A friend of mine and I took our boys out fishing to Sekiu this past week. A great time was had by all. We managed to hook a few silvers, but the humpies were there in force.

Ryan wanted to fish with "his fishing rod", so we broke out Sponge Bob loaded up with some 30lb braided line. Well, wouldn't you know it, about ten seconds after I got the rod set on the downrigger, we had some action....


....and here is what he caught!

Yes, he caught that fish on that rod. It was an epic fight. He brought the fish up to the swivel, and I helped him from there. The fish was 12 pounds!

The humpies were abundant, but we did get a few silvers by going deep down to 85 feet.

I did manage to catch a few silvers on these...

I know they are a bit rough, but by the time I got home Saturday there were no fly shops open, so I had to make my own. I caught two silvers on the top fly, skipped along the surface just outside the prop wash.

The water was great, but it was a bit foggy. I can hardly wait until the humpies are gone and it is September with hog hooknose silvers.

Great report Dogfish, the look on your boy's face is worth a million $$$. He will certainly grow up to be a good fisherman.

Andy,
That's awesome!! Nothing like the look on a kid's face when they get a fish. Can't wait to get back and take my daughter out!!! Cheers to you for letting the little guy use "his" gear.

I have seen a lot of things in my life, but that is AWSOME!! I especially like the surgical tubing on the needle nose trick! Nothing like seeing your only pair of pliers take a dive to the bottom.

Three cheers for SpongeBob!

Holy smokes, better than 1lb of humpy per $$ spent on gear!



When was the last time someone could make that claim?

That pink's size is only surpassed by that smile. Way to go, Ryan, and Dad too!

Great pics Andy. My little guy is almost ready for that. By next pink season, I'm hoping he'll be a fish catching machine.

Outstanding! Had a similar experience like that about 11 years ago. Took my son sturgeon fishing in the Sacramento river and he wanted to use his Snoopy rod. Lo and behold, he caught a 3 1/2' fish that afternoon. We've been talking about that fishing trip ever since. Makes for some good talk.

I sent an email and link to Nickelodeon, owner of Sponge Bob. Hope that was OK. I'm curious what kind of PR they might make out of this....lol.

Where can I find a Spnge Bob or Snoopy rod?

Walmart, of course!

Priceless pictures!

Wonder if Sage will make me a Sponge Bob fly rod?

Thats very cool! I bet most of us have yet to catch a salmon or steelhead on a Sponge Bob fishing rod

The drags on those little Zebco rods are actually pretty good (get the ones with the dial drag, not the star drag). Your arms take some of the bend out of the rod and prevent you from putting to much pressure on the fish.

I have taken many a silver, up to 10 pounds, on them, one small king, and a few humpies. The key is to load up on the power pro, and to be prepared to chase big fish. Fights are about the same duration as with a normal rod, just different. The looks you get are priceless!

I am still trying for a steelhead and a chum, but that should be taken care of this fall.

great going with the young ones! but sekui has been closed to kings for over a 10 days no.

Saw that smile a lot last week - took my brother's sons, 9 and 12, from San Diego out to Sekiu and they got a couple days worth of limits on their first salmon trip. Way cool

Havfun,

Before you go a leapin'.........

That's a humpy in the photo, not a king. Spots on tail, tiny scales, pointy beak, weird eye and the head doesn't have that tarnished look like kings have.
I've caught many a fish, read the regs, know the rules, know the ID characteristics.

Did I say I caught a king AND bonked it at Sekiu this week?

I'll be nice this time. Keep it positive.

Andy

Nice fish, but shouldn't the barbs be pinched down on those hooks?

Nice one Cap'n. Good to know there are a number of armchair fishermen out there waiting to pick everything apart tonight. Notice the fact that the flies look like they haven't been fished yet. That is because they haven't hit the water yet.

Please keep it positive. This is about taking kids fishing and the fun they can have when you give them a chance.

Actually it was just a question, but if you wanna be that way then what about the part where you said that you caught two silvers on the top fly just outside the prop wash?

If you are as observant as you think you are, you would notice a pair of pliers right next to the brine bucket. All hooks used on all rods get their barbs pinched prior to fishing, by me. It doesn't matter who I have fishing on my boat, I still check all of the hooks of every fisherman on my boat BEFORE they go into the water.

How many flies do folks buy that have the barbs pinched, or to that matter, hooks? How many folks pinch the barb on every fly or leader rig right at tying? Do you know if the particular rig will be used in a stream or a river where barbed hooks are legal?

I took a photo of the flies prior to fishing them because I didn't know if I would get them all back. I picked the top fly up right after I took the photo (because it was the best of three pretty poorly tied baitfish imitations), attached it to my line, pinched the barb, then fished it.

When you ASSume.........