Just got home from a week in Neah Bay. We fished Umatilla Reef area about 15 miles due South from Tatoosh. The seas were the calmest I have ever seen every day and the fishing was nothing short of RED HOT. We released 100 silvers one day and 11 keeper sized Kings in the 12-15# range. We fished with whole herring and large 5" spoons mostly and put away the Hot Spot flashers early on. Not because the Hot Spot /Coyote combo didn't catch fish but it just wasn't necessary. We found kings at 80-100ft deep but caught them from the surface on down consistently. When you found the schools you caught fish in a hurry but there was never a lull in the action for long. Friday we had a double on one downrigger where both lines were stacked...one weighed 25# and the other a 20# fish. I reeled my line in on the other side of the boat and hooked another king with the 5" Wolverine spoon on the way up so it was a triple. My hands are hamburger from grabbing monofiliment line all week.

It sure was nice to get home to a real bed, a shower and my kids, grandson and dog. The stories from this trip will last a long time.

Grandpa - sounds like a great trip. One of those that you will reflect on when the fishing is not so hot!!

BTW- you may be able to take the WMD thread to 8 pages. I know that you must have had a minute or two with no fish on to think about some snappy comebacks.

Eddie...I prefer fishing to politics. The WMD thread is all bull****

Good report, glad you had fun!

With the fishing as good as it is, it will be interesting to see how long the season lasts.

I see that the coho quota is 23,400 for area 4. Does anyone know what the chinook quota is?

Here we are trying to discuss what probably is the hottest salmon fishing I have seen in all of my life and we have only 4 posts..two of them from participants in the fun.....Didn't we catch and release about 23,000 Coho last week? I know I released atleast 50 Kings myself. If the counting is anywhere near accurate I would expect the season for Kings to close soon. The checkers were not there every day though. Seemed like a weekend show but the fishermen were out in force every day.

The area 4 quota for Kings is 3900 fish. The count began on June 22nd.........inside of Tatoosh began July1.

Now that you have me itching to go up there, what are the chances that the weather and waves will allow me to fish out there with my 15' Arima on Friday & Saturday?

Nice report Grandpa2.

The chances that I had 4 days in a row out in the ocean with water like a mill pond were 1000 to 1 but it happened. I have a larger seaworthy boat and would not normally recommend a 15' boat out 20 miles into the Pacific. Last week it would have been doable for sure. Don't go out alone though and don't go out in the afternoon when the wind almost always kicks up. Last week on Sunday and Monday (June) the water was very lumpy and lots of fog. Do not go without a GPS plotter or radar. There were also crab pots out there in 120 ft of water that I missed hitting more than once by only a few feet. As careful as I was I also ran over a big piece of drift wood. Fishing inside near Waddah Island should be good now so no need to go so far out in the ocean. I would have to say that it is very tempting to fish out there with so many fish feeding like crazy... Most of the fish I cleaned had horse herring in their stomachs..8 -12" long. The Kings just killing my 6 and 7" spoons....GLoomis rod with Shimano Calcutta reel and a spoon....or a whole herring..no flasher...what a blast...the Kings were jumping like crazy too.....almost spooled me a couple of times. Very tempting to go out there in anything that floats but it is a long haul out there and could be a longer haul back if the water kicks up. Listen to the NOAA weather radio that broadcasts on VHF weather channel 1 out of Neah Bay and look for 4-5' seas at 8 -10 seconds with 1 to 2' wind waves..West wind....fat chance you'll find those conditions but I sure did all last week. Think safety first.

Grandpa I heard you talking with Jerry Garcia on the vhf. What kind of boats were you guys in? I was in a 20 ft grady (SHAKEDOWN). It was my second three day weekend in Neah bay in a row. The boat landed approx. 100 fish with the biggest around 25# . What a trip!
Robyns 77

I was there just trying to learn the ropes. Seems like Umatilla Reef is a heck of a long ways but is a blast once you get there.

We joined Grandpa and others out there this weekend, what a blast. Took the family and for my wife it was here first time in the ocean, she was blessed. The first three day where smooth as you could ask for and the fishing was to dream about. Sunday showed how thing typicaly are, we went to go hali fishing and the waves where there to greet us. 10-12' with a couple foot wind chop on top, not to be messed with in a small boat. it settle down a little but still needed respect. Largest was 28 which and several in the mid 20's. Cant wait to go again.

I tried Grandpa on the radio each day but he never answered. We fished Candian Swiftsure the first 3 days, brought home my 6 halibut and released twice that many. We got kings out there one day dropping darts for the butts. Fished off Umatilla on sunday, alot of fun to catch kings and coho on a spoon with no flasher. I heard somebody brought in a 47# king into Neah Bay on Saturday!!!

Jerry, it sounds like Grandpa was so busy catching, releasing, stowing, and generally having great fishing that he couldn't answer the radio. I even heard that GW called about making Grandpa Secretary of State Grandpa said he'd have to get back to him, but had some good ideas about world peace

Now Eddie there you go again...trying to suck me into politics...........Sorry I missed JG...I had my cell phone and he had the # but it never rang...If he was at Swiftsure and I was South 40 miles I couldn't hear him. Warren Buffett is beckoning me so I must go.

What frequency do you guys use up there??

I forgot the cell number Grandpa, I just LOVE fishing Neah Bay. Sorry I missed the potluck on the 4th. I'll be back out there the 17th- 20th, so hopefully the coho will be a couple of pounds bigger and the kings are just BIG. Most guys moniter 16 and talk on 68.

Gramps, me & the boys were on VHF 68 and sometimes 72. But Grandpa usually has his radio on scan, so I suprised he didn't hear you JG.

I tried from Skagway Saturday morning, 5 miles off Tatoosh a couple of times, at the gas dock at Neah in the afternoon and at Umatilla sunday. I tried " Grandpa or Slabquest" a couple of times. My fault for forgeting Grandpa's cell#.