HBO - 6/23/16

Lately the ocean's been more rough than calm it seems.  I've had to call off a couple of guided trips due to the volatility of the forecast in the past few weeks, and that's to be expected in this sport.  Last weekend's trips were good, but the swell and wind were trending up for the week and into the foreseeable future as far as I could tell several days ago.  Thursday - today - looked like a potential window, as they were calling for lighter winds and maybe a 6 or 7 foot swell as of Monday.  As the days passed though, today's forecast got sweeter and sweeter, but I had my doubts when they were calling for way low swell and wind today and things were still sloppy last night.

Well, I got up this morning at a leisurely 6AM and was pretty shocked to see the Cape buoy at 3.5' at 20 seconds!  Wowza!!  I got moving and met up with my guest for the day, David, down at Table Bluff.  We convoyed down to the end of the South Jetty to a launch I know well - this would be my first trip of the year over the bar and on to HBO - "Humboldt Bay Offshore", and it would be David's first ever launch there on his kayak.

We geared up, got on the water and got moving toward the bar, all the while listening to the fleet on channel 68.  A few fish had been caught early, but things sounded pretty slow.  I'd had the chance to see today's Times Standard before I left the house, and Kenny Priest's "Fishing the North Coast" talked of the salmon being 'kegged up' in 60 feet of water south of the entrance.  Sure enough, as we rounded the end of the South Jetty and crossed over the bar we saw a few dozen powerboats and the local charters down there about one point five miles southwest of the jaws.  The water was really nice with no wind blowing, so we opted to head for the fleet and hoped to find a bite along the way.  As we made our way down there it was apparent from the radio talk that any bite that had happened was now over, and we watched and listened as one after another of the powerboat fleet bailed out of that area and headed mostly north and offshore. 

We responded by arcing to the northwest toward an area out past the Whistle where we searched for some birds and bait as we listened to the radio for a potential bite to be found within paddling distance.  No such luck though - over the next hour and more the few fish being caught seemed to be mostly out deep in 180 to 220 feet, and radio talk had them on the bottom.  We made our way to 140 feet - a little over 2 miles off the jetties, but 180 to 220 wasn't in the cards today.  We worked the baitballs that we did see, and it definitely felt like we had some good potential, but neither David nor I got a scratched chovie in 6 hours.

We made our way back toward the bay entrance, and as we got into about 50 feet of water right outside the Jaws we encountered really thick eel grass on the surface - trolling was now impossible.  This is where our fortune changed.

As much as I love my trolling and don't really care for mooching, the law of the land north of Horse Mountain is that you can actually mooch with a mooching rig!!  I saw bait below that thick grass, so I dropped my chove down to marks around the bait at about 20 feet down.  I worked it for a few minutes by half-paddling here and there to keep my stuff moving as I avoided the grass on the surface, but I was mainly going through the motions - I'd even told David that we might as well make our way in and try for a lingcod along the jetty.

Then...  BOOM!  I had a bite!  I watched in what was almost disbelief as my rodtip bounced with a followup bite.  I gave it a second and then lifted the rod and began to reel.  It was like a little fantasy daydream now as I felt my rod load up - this had to be a salmon!  I reeled it toward me and could feel some weight, but it was just coming right to the boat - from only 20' away!  As it came in to view I quickly grabbed my net and scooped - I had it before it really knew what was happening.  Then it went apeshit in my net!

David was maybe 10 yards away and was thinking I must've boated a small fish because I had it in the net so quickly, but now that it had come to life it was creating quite a commotion in my net.  I announced it as maybe a 10 pounder, but as it twisted and flipped in my net I quickly revised to 12-14.  I was stoked, and so was David!  This lively Chinook had swallowed my anchovy, and it was so focused on what was stuck in its throat that it didn't even fight - I got lucky to get it scooped so quickly, and I'll take it. 

I got it subdued, ripped the gills, bled it over my net, stowed it in wet burlap and thanked the salmon gods for this wonderful gift.  We worked the area for another hour, but the big Army Corps of Engineers dredge came through right after I had the fish and seemed to scatter the bait.  Soon we were making our way back across the bar and on to the tramway of incoming tide that would carry us back to our trucks a mile and a half away - you don't go out of Humboldt or any other significant bay without planning to use the tides to your advantage.

We played with a few lingcod and black rockfish on the way in, but the session had been long and we were ready to call it - 7 hours on the water, and all with no shirt sleeves - what a day it was!  We enjoyed time at the truck - measuring, photoing and filleting the catch before parting ways, each with fresh salmon to share with our families.  David had a blast out there for his first offshore trolling adventure at HBO, and I am just thrilled to have scored a nice fish on the waters where my Dad taught me how to hook a chove and troll for kings aboard his various powerboats since the late 70's.  I thanked my Dad while I was out there - he'd helped me catch this fish.  He helps me with every fish I catch, and that is the basis of how I help others to learn this sport.  It entails skill, effort, timing, persistence and, most of all, honor - we are sportsmen, and that should always mean more than just killing fish.

Thanks for coming along. 

Great report Eric.  I felt like being there. 

Salmon opportunities are my top priority for my summer fishing - get in touch if you want to get on it with me. 

WTG Eric!  Thanks for another great report and pictures.

Awesome as usual!

Brings back memories of trying for em from the south jetty and watching a skiff pull in limits within casting distance. Only other time I've seen salmon caught so close to shore was at Pacifica Pier.

Thanks for the post and pictures.

Great report & pics. 

YEE!

Good fishing skills and perseverance are what set you apart. My brother and I have enjoyed every trip we've taken with you fish or no fish. By the way, let my brother "Jacks" no that he won't be catching any salmon sitting on his couch.

Awesome Eric. I want to get myself on some salmons too. 

 

What a great report!!

Congrats Eric and thanks for sharing!!

 

Sincerely,

Jim

Damn fine report! Really dug reading this one, I could imagine myself there enjoying the adventure

Nice … living the life.  We heard the same reports about "the CG hole" (whatever that is!) on the radio yesterday.   I've never done a south jetty launch… yet....  Will have to put that on "the list."  Great report, Eric. 

Hell yeah Eric!  Great write up as usual.  Thanks for taking us along for the ride. 

hell yeah

Nice way to salvage the day..awesome