So with all of the Sockeye mania around has anyone been out in the salt chasin' Kings lately??? If so what's the reports???
Tight lines, Jeff

They are starting to show.TM

Since we conversed last night Jeff,I'll make this short and sweet...1 landed Saturday night 8lb King ,he was on the barbeque within 1/2 hour...so many places to chose from this time of year and it's only going to get better

[This message has been edited by Osprey (edited 07-10-2000).]

Slow at best with tons of boats. Best to stay on the lake and catch a few fish while bumping boats

I've been concentrating on the Southworth area. We've been getting a few fish there since the beginning of June. Even with the strong tide over the weekend, there were a few fish taken on Sunday, Saturday was slow in area 11, at least early in the day. I did see some fish hooked in area 10, (catch and release). My buddy got an 11 pounder Sunday. I talked with a guy that got a 26 pounder the Sunday before last at Southworth.

From now until September, each tide change should bring another opportunity for a King. I'm thinking positively that this weekend should be good.

Check out the DFW site for some sampling data. There are a few Kings showing here and there.

I am new to the South Sound area and really enjoy the spirit of this BB. I am planning to do some trolling off Point Defiance in August. Have I missed the window of opportunity? What type of gear should I be using? This is all new to me. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Friday got a king, 23.5 lbs bled! Sat got one 4 cm's longer...Probably around 25...Sun got one that was about 12lbs. All fish were caught before 6:00 A.M., and trolled very shallow. Between the Slag and the Clay banks.
Last Sat (7-8) me and a women got two one was easy 20 and the other about 8. Both before 6:00A.M.


Bob D.

Point Defiance can be great in August. The window of opportunity is now.

You can mooch, jig or troll at P.D. Trolling is a little tough when the fish are in though because there will be a fleet of boats to navigate through. Pt. Dalco across the sound is where I go instead. Same fish, just a more trolling friendly spot.

You can troll cut plug herring solo or whole herring behind a flasher(my personal favorite). Hoochies are also worth a try. Glow in the dark Green and White are my 2 favorite colors. Use leader lengths of 44 - 50".

If you go with the eticut trolling is easy. Dont troll in front of the Clay banks. This is the "Moocher zone" Dont mooch by the slagpile...This is the "trollers zone". I usaully never go past Owens beach, I turn there and go back to the slag pile. Last season my boat caught over 40 fish from the middle of July till the end of Augest. At the "Trollers Zone". I never mooch!!!

Bob D

I mooched the Clay Banks for many years with good success. I still troll on the outside of the pack where the old timers and their meat lines are. I've seen and caught some really big Kings in that area trolling.

I concur about the Slag pile, really a year round spot worth hitting almost anytime.

Owens beach is my sentimental favorite because that is where I hooked, fought, and LOST the biggest salmon I've ever hooked up. That was 1982 and I'm still looking for a descendant of that giant!

To all-Boat'll be in the water July 28. Thanks for all of the info. BTW, my name is Andy and I started fishing about 6 years ago. I love river fishing for Salmon. Spend alot of time on the Satsop. I think I'll give the sound a try. Thanks again.

Ditto what Bob D and SeaCat say about where to fish. As to what to use my favorite setup is, a #1 Les Davis Kelp Kutter flasher in chartruese with a cop car hooch (black/glow in the dark) or a green hot spot and an army truck. Picked up a grand slam bucktail fly that I think will do good to.
Good luck and tight lines, Jeff

Hey Salmonhead,

Is there something special about the Kelp Kutter that you really like? You mention that you also use the Hot Spot too. Is there that much of a difference, just curious?

Hey Bob D. - Care to share your setup for success on those Slag Kings? How shallow are you getting them? I've been hooking up as shallow as 15 feet. I concur about the early, before 6:00 thing, although I did get one at 9:00 recently.

Seacat,
Ya the thing I like about it is the color, chartruese and it has the mylar tape on it. It has outfished every other flasher I own by at least 3 to 1 since I bought it. The funny thing is I bought it out of a clearance bin at Auburn Sports about 2 years ago and cannot find another one like it. I have even traded e mails with the customer rep at Lure-Jensen (that's who owns Les Davis now) and they have been discontinued. The closest one I have found is made by Silver Horde, it's the right color but has silver reflective tape on it. Ya know it's just like plugs that seem to catch more fish, it just works.
The difference between it and the hot spot is leader length. The Kelp Kutter is a size #1, the leader length is 28" to the hooch. The Hot Spots because of the larger circular pattern that they create need to have leader length of at least 40" to the hooch. To me the leader length is the critical element, to little and the hooch is to close to the flasher and to erratic, to much and it doesen't swim right. I also have Abe and Al's, a Dr T-Ho-Ke flasher and a couple that I bought at the Sportsman Show. Hope this answers your question. Hope to get out next Wednesday, weekends are shot for awhile. My daughters fastpitch team is playing in regionals this weekend, a national tournament in Oregon next weekend and ASA nationals in Federal Way in August. I usually fish Pt. D. and have a white Harbercraft sled, if ya see me say hi.
Good luck and tight lines, Jeff

Salmonhead,

Yeah you answered my question, thanks for the reply. I've heard about the Kelp Kutter over the years, but don't know of anyone other than yourself who uses one. Same thing with Abe and Al. I hear ya' about the plugs and the "it just works" thing.

I'm pretty much a Hot Spot guy. Not only do I work the leader lengths, but I also vary the distance to the flasher behind the downrigger cable as well. That can also effect the action on the bait.

I used to be a regular at P.D. back in the 80's and early 90's, used to live on Fox Island and Tacoma , but have moved since and now fish the Southworth and N. Vashon areas. But that slag pile success story has got me itchy again for a P.D. morning! Maybe a descendant of the "Giant" is out there.<s>

I fish out of a 18' Olympic hardtop with whips and GPS. I'll be lookin' for ya'.

Headed out to Pt D. on Wednesday, any reports from the weekend??? Tides are set up just the way I like it, the last two hours of the outgoing tide from first light til the change at 7:30!!! First trip there this year
Tight lines, Jeff

4 of us in 2 boats worked the Point hard on Saturday. My boat scratched a resident coho and the other boat picked up a shaker chinook.

Fishing was very slow. All morning I only saw 1 net in the water. Lots of dogfish for the moochers. I watched this one boat baby a King for about 25 minutes and they lost it! They were mooching the Clay Banks when they hooked it, they were practically in Gig Harbor when they lost it!

I fished Southworth on Sunday and picked up another 15 pounder at 5:45 am on a hooch at 40 feet. Another boat fishing with me picked up a 10 pounder around 7:30. Still kind of spotty out there, but definitely worth a try.

Let us know how you do on Wednesday

Fished Pt D with Osprey today. Launched about 5:30, gear in the water by 5:45, fish in the boat by 5:50. New world record, first setup down at 50 ft less than 2 minutes and fish on!!!!! Didn't even have time to clip the downrigger ball onto the other rigger'. She was a 6 lb hen, 10 minutes later had another one on but lost it about a couple of minutes into the fight. One other one on about 30 minutes after the tide change, lost it at the boat. The experiment with the single siwash hooks may be over, both lost fish were on those.
Seacat FYI, first fish on the chartruese kelp kutter with the cop car hooch (in between the boat house and owens beach), second one on the silver horde chartruese with the green herring grand slam bucktail and the third was on the chrome kelp kutter with the army truck hooch (last two off of the clay banks). No luck on the hot spots today. Just finished eatin' the delicious young lady, hmmmmm tooooo good .
Good luck and tight lines, Jeff.
PS, Better get out early, the bite died completely after 9:00. Did see three or four others caught.

[This message has been edited by salmonhead (edited 07-26-2000).]

Salmonhead, congrats on the action...but no 25 pounder huh? You know that weekday fishing is really the best, aint' it? If I wasn't here at 6:00 in the morning typing this reply, guess where I'd be?

Thanks for the setup info. It's fun to watch and learn how the different setups perform.

I'll be on the water at 4:30 Saturday at my usual place and am thinking positive. Should be a good South Sound weekend...

The following weekend is the Sinclair Inlet derby, fishin' for those Gorst creek hatchery Kings. Should be some nice fish (somewhere around 11,000 of 'em ) in my area for the next 3 weeks or so.

Seacat69 - How has the Sinclair Inlet fishery been this year? The kings have been thick each evening at Yeomalt Point this week, but I'm getting tired of having to leave em' in the water. Hopefully some of them are headed around the corner your way. Thanks in advance for any info.