I have been fishing Lincoln Park and Fort Casey without success so far. Anyone knows a good salt/river spot for coho for us poor boatless anglers? Thanks!

Ft. Casey has been a little slow. Are you fishing herring under a float or buzzbombing?

Hey Jerry,

I have actually used herrign at Ft casey, but since it's a little far from where I live (Woodinville), I have been throwing Buzzbombs at Lincoln Park. I should try other spots, but which ones?

Try Point No Point. The seals and the porpoise were thick there this morning though. It was strange-I was there in my boat at daybreak and there were only 2 other boats. Not what I expected. The fishing was slow I think because of the critters hunting the fish.
On my way back South I noticed Possession was empty too. You guys saving up your fishing days for the derby or what?

I fished Fort Casey and Kayak Point during last couple of weeks.
I have not had any luck but at Fort Casey I've seen fish jumping and a couple landed.
At Kayak point, I also seen some really nice ocean Coho jumping right off the beach.
I think it's definitely worth a while to put your time in.

I like Casey, I cross on the ferry and drive to Possession Pt bait(turn left at the first light up the hill from the ferry and follow that road to the driveway just before the park you'll see the sign on your right, it's about 5+ miles), for my fresh dead herring(most important).

Beach fishing has been DEAD slow.
Here it is September 11th and the 6 of us lead slingers down there at slack tide and nothing to show for it, any of us.

Lots of fish jumping, just none interested in striking.

What's the preferred tide for beach fishing?

Everybody seems to have a different opinion on what tide is best from the beach. One buddy insists it's the high slack, another friend likes mid-tide (ebb or flow) when the current is really running fast, and I kinda prefer extreme low slack when you can wade way out and reach the drop-offs easiset. But the truth may be that the tide hardly matters at all -- we have caught em at all tides and it's more a matter of being there when the schools swim by.

Hey GMan,
I agree with Summer Run, Kayak Point/Port Susan is 'starting' to building into a really good Coho fishery right now. I've nailed 3 from shore over the past week (a mile or 2 South of Kayak Park). More and more fish are showing every day. I've had the most success with a 'Pink' (not Red) #4 Blue Fox Vibrax spinner soaked in Mikes Herring Oil... the flounder and sculpins seem to find it fascinating as well... "My" best-bite comes between 2 hours AFTER low tide to 1 hour AFTER high tide... hope this helps...
Good luck!
Gator

Gar -- I'm glad somebody is having some shore success!

This year has been downright pitiful for me and most my friends off the beach. I have taken one nice fish, lost a couple others and just about worn out my arms casting and retreiving. I didnt expect another 2001 (I punched over 50 fish) when daily limits were the rule, but I thought we would all be doing better than we have been this year.

There ARE fish out there, and certainly there are some nice sized silvers. But they seem to be mostly allergic to lead and to flies in 2004, at least as far as I have witnessed.

I'll give it another week before I start heading north to the Skagit River on my days off.

Hey Gar,
Good to hear you nailed 3 fish!!
There should be more fish stacking in that area by now.
I think I'll give it another shot this weekend.

There's hope for us lowly bank fishers, I'm farther south than you guys, Gig Harbor. Caught this silver this morning, had a seal eyeballing me, he kept pooping his head up, getting too close for comfort. Anybody know if seals will come into 3-4 ft of water and pull a fish off a stringer?

Ooohhhh... nice hooknose Silverking!
How heavy is that bad boy?

Just a tad over 12 lbs!

I have to agree I have seen little relation to tide seems morning and evening have a greater impact than the tide. I've hooked up at low tides and high tides, but I fish early first light.

I've caught my silvers on blue and green Blue Fox #5 spinners, don't think the color matters much it's the flash of the blade that attracts.

A friend of mine was standing in waist deep water under the Narrows Bridge; he was holding a lingcod he had speared, and was contemplating the fine fish dinner he would be enjoying in a few hours. A seal swimming unnoticed nearby was having similar thoughts. Approaching underwater, the seal brushed against my friend's legs, startling him, and then ripped the ling from his grasp.

Keep your salmon on a stringer in three or four feet of water? Do you feel lucky?

Then I guess I made the right choice usually the seals just move on, but this one just kept getting closer so I took my silver and left 8)

Another caught today 8)

Another nice one from Gig Harbor, ehy.
Nice Coho! SilverKing!

Thnx Summer-Run, the natives are arriving I turned a similair wild coho loose, buddy caught and released a wild coho yesterday, so it looks like the run of fishery may be coming to a close.

I cnr another wild Coho and Steelie today, I've noticed that all the wild Coho I've caught have been really tore up, missing lots of scales, skin ripped off, holes in gill plates. Is it just coincidental? Why would the native fish be getting so hammered while still in the sound?

They get hammered in the salt from Sekiu out into Canadian waters.

SilverKing,
You're a beach fishing king!

I'm wondering if the damage on these fish are from commercial nets...

Nets could explain it I guess, will see if the trend continues. Just seems odd the hatchery fish seemed in near perfect condition but all the natives are beat up.

All this rain must be pushing the Coho up the rivers didn't catch or see anything but Steelies all morning.

Fished for 4 hours in the rain Sat, nothing but Steellies, saw a few large fish jumpinp but nothing landed.

My local beach has turned back on! Went down for the first time in a week this morning. Had four fish on in about an hour of fishing. Landed a nice hooknose buck and a hen, both marked hatchery fish, both in the 6-7 lb range. All fish hit within 30 yards of the beach. Maybe I can salvage my season yet!

Tight lines....

Congrats, I didn't have any luck this morning... Glad to see someone is.

When you guys fish with scents how often do you refresh it. I haven't tried any yet, water is so clear I figure they'll see the flash way before they smell it.
I would think scents would work best in low vis.

The most important thing about the scents is that they mask human odors which are turn-offs for the fish. I use Mike's herring on my lead, and it seems to stay on pretty good. I probably re-scent every hour or so.

As good as it was yesterday, my beach was dead this morning. A few jumpers, and I had one fish chase me in to my feet and decide not to hit. I saw a few schools swim by in shallow water and sight-cast ahead of them without a strike. Was a pretty morning, though, and the worst day fishing sure as heck beats going to work.

The boats are all working the shipping channel out in 500 feet of water.

Went 1-2, ending up with a small Buck. Funny thing was when I set the Hook a huge Silver jumped right out in front of my line, I was in hog heaven till I realized he was not the fish I had on, turns out 2 were moving together and the smaller coho got to my spinner first, just my luck!

The sound was active today, Silvers came barreling through unfortunately with the lack of wind they were primarily in the center of the channel, did catch one native about 10lbs, lost 2 others.

Went 2 for 2 today with a nice 12+ lb Buck, but both were native Coho.

Here are some bank caught silvers taken on the skykomish from the bank. Took 2 on jigs (swimming\twitching - no float) and 2 fly fishing. The first pic is a pair of 10lbers and the second pic is of a 6-8lb fish and a 13-14 lb fish.


Picked up this pair before work on Tues:



Picked up this pair after work on Weds:

Nice fish and on fly rod to boot

Nice fish, guess I need to move to a river so I can keep the wild Coho, lol

I went 1 for 3 this morning. Ended up taking home a 31.5 x 19.5 chrome slab. I'll post a pic Monday (no one else was hooking fish while I was there)