That's how my too-light rod looked . . .

TM's thread about close encounters of the kingly kind while searching for silver reminded me of my unexpected experience the other day. I left at home half the tackle I intended to take, but had a few of the marabou jigs I wanted to float toward some silvers I'd heard about. The silvers were there, but few in number, compared to the serindipitous arrival of a herd (felt more like a herd of buffalo than a school of fish; they were all big) of fresh kings - fresh from the sea, but mostly colored up (for those who are concerned about that). What entertained me for the couple hours that my tackle lasted was the utter abandon with which these kings hammered the jigs. You've heard not to bring a sling shot to a machine gun fight. Well, it's pretty hopeless trying to land kings when 8 lb. is your heaviest line.

Yes, one was snagged in a pectoral fin (saw it jump), for those who care, but that jig was floating in the middle of the water column, and it felt like the fish attacked it. All but one broke off or pulled free, of course, but the one jig I did retrieve was pinned right in the corner of a big buck's jaw. I've learned that jigs can be good food for silvers, but never thought kings would get so excited about them.

I know jigs like Pt. Wilson darts are good king food in the Sound, where the jig looks like baitfish, but I never thought kings would be interested in marabou jigs in rivers because they usually don't chase lures like spinners and streamer flies like silvers do. Do kings commonly hit jigs, or was this just an odd day in more ways than one?

Sincerely,

Salmo g.