Shelter Cove 8-15: Curious mooching?? plus 8-16 non yak albacore

Another great day at the cove! Trolled for salmon, quickly had one on but lost w no more bites for a couple hours. 
Took lunch on shore and talked to other guys around the cove.  Apparently boats have been doing poorly with downriggers and trolling setups but fair to good mooching.  I got some tips from successful moochers including a commercial guy.  Even the commercial guys are mooching! 
Went back out after lunch and mooched up a couple nice kings to 22 lbs between the whistle and the lighthouse.  Really enjoyed feeling the nibble, feeding line, and setting the hook!
I always thought mooching was a fun way to hook a fish but should be reserved for times when the bite was really hot and there was no need to cover lots of ground.  So it was a trip to see the fish unwilling to work for a trolled herring yet happy to nibble then slurp a slow moving herring near the bottom.
To be fair my friend caught 2 as well with one more hookup trolling but he got them when he went real slow.
I heard guys hypothesize that they were on the bottom and wouldnt come up, that they were full and moving towards the rivers and reluctant feeders, and that they were eating baby rockfish on the bottom and essentially not looking up. 

Anyone ever encountered this?  Does this always happen in August?

I got to fish tuna on a boat yesterday 8/16 and got 11 at 40 miles out.  That was my first time for albacore and it was a blast!

Sorry no picks.  Im not too tech savvy so not even sure how to load pics.  Dont mind tellin me cause im sure i can find that info on this site if i look. 

Thanks for the fishing report from the Lost Coast Greenminnow.

Way cool!  I'm not much of a trolling fan, so to hear you hooked into Chinook while mooching gives me great hope.  My brother and I will be at the Cove next weekend.  Thanks for the report!

Congratulations on the salmon Greenminnow. I've tried mooching in Humboldt Bay this summer, but so far no luck. We used to catch them all the time, so I know it works. The reason we mooched was because we knew fish were there and nothing else worked. It's just another tool in the tool box! A good skill to have.

I've never been to Shelter Cove. You mentioned between the whistle and the lighthouse. How far of a paddle would that be, if you don't mind me asking? I'm 65 and new to kayaking so I don't want to take on more than I can handle, but I do want to check it out sometime. Thanks.

NotaSeal

Thanks for the report.  The salmon have off and on been feeding on rockfish there for a month. 

I've never been to Shelter Cove. You mentioned between the whistle and the lighthouse. How far of a paddle would that be, if you don't mind me asking?

Thanks for the report.  It is a little over a mile to the buoy if you launch at the boat ramp.

Thank you Jacks.

NotaSeal

Nice report can picture it in my mind!!! Mooching it is...

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I've never been to Shelter Cove. You mentioned between the whistle and the lighthouse. How far of a paddle would that be, if you don't mind me asking? I'm 65 and new to kayaking so I don't want to take on more than I can handle, but I do want to check it out sometime. Thanks.

Jacks is correct but i would add that you can get salmon about halfway between the lighthouse and the red buoy, which is maybe 2/3 of a mile.  Pick a day when its flat and it is an easy paddle, but keep an eye on the current sometimes it really moves through there.  Im still somewhat new to this and so far have been unable to predict the current though ive never had a problem with it personally.  Hope you enjoy the cove is nice!