Blackmounth are biting in Elliott Bay

[Ernie]

I took delivery of Daisy 2months ago and have really bonded with her. She's been so fun to learn about. I've been taking each step pretty slowly, and I'm finally using her power and electronics effectively. Quite a shift from my first boating world of small old sailboats. Today I finally rigged up my downrigger and rod and went out to work Elliott Bay with my sonar and garmin fishing chart. Pretty sweet. We got on station about 45 minutes before the top of a fat tide and pulled up 3 blackmouth within an hour and a half. Great fun. Don't put your boat away yet in the PNW.There are a few pictures in my gallery.

 

[NorthernFocus]

Congrats on "blooding" the boat. I forget, which variety of salmon are black mouth?

 

[Ernie]

Thanks Dan, blackmouth are chinook salmon
The winter season here is open for the non migratory ones that live life in the sound.

 

[NorthernFocus]

Thanks Dan, blackmouth are chinook salmon
The winter season here is open for the non migratory ones that live life in the sound.

So what do you guys call coho down there, white gums? 😀

 

[Cessna172]

We call Coho "Silvers"; however, given the runs of the past couple years and predicted future runs, we call 'em "Rare" : /

 

[Cutwater28GG]

bravo!

i need to pick your brains on the black mouth situation. are you trolling or jigging?

and those silvers are as rare as rocking horse excrement

 

[Ernie]

I’m at the bottom of the learning curve
I think they feed more actively in currents, so I started fishing near high tide and continued through slack into the falling tide. The fish were in about 85 feet, 20 feet from the bottom. I pulled the hook along a 120 feet contour that ran along the base of a steep slope up toward the beach.

 

[Cutwater28GG]

from my limited skill that sounds like you are a pro and did everything exactly right!

 

[NorthernFocus]

We actually call them silvers too. The winter kings we call feeder kings. Though we also call small ocean run kings feeders as well.

I've got a single downrigger held over from the C-Dory but have never gotten around to mounting it on the tug. Nor do we have a trolling valve nor a kicker. So according to the experts we troll too fast, don't run the baits deep enough, and haven't bothered with herring for bait, pulling spoons and then strips after the first catch. In 2016 we couldn't beg up a silver but no one else could either. Then this past season we trolled a single line with a planer one day and caught our limit of six in an hour or so. We intended to run two lines but never got the second one in the water. The next day we mooched and caught three more silvers and three halibut in the first hour fishing. Had to stop for the box being full. Go figure.