How not to fight a chinook on a fly rod

brandon4455
brandon4455
Late report, yesterday i went salmon fishing again this time with my dad and grandpa, we arrived at the river around 8:30 this time i was prepared, i had tied 4 peach colored glo bugs and had all the weight i needed, arrived at my favorite slot and started casting. about the 15-20th cast i had a quick hook up with a darkie didin't hold for long but got my hopes up.. kept casting and about 7-8 minutes later i hooked up! fish plowed my glo bug! fought the fish for about 12 minutes then tailed it, popped the hook out,took a picture then released it, this fish was very dark and getting into spawning mode, never seen em that low down before that dark.. from lack of rain i guess. this was the first chinook on the fly for me and was also my first salmon on a fly i tied. i went 2 more hours without a hookup so i returned to the previous slot. within 10 mintues i had a bite so it set the hook and it felt like a snag.. but about 2 seconds after that it started moving and took off downstream and i knew it was a big fish.. i was palming the spool lightly and holding on for dear life, running up and down the rocks trying to keep up with the brute, it dragged me around the holeon a 10lb test leader for approx 15-20 minutes before making a run into the rocks and popping the hook out.my heart sunk.. i was able to see the fish 3 times and a few family members that were there (6 of us) estimated the fish to be 30-35 lbs my arm felt the burn from that thing! one of the biggest nooks ive ever hooked..if i had a 9/10wt would have been in better shape. but it was a good day landed 1 hooked the 2 others.. peach glo bugs are killing them, i was the only person out of 6 other people that hooked fish will post a pic later this evening, pops forgot to send it to me last night so i have to wait until he gets off work
 
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RunWithSasquatch
Wow sounds fun dude, You win some and you loose some! That feeling when your line goes slack is always something i'd like to forget. But I always remind my self that I was fortunate to share time with that fish! Glad you got into a hooter!
 
D
Drew9870
That's it!

Takin the old fly rod my dad used for Chums in the Kilchis years ago next time I head that way, if I have to use a slinky and a leader on my fly rod, so-be-it, never done it, but it looks cool when people chuck them.

Nice job yet again.
 
S
Sinkline
Cool Brandon! At least ya got to play the fish for a while so you got the best of the whole deal!


Way, way, way, way, back when I use to fish Chums on the Kilchis, Nooks on the Trask, and Steel on the Nestucca I used a 10wt. and never felt over-gunned.



Randy
 
brandon4455
brandon4455
Sinkline said:
Cool Brandon! At least ya got to play the fish for a while so you got the best of the whole deal!


Way, way, way, way, back when I use to fish Chums on the Kilchis, Nooks on the Trask, and Steel on the Nestucca I used a 10wt. and never felt over-gunned.



Randy
thanks randy, it was a blast having that big of a fish pull me around for a while, i am thinking about getting a 10wt for chinook that way i can fish tidewater for them next year, also thinking about going after some chums up that way in a week or two if i can make it up there somehow
 
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GDBrown
I am duly impressed. I have been fishing here for almost 30 years OFF and on and still have not done as well as you have this one year. Way to go Brandon!

GD
 
L
lilsalmon
Good job Brandon!!!
 
brandon4455
brandon4455
here is the said dark nook i caught. this fish may be very dark,but i know for fact was not a spawner, he was at a point in the river that was not suitable spawning habitat,he was stuck below a waterfall due to small amounts of rain. i wasn't targeting fish this dark, was going for chromers just like the coho i caught last time .regardless he put up a fight. i even did the guy a favor, put him above the waterfall he was stuck below so he could go spawn. just thought i would make my intentions clear so i don't get flamed, and everyone knows this fish was not harassed and was handled with care, first nook ive ever seen turn partially red anywhere outside of alaska pretty cool .
also forgot to mention my grandpa does not know how to take pictures.. :lol:
 
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lilsalmon
That things a beast...and, yes, it is very dark.
 
brandon4455
brandon4455
lilsalmon said:
That things a beast...and, yes, it is very dark.
not a beast compared to the other one i hooked, i really didn't know it was that dark until i got it in...thought it was bronze by the way it was fighting. it may be dark, but not in baby makin mode yet, the spawners are about 5-6 miles up river, so he has a little road trip ahead of him. if he was a spawner half his body would be white and he would have released his reproductive juices on me thankfully i have not hooked any spawners thats why i choose not to fish the deadline, all the fish up there are spawners.
 
M
metalfisher76
Way to go man!!
 
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