Salmon Fisher
Member
Westport Report June 23-24, 2012. Took advantage of the clipped hatchery season and fished 6/16 and both 6/23 and 6/24. Gotta love Westport when the weather is good. 6/23 and 6/24 water was awesome.
Hope to do a couple more trips this summer, too.
6/23
Up at 4:15 am and running at 5:30 am. Water was nice, but a little rain.
Picked up 2 keepers 12-14 lbs south of the jetty on whole herring about 20’ on the DR. Good thing my buddy, Scott, rigged them up since spoons weren’t working after I released 2 nice wild fish on the Jim’s Red Scale breakaway flasher and 3.5 coyote yellowtail spoon at 36’. Later in the morning ran up off of Ocean Shores found a great bait patch, couple bites, picked up another cookie cutter king on whole herring. Released a small hatchery. Then it died, but weather was getting nicer, no rain, sun coming out. Buddies rod went off, he says, “Grab it, it's yours!”A nice fight on a 15 lb hatchery fish! Just didn't want to get netted though. About 8 small boat runs, was hilarious to me. Done by 1 pm.
Weather awesome in the afternoon evening, sun and in shorts and t shirts. Saw Murphy and the Painkiller Crew at the Hungry Whale as we iced up the fish in the cooler.
6/24
Up at same time and running to Ocean Shores with the fleet because that was where the fish were yesterday afternoon.
Stopped at pelicans diving and signs of bait. Nadda except a mauled herring.
Ran north to fleet off of the casino. Put back on yellowtail spoon behind red breakaway flasherat 36’. Running the 10.5' Shimano rod with Shimano mooching reel, want a fish on that set up!
3 minutes later, my rod is hammered! A big fish flashes underwater and then ZIIIING, it takes off. The breakaway is 75' up on the mainline, that's how fast and hard that fish ran. This is what I've waited for on the knucklebuster, feel the fish and really having fun.
I reel a couple of cranks and a run, Ow!, that hurts as the handle smacks my little finger. Work the fish is , it's nice. In the net, 18 # hatchery fish!
Put set up back out, not a bump except for a 3# hatchery coho keeper. We pull up and run back up current on the other side of the charters and now it's my buddy, Scott's turn to get his one chinook keeper. About 2 minutes in a nice chinook slams his anchovy rig and we bring a nice 14# hatchery fish in the boat. We are done, 9 am, flat water and all smiles.
Great water and weather kept getting better. Westport is a blast when everything comes together.
Hope to do a couple more trips this summer, too.
6/23
Up at 4:15 am and running at 5:30 am. Water was nice, but a little rain.
Picked up 2 keepers 12-14 lbs south of the jetty on whole herring about 20’ on the DR. Good thing my buddy, Scott, rigged them up since spoons weren’t working after I released 2 nice wild fish on the Jim’s Red Scale breakaway flasher and 3.5 coyote yellowtail spoon at 36’. Later in the morning ran up off of Ocean Shores found a great bait patch, couple bites, picked up another cookie cutter king on whole herring. Released a small hatchery. Then it died, but weather was getting nicer, no rain, sun coming out. Buddies rod went off, he says, “Grab it, it's yours!”A nice fight on a 15 lb hatchery fish! Just didn't want to get netted though. About 8 small boat runs, was hilarious to me. Done by 1 pm.
Weather awesome in the afternoon evening, sun and in shorts and t shirts. Saw Murphy and the Painkiller Crew at the Hungry Whale as we iced up the fish in the cooler.
6/24
Up at same time and running to Ocean Shores with the fleet because that was where the fish were yesterday afternoon.
Stopped at pelicans diving and signs of bait. Nadda except a mauled herring.
Ran north to fleet off of the casino. Put back on yellowtail spoon behind red breakaway flasherat 36’. Running the 10.5' Shimano rod with Shimano mooching reel, want a fish on that set up!
3 minutes later, my rod is hammered! A big fish flashes underwater and then ZIIIING, it takes off. The breakaway is 75' up on the mainline, that's how fast and hard that fish ran. This is what I've waited for on the knucklebuster, feel the fish and really having fun.
I reel a couple of cranks and a run, Ow!, that hurts as the handle smacks my little finger. Work the fish is , it's nice. In the net, 18 # hatchery fish!
Put set up back out, not a bump except for a 3# hatchery coho keeper. We pull up and run back up current on the other side of the charters and now it's my buddy, Scott's turn to get his one chinook keeper. About 2 minutes in a nice chinook slams his anchovy rig and we bring a nice 14# hatchery fish in the boat. We are done, 9 am, flat water and all smiles.
Great water and weather kept getting better. Westport is a blast when everything comes together.