Just curious how most of you prefer to fish for silvers in rivers or the salt. What color combinations do you like? flashers, dodgers, anything at all.... (6 days until my move from Kennewick to Port Angeles is complete...And I get to go fishing!!!!)

Gettin' anxious BW01?

When the silvers are running thick IMO it doesn't matter too much what you use. I've tried about everything that the local tackle store sells over the years, but I prefer to go with a light setup because those coho are wonderful acrobats and the flashers and dodgers tend to keep 'em under the surface.

If you have downriggers, go with herring and nothin' else. Troll shallow and FAST. If you don't have downriggers, not to worry, use a 2 oz. sliding sinker and a light action rod.

I've seen 'em so thick out in the middle of the strait there in P.A. that you can look into the water and see the school right under the boat. Just about anything works when you find schools like that.

If you're having a hard time finding them, then trolling with hoochies is good cuz you can cover a lot of ground quickly. I use the needlefish/candlefish size in lime green and the other killer color blue/green.

Another fun method is to troll bucktails or coho flies right up on the surface about 50 feet behind the boat. Get a little wake going with the boat and skip the fly in that wake. It's a blast to see them take the fly and go airborn... This method works best in Neah Bay but early in the morning and later in the evening I've had good success in P.A. too.

Good luck!

One problem I've had with searching for silvers in the salt with herring is dogfish. Even trolling with 2 ounces and going like a bat, the doggies will do a number on you. Last year I played with a Bomber Long A minnow trolled quickly with two ounces of lead. Worked great, except the silvers would just about swallow the thing. One thing I learned at Sekiu when I was a kid was to troll with one flasher out and then keep the other lighter, gear close to it. The flasher attracts the fish, and the light stuff often picks up the biters. Another gimmick that will work is to use a Luhr Jensen Jet Diver in silver or metallic red, but rigged to run on your line as a slider. Use whatever you like as a lure or bait. I've been using Diamond King Spoons, but Coyote spoons or even the Bomber should work well. The Diver is fairly light, gets down OK, and it provides some side-to-side action.

Be sure and hit the Dungeness Bay bubble fishery. That can be hot. Also, there are folks catching silvers off the beach on Ediz Hook casting Krocodiles and Buzz Bombs. Have fun.

That skipping a fly off the surface is a great time when the silvers are thick isn`t it? I love doing that on a light flyrod or just about anything light, watching them surface, take it and start running just gives me a great charge.

Keith,

I've caught dogs on artificial stuff in the strait too. But usually I'm close to the shore when this happens. I've really never had that problem out in the middle. Sometimes you just have to pull the gear and make a run somewhere else.

That flasher trick is similar to the Ace-in-the-Hole method that John Truax uses out there in Sekiu. If I remember right, hook up a flasher to the downrigger ball and let it run a few feet behind and clip the real bait a few feet above and behind it. If anybody knows the particulars, please refresh my memory.

This thread is bringing back some good memories of Sekiu and P.A. when we used to hookup 20-30 times in just a couple of hours. Maybe we can look forward to some more of that real soon!

Is is Friday yet? I wanna go fishn'....

Any one tried casting flies at Silvers when they are not to deep? I have read articles about this in B.C. waters. Sounds like a blast to me. But the other methods sound great also. And how about beach casting?

beach casting is a lot lf fun did it up in alaska at chanitna bay first time i hooked one i just about riped it right out of its mouth they nail the lure about 2ft from shore

My favorite way to catch silvers is to use a tripple hook with pencile led wrapped around the shank. You toss it into the water and Ripp it into the side of the fish.. Its MEAT on the BBQ

fish snagger.... How old are you??? Just wondering...

Fish Snagger...
Does the color matter much? Have many problems with losing the fish because of the barbless hooks? Just Wondering.

Fishsnagger,

Apparently you haven't fished much for silvers

If you like mooching, and bark sharks are a problem, jig up some live herring, and hook one just under the backbone, by the dorsal fin. Use 1 or 2 ozs. of lead {sliders are great for this}, and strip out some line and drift with the current, 10 to 80 ft., depending on the depth you are fishing. If you can mark some fish up in the water column, try to match that depth.

A couple of points of elaboration to my earlier post-- and a reply to another. First, seacat69, I TRIED moving, and tried moving and tried moving. I must have been on the largest school of dogfish... I fished just west of the area 9 boundary near PT, and doggies were everywhere I tried for several hours... from the 3/4 mile boundary to maybe five or six miles out. It was find a rip, lose a leader. I did see a silver (or salmon anyway) jump and have a decent fish flash at the Bomber near the boat. Also had some small foot long silvers follow to the boat.

That Truax trick seems familiar; but the way we did back then was with a big Kelp Kutter or Abe and Al right in the prop wash. Then we ran plug cuts off to the side.

For the beach fishing question-- quite a bit is done in this area. Right now silvers are being caught off Ediz Hook according to reports and a few fish of decent size just at the line on Pt. Wilson. When area 9 opens, Ft. Flagler, Pt. Wilson, Fort Casey, Bush Point, Lagoon Point, and the Foulweather Bluff area all offer fairly good beach opportunities. I'm sure there are other spots out there, but those are where I've seen fishermen catch fish. Perhaps later this week I'll head back out to the rips and revisit the flasher and spoon business.

Only have one word for silvers in the salt, flies, flies, flies, flies, oh and troll fast. Fished Sekiu for 5 days last August over 100 fish to the boat, all on 3 flies. A lime green, yellow and dark green (has about 1/4 of the hair left on it ), green and white, and a grand slam herring bucktail in green. Use the first two at Pt. Defiance and kick some butt on the silvers there too. Herring works but is such a pain compaired to lures.
Good luck and tight lines, Jeff

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

Salt; I always fished from the peer. Buzz bombs are best, single hook! The trebles don't set in too well for me, they come out easy. Its like the hooks point to far back to the shaft. The rivers EGGS they love eggs if I get it right isn't this what the whole charge up the rivers about? The other things are small spoons GREEN dic-nite, krocs, and spinners BLUE FOX green bodies with vive bell action.... YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN..... The Snohomish is great for these fish.... too bad its closed.

My preference is a 9-ft 6wt casting an Intermediate Sink Tip with a 6-ft leader tapered to an 8lb tippet using a #6 Clouser tied with pearl green (bottom) and peacock (back) angel hair.

Give me a #4 Vibrax chart body/silver blade, 8lb Maxima on my 8'6" Lami...that is my favorite.

Fun question...great answers.

Jim

Salmonhead,

I've got a few of those ripped up flies in m tacklebox too. It's amazing how many fish one fly can catch eh? I hang on to them cuz they still work. Almost hate to see 'em go.

Keith, just joking here, but what were you using for scent? ALPO? I think after about 5 doggies I would have switched over to the artificial stuff too. Can't stand to spend my precious time on the water re-rigging because of dogs.

On the way home last night I was also thinking about the coyote spoons in my box. They're an excellent lure too. You can troll them at Warp 1 and the coho really slam em'.

fish snagger your a real beauty...

now for silvers i like it when water is up a little mucky. I like to throw spinners of any sort.. We also have a fly we named the buck fly that we use and the silvers just eat it up.

I find that changing bait speed often brings a strike. Last night we were trolling herring and had just began to pull up one downrigger to check the bait when a silver hit, handed the rod to my son and began reeling in the short line behind the boat and voila, a double!! Also, I experiment with depth, some days very shallow, other days as deep as 45 feet. Last saturday we got a limit of silvers very shallow and had several that hit the herrring when setting up the downrigger with the dodger still "surfing" behind the boat and the herring spinning just under the surface. Sunday, another limit but all the fish were taken between 25 and 35 feet!

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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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!