Man, what a great list of tactics! Thanks for all the ideas! I'll get out and give them a try, well, except the one with the lead and treble hook ..... some peoples children! I wonder if those type of responses are alter-egos of the more conservative people posting on the board? Ya never know! I'm Out.

Don't use the riggers and you don't have to troll super fast or I don't. Use a light lead 2 or 3 ounces and cut plug herring. Drop the line about 80 feet down fast and let the motor troll it up. you cover all depths and should have one on in minutes. If not repeat.

for those with out boats, i like to fish the beachs of whidbey with a fixed bobber, 5 feet of leader and FRESH herring.

Coyote spoons and Coho Killer Lures work best for me behind a flasher. Berkley scent. If fish are thicker, I may use a small flasher vs. the larger one. Apex lures are also one of my favorites and I use that without the flasher. Anyone been fishing Jeff Head? Any luck? Thanks. Marc

dampair,

casting flies can be very effective for silvers either from a boat or from the shore. my experience is casting flies in the neah bay area from a boat... and fishing can be incredibly good at times (god, the ocean was great this year for silvers). sinking lines are the most used lines. i prefer a shooting head system, and when i need to dredge up some silvers i fish a 25-30' lead core shooting head... but slower sinking lines can be very effective early in the morning or during the cloudy and/or foggy days. bring a floating line along for when you see silvers feeding on the surface and throw small sliders and strip them across the surface (you won't catch as many fish on top, but it's gotta be the funnest way to catch them). for subsurface work, flies such as deceivers and clouser minnows are great... my favorite is a chartreuse and white flashtail clouser.

hope that helps, you don't need to go to bc to catch silvers on a cast fly.

cb

In salt off boat: 2 oz mooching weight and cut plug herring. Steelhead gear. Keep speed up or pop in neutral, let gear sink for a few minutes, engage and rip through the water column. Use the small to medium baits. The silvers have a knack of stealing large herring baits. If only big ones left, use fillets.

Off pier salt: Buzz Bombs, Websters, herring strip retrieved or under float.

Off shoreline: krocs. Spoons get the nod over jigs, not as tiring to work and less prone to hanging up.

Rivers up north: #3 vibrax, 1/4 oz Roostertail, hot green Wicked Willy or 50/50 **** nite.

In town (the Green!!!): tidewater: Websters and eggs w/no weight. up high: eggs, #3 vibrax, or float and crappie jig.

Down south: eggs, #4 vibrax, or teardrop spoons.

Peninsula: spinners w/hootchies or magwarts.

Hohwaiian,
I'm kinda new to this board but have enjoyed your posts. Coupla Qs fer ya: What is a "Websters" (have a feelin I'll feel sorta foolish when you answer that one), and would you care to enlighten me on the use of spinners-n-hootchies (a coupla guys on the peninsula have mentioned this one but I thought that they were pullin ma leg).

How was the fishin on the Hoh?

LOL and tight lines,
Roger

RRR not sure about the websters, but the spinner/hootchie is like a giant rooster tail.

In the rivers...yarn flies(burgandy), spinners (custom made), and eggs.

Salt... cut plug motor mooched on top with light lead if they are there. If not on top add more weight, and slowly motor mooch deep.

------------------
Marty
Steelheader.net marty@steelheader.net

[This message has been edited by smilesforu (edited 08-22-2000).]

Roger, A Webster is a jig similar to a Gibbs Minnow or the old Stingsildas. It is custom made by A Chinese-American man name "Webster." He is frequently seen on Seacrest, Redondo and Dash Point Piers. You can ask around any one of the Puget Sound fishing piers and try and buy one off another angler. Be warned these lures are like gold, Expect to pay between $6 to $20 for one. This year he made a bunch, so the prices are down. But, last year he didn't due to illnes and the prices skyrocketted. I kid you not, I sold one for $30 to an angler who pestered me for hours. Like I said, a Webster is similar to a Gibbs but is flatter and sharper at the edges producing a superior flutter. Also, Webster is a painter by trade so his finishes are excellent. The squid-patterned Webster is the most rare and commands the highest price. He individually paints the dots on each one of these. In my opinion (and the opinion of hundreds of other local jiggers) this is the best minnow-shaped salmon jig made.

The spinner and hootchie looks exactly how Marty described it. Though a rubber hootchie replaces the hackle tail. From my experience, no lure manufacturer makes a really good one. A Les Davis Coho Bolo is available, but you really can't beat a homemade one. To make one, cut the wire from your favorite #4 or #5 French spinner and save the parts. Or buy the components from Worth, Mortac, etc. Then buy the needlefish or octopus sized hootchie in a flourescent color. Hot pink or green are ol' standbys. But if you're serious get some chartruese, orange and splatterback glow colors also. Start with a new wire and build from the hook up. Haywire twist a barrel swivel on and pinch on an open-eye siwash onto the swivel. If you buy a wire that has a loop already twisted on, then attach TWO SPLIT RINGS then the siwash. Coho twist and roll. This extra hardware keeps them on. Then slide on a worm weight; the kind bass fishers use to Texas rig a plastic worm with. Next slide down the hootchie, fitting the worm weight into the head. Then add a bead and the rest of the spinner components on top. Trimm the tentacles close to the hook bend. Also experiment with different worm weights. Works good on the peninsula probably because of the added color and profile. Also, looks more like what a salmon eats, possibly triggering a latent feeding response. Hope this helps before you leave.

Peace Out...

Hoh gives a good description on making a homeade hootchie spinner. You can also substitute the bass weight with hollow core pencil lead. These things cast a mile and sink like rocks.

------------------
Marty
Steelheader.net marty@steelheader.net

Wow-thanx for the great info. I'll try the hoochie spinner this weekend. Sounds a lil bit like the spin-n-glow/hootchie rig we use for steelies in da salt.

Roger

------------------

Jim Bain, I am with you. A #4 blue fox w/ silver blade and orange body landed many silvers last summer on the Sooes. Has anyone had a chance to visit there. I hope the fish are starting to show. I am heading the the reservation next weekend.

------------------

Here's a method that worked for me on the Humptulips. After the first shot of hatchery silvers enters the river above tidewater. The conditions were low flow and clear water. Schools could be seen just above the tailout.
Cast a chartruse with red dot wobbler in front of the school. Let it sink to the bottom. Wait. Now reel in. Wham! This worked all morning. Problem is I only had one wobbler. Husband had to strip to skivies and swim for it when I snagged up. That took the fish off the bite!