Salmon Season - it's over for me - Bloody Video added...

Gave it one last shot yesterday.  Domenic and I got up early and headed to a remote stretch of Humboldt coastline.  It was raining and blowing pretty strong out of the south when we arrived, so we tooled around for over 3 hours watching a few motorboats bob around in the mess outside.  We were going to scrap the mission when things started to look better.  What had been a stiff southeast breeze that would've blown us toward Kamchatka turned and was coming from the south.  The rain tapered off and most of the whitecaps settled.  We decided to give it a go.  Got on the water around 11AM and it was still really messy.  I was taking lots of water over my bow and the current from the south was alot to paddle against.  We headed outside and it just got worse.  I paddled southwest, trolling a salt-cured herring into the wind and current for like an hour.  Got out to just over 100 FOW at 1.5 miles offshore and was ready to just keep paddling.  Dom was inside of me and could see that I was getting pushed north.  He pulled me up on the radio and offered very sensible advice, form of:  "I'm heading back inside a bit..."  It was a wake-up call for me as I was a little too fixated on finding a salmon.  We joined back up and decided to scrap the salmon season and target some lingcod and rockies for the rest of the session.  We each pulled in a 32" ling and several bomber blacks before wrapping up around 3PM.  By then the ocean was sparkling in the sun that finally showed up, and it was around 70 on the beach.  We loaded the boats and enjoyed a couple cold ones before heading back over the hill.  It might've been my last rockie/ling opportunity for the year too, so I bonked a ling and two fat blacks.

It was really great to be out there with an opportunity to catch a salmon, but it wasn't meant to be this season.

For those of you who've read these salmon season updates, Aaron brought up a valid point in my "Day 6 - ugh..." post when he pointed out that it feels like we're eating the seed-corn by targeting these troubled fish.  I've always found that watching a situation from a detached position and with a focus of concern can lead to an amplified and possibly skewed perception of the facts.  It's like when you hear of guys getting limits of 10 inch abs and you think, "argh, they're taking all of them!"  Well, with this salmon season and how hard they've been to catch I know it's easy to read the reports and have that very thought.  The facts are different though...  Yes, the salmon are in a bad way - populations way down from historical numbers, habitat in big trouble, water not sufficient...  but the bleak bite over the past 8 days has more to do with water temps and the location of bait than it has to do with the notion that there just aren't very many fish out there at all.  The fleet up here figured out that the fish were 300 feet down in 1000' of water, and they've been hauling fish in from there if they have enough wire on the downrigger and want to head 12 miles offshore for them.  Try not to get the impression that a few hundred fish killed in this short season (yes, it's significantly more than the report of 37) is going to spell the end for salmon.  

I appreciate the concern and conscientious discussion just like I appreciate the support and enthusiasm.  Just try to remember that first-hand knowledge of the situation is required if you want to hold a legitimate view of the Big Picture.

 

Thanks for the report Eric. Sometimes "The Search" itself is your reward but I think you already know that. jim

I think the reason for the low numbers of salmon caught had more to do with when the short season was started.

By the time the 29th rolled around the fish were already in or staging for entry into the Klamath and other coastal rivers. The two I caught in the same number of days were stragglers that were not a part of schools of fish. Even those that ventured out the 12 or so miles to 1000' water were hard pressed to catch limits and had to work hard to do so.

The number of fish entering the Klamath have been massive. It's true those numbers don't match historical levels and there are a variety of factors involved for that. The point I'm trying to make is those numbers have been increasing annually and there is hope for them to continue to do so.

My hope is the numbers in the Sac will increase, although the lack of rain and snow the past couple of years will prove to be a disincentive for large numbers to do so. I do think though the spawners will come back in numbers substantially higher than the last two years.

The season up north was a bust for 100's of fishermen but to me it was welcome. If I had not caught a fish it was still the opportunity to get out there and chase them. I love trolling for salmon (I like mooching more) and getting out there and doing it was like finally scratching that itchy spot that is almost out of reach.

Bummed you didn't get a Salmon, but stoked for you that you still had a fun and productive day OTW with your buddy and that you made it home safe and sound despite some bleak conditions...

Love the pic as well...

Thank you for sharing.

Sincerely,

Jim

Its funny how when were fishing we get into a "zone" everything fades away, we feel the swell of the ocean, here the slap of the waves, hear the call of the birds in search of same... it's a very special time...    WTG on the Trying! Everything else just falls into place!!! And puts that "time" spent OTW in a very special place, our memory!!!... Thanks for sharing your times OTW with us!!! U do it in such a way that it "IS" "Memorable"

Hell no trying to it...U came, caught, and kicked some ling booty!!!  And those kings will be back in numbers...

Well, you gave it a hell of a try. That is salmon fishing though. Takes a lot of work just to get one. Although some members make it look like powerbaitn' for trout (you guys are my heroes ) it takes a lot of effort and time to figure them out. Like I always say AB, any salmon fishin' fool like yourself is always welcome up north for salmon action.

Z

  Eric, you still scored in a big way...getting out and doing it.

See you on the big K. K?

Hat's off to you for trying so hard and putting in a lot of time Eric.

Jedmo

Right On AbKing...

 Always enjoy your philosophical Approach and Admire your Ways...

 See ya on the K     

 

Sometimes "The Search" itself is your reward

stoked for you that you still had a fun and productive day OTW with your buddy

Its funny how when were fishing we get into a "zone" everything fades away, we feel the swell of the ocean, here the slap of the waves, hear the call of the birds in search of same... it's a very special time... 

Like I always say AB, any salmon fishin' fool like yourself is always welcome up north for salmon action.

you still scored in a big way...getting out and doing it.

Hat's off to you for trying so hard and putting in a lot of time

Always enjoy your philosophical Approach and Admire your Ways...

Thanks very much, Guys.  The kindness is always appreciated.   

Metalhead - the suggestion that the fish were scarce because they're already staging at their rivers doesn't hold water for a few reasons.  What about all the two and three year olds that aren't heading up river?  And, what about the fact that the Eel is right there by Humboldt Bay where no one was catching them?  A regulation for this season made it illegal to fish within 2 miles of the mouth, but it's not like the fish were even in that vicinity.  There are some fish coming in and out of the Eel right now, but the more substantial runs won't come in until after a real rain of a few inches. 

The water temperature is notably high at around 55-57 even several miles offshore - we need 5 degrees knocked off that.  There have been other seasons when the bite was poor around this time of year - it just didn't stand out as much as it does when it occurs for the duration of our only season.  Again, I'm not saying salmon aren't in a bad way overall, but the scarcity of fish for this season does not necessarily reflect a disastrous situation.  SBD said he thinks the Smith will have strong runs this year and next, and we're seeing big numbers moving into the Klamath, so I think we need to wait and see what happens and not judge it all by the bleakness of this 10 day salmon season.

Eric you tried and succeeded. All that was missing was the fish. The Smith? Now theres a mighty little river that just reeks of beauty. Lets do it man.

Good effort Boss!

Funny how some heroic efforts yield nothing and then, sometimes ya do everything wrong and still catch fish in spite of yourself.
If the few salmon the Abmiester takes was actually a problem then the salmon are in far worse shape then we thought.

Giving value and respect to the fish is what he did today. Salmon are like girls...ya can't catch em all the time and if ya could, they wouldn't be so precious.
Steve

Whether you catch Salmon or not, we still "love" ya.  My question is: where're the pictures/video of the Ling & rock fish? 

My question is: where're the pictures/video of the Ling & rock fish? 

Coming soon...