Westie Annual Video - 2016

Westie · Posted: Fri Dec 30, 2016 9:40 pm Post subject: Westie Annual Video - 2016

Hi C-Brats - Happy New Year!
Thank you for all the advice throughout the year! I wanted to post my annual video here to show how I'm using your inspiration and advice. I make a video each year for my family and close friends and thought I should post 2016's version here...I literally bought my boat in late 2014 based off the advice and backing from this website. Thank you very much!!!!! I hope you all have a happy and healthy 2017!

https://youtu.be/8OMrL9Oi9UA

Fairbro · Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2016 12:13 am Post subject:

Watched the whole thing. it made me jealous and hungry. You have a great bunch of lucky buddies to share the boat with. Excelent production and editing. Even with all those catches it never got boring.

Westie · Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2016 12:25 am Post subject:

Thanks! It's completely chronological.

I have great group of friends and they crew the boat hard...really blessed.

My Tomcat is a fishing machine!

thataway · Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2016 12:49 am Post subject:

Fun Video--than you!

Happy and more fish, New Year!

hardee · Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2016 2:55 am Post subject:

Good video, and good fishin. Thanks for the link.

Happy New Year.

Harvey
SleepyC Moon

chucko · Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2016 6:35 pm Post subject:

What's better than fishing with friends!

Salmon Fisher · Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2016 6:46 pm Post subject:

Nice Job! That's a lot of "Catching!"
No downrigger? Looks like you just use a kidney sinker and anchovy? Could you post a pic of your bait set up? I might want to use that off the Washington coast.
Thanks!

gulfcoast john · Posted: Sat Dec 31, 2016 9:17 pm Post subject: TC 255

Westie,
VERY well done!
Happy New Year, as we all continue to learn from each other!
John

Westie · Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2017 1:04 pm Post subject:

Thanks for the comments.

Salmon Fisher- I don''t have down riggers installed. I just like the simplicity of running 2 lbs balls on a sinker release. There in no boom in the way, no huge swinging weight, no snags that take few hundred bucks of gear.... My main rig is a FBR or RSK. We do really well with Watermelon colored Apex lures too but they have to be 4.5". The larger ones do not get bit nearly as well. It seems like the apex is best when there are scattered or just plain less fish in the area.

I fish with a guy from Washington (Bill) and he introduced me to purple brined anchovies this year. He did really well on them just using a tooth pick to create a bend and tuned the roll to his liking.

I don't like dropping that lead so I may make that addition in a year or two. Also, there have been times when I know I can't get down deep enough on them.

Jazzmanic · Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2017 3:00 pm Post subject:

Great video, great year! I'm jealous. It was a lousy year for salmon fishing in Washington State. I ended up running far north to West Vancouver Island. It was equally bad there too. Oh well, just one of those years.

I had the same question as Patrick. You caught all those fish without downriggers? Amazing, great job. Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed the video and it has me dreaming of fishing this summer!

Peter

BrentB · Posted: Sun Jan 01, 2017 5:59 pm Post subject:

awesome. Gear used: rods, reels, line? Do the reels have a lot of drag?

Westie · Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 12:46 pm Post subject:

My standard gear is a Phenix 807 rod and Shimano Tekota line counting reel. I use a Phenix 808 for sturgeon. I also run two Ugly Stick rods with Shimano Charter Special TR2000 reels when I have friends on board. The key is to have a moderate tip action with some backbone and good drag.

I run 25# mono on everything. I have a guy who swears by braid and he did well. I don't recall him ever missing a hit.

Most of our salmon are caught between 25-80 ft down so 2# balls can get down there. Anything past 80 isn't good. I would guess that 50% of our salmon were caught 35' down in 100'+ water. It was a weird year!

Next year, I plan to run junk (apex, spoons, etc) at higher speed until I run across bait/fish on the sounder. After watching the footage from the Wolf Camera, speed is not an issue. I was probably going 2.2 knots and I think covering more ground (2.6-2.8 knots) when fish are scattered would produce more. Its fun to speculate this time of year anyway!

BrentB · Posted: Mon Jan 02, 2017 8:59 pm Post subject:

thanks!