take the kayak out to Neah Bay yesterday.  i was hoping to catch some pinks in close to shore but decided not to take any chances on heading out too far with the strong outgoing current.  As I was heading back to the start of the drift I noticed some rockfish busting bait on the surface.  I should have rigged up the popper, but I was lazy and stuck with the sinking line.

Can't beat the saltwater when there is no wind or swell.