Chum salmon fishing

[GDBrown]

No not the stuff you throw in the water to attract fish. The Fish. I spent a few hours on the Kilches last evening and they were thick and active. I fished by the bridge with about ten others and saw at least 8 Chum banked and released. The other fishermen indicated that there had been a few nooks caught and a few winters as well. This was mostly the local boys who fish the bay rivers all the time and I have spent time with them before. Nice guys if you just blend in with them and do as they do. There always seems to be someone who shows up and tries to drift fish in the same hole with all the bobbers and somehow that tends to sour the atmosphere a little. I didn't bring anything home but had my fun with a tug on the line a time or two.

The water was perfect and I would love to float it this week if I can find a way to do it. I may even call a guide and see if he has any openings.

GD

 

[mccarrel]

Careful, Fishing for Chum has been closed since the 15th.

 

[GDBrown]

I was targeting nooks but those dang Chum keep getting in the way! :lol:

 

[mccarrel]

They run pretty thick when they're in. Went up a few weeks ago and hooked a bunch of them on flies. They punished the hell out of my 8wt.

I was targeting nooks but those dang Chum keep getting in the way! :lol:

 

[GDBrown]

I'll have to try that next year.... when does the run usually start?

 

[mccarrel]

They seem to be in there in Early November.

 

[steelhead_slayer]

I managed a few on my fly rod this year. what a blast!

 

[brandon4455]

BUMP... how do you guys entice these fish with flies? dead drift with an indicator or with they chase stripped flies??

 

[steelhead_slayer]

I was dead drifting, but you can swing too

 

[brandon4455]

thanks ss! ill probably just fish egg sucking leeches with chartreuse heads ..i heard they love chartreuse

 

[steelhead_slayer]

Yes they do. That and sometimes cerise

 

[brandon4455]

did you have to deal with any snaggers? i heard the kilchis and miami are plagued with people snagging spawners..

 

[steelhead_slayer]

We saw quite a few snaggers. The funny thing is 1. these fish are so aggressive you don't need to snag, and 2. the fish that are biting are a lot more fresh than the one these guys are snagging

 

[mccarrel]

We were swinging purple bunny leeches as well as green. The water was so clear you could see the fish chase your fly, they're super aggressive if you're presenting something they want.

 

[brandon4455]

thats awesome..im really pumped to get out there..i heard the access is kinda crappy though

 

[mccarrel]

thats awesome..im really pumped to get out there..i heard the access is kinda crappy though

there is a bit of access from the the boat launch to the bridge down river. Usually the bridge is crowded so I'd look for access above. Just be careful that the fish you're hooking are running up the sides of the river and not guarding redds.

 

[Modest_Man]

Hey Brandon, how do you square targeting a wild run of non-abundant salmon with your love of wild Salmonids? Just wondering. For me the risk of death is a lot lower targeting wild trout vs. salmon (longer fight, more stress, more lactic acid build-up for salmon) so I try to avoid targeting wild salmon, especially those with populations in decline.

If it's legal by all means go for it, I'm just stating my personal choice and wondering what Brandon thinks about it because I know he's all about minimizing harm to wild fish.

Here's more info than you ever wanted to know about chum salmon - http://www.nwfsc.noaa.gov/assets/25/4235_06172004_120642_chum.pdf

Jamie

 

[brandon4455]

i should have posted the same thing i did on westfly, i forgot to add i am just wanting to add it to my list of fish..its not going to be a year after year thing for me.