Newbie Chronicles (Episode IV)

[10thMTNDAVE]

Fishing Report (Finally found the end of the rainbow!!)

Boat Name: Summit

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TRIP OVERVIEW

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Date(s): 7 September 2009

Time on Water: 4 Hrs (1330 until 1730)

Weather/Temp: Sunny

Wind Speed/Direction: Calm

Waves: 1foot and less

Surface Temp: 71

Location: Left Stoney Creek boat launch and headed straight out to 100 FOW, turned left and pointed the bow towards the Nuke plant on the horizon. Stayed pretty much at 100 FOW

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FISHING RESULTS

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Total Hits: 4

Total Boated: 1

Species Breakdown: King Salmon

Hot Lure: Spin Doctor and Atomic Fly (Ultra blue glow) on a Dipsy wire rod set to 3 (Walker deeper diver, Green 124) back 200 - 250

Trolling Speed: 2.0 - 2.5

Boat Depth: 100 FOW

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SUMMARY & FURTHER DETAILS

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After going almost the whole summer smelling the big skunk, I finally get my Big Jon down riggers installed and operational on the boat. Been using two wire dipsy rods for a couple of months without even a hit...Maybe having spoons down 60 and 80 with a cheater on each adds to the whole presentation that made the wire rods such a hot ticket. Running Spin Doctors and Atomic Flies off the wire rods with Walker deeper diver disks outside the downriggers.

Here is a picture of the boat set up:

Did not take long at all after getting four rods in the water to have the port wire rod fire...Nobody Home, but still the best result I have had to date!

Don't go too much farther and the starboard wire rod starts bouncing like crazy...again nobody home. Now my newbie mind is running crazy...Should I be running snubbers on the wire rods? Am I ripping the hooks out of the mouths of nice fish? Second guessing myself all over place!

Things get settled down again and WHAM its a double on both wire rods and this time something is different...listen to the drags singing. My son and I are reeling away and cross talking about the fire drill we will have to perform with the net, and making sure not to get them both to the boat at the same time.

My son was stalling with his to allow me to get mine to the boat first, and somehow the fish got off. (maybe a good thing, as we were barely ready for one, let alone two at a time) Finally get the Diver disk in sight and can see that it is a nice Salmon, and the beast peels off 200 feet with nothing for me to do but watch it go. Get it to the back of the boat again and my son takes the rod so I can work the net. We were bringing the fish straight up the chute between the rigger cables, but the Salmon had his own ideas. Salmon was finally put in the net right at the starboard corner rigger and wouldn't you know it, the Single hook on the Atomic Tourny rig fly hooks over the rigger cable. I have the fish in the net, treble hook in his mouth, single hook on the rigger cable and the weight of the 15 LB cannon ball is just enough to create fierce panic as I am holding the net with one hand and trying to pull the rigger cable up with my other bare hand to relieve enough tension to get the single hook off cable...All the while, my son is screaming at me: Get the fish in the boat! Don't loose it!

Divine intervention occurred and it all worked out. Finally caught my first Salmon and had my Wife and Son on the boat to experience the whole thing. My son is now hooked, and I can't wait to get him a Salmon of his own, as I owe him big time. My wife commented on how I will have to catch every Salmon in the Lake to make up for all the money I have spent on the Boat and fishing stuff...Got to Love her anyways

My Honey Bunches played double duty as chief photographer and autopilot during the whole escapade.

Making my long story a little shorter, here is the picture of the King (36.5 Inches and 20 Lbs, 5 Oz)

Now do I get to change my Avatar to this???

[Gotta Bite]

Congrats Colonel! That's a nice fish to get broken in on. Things can get hectic when close to the boat and trying to net them. I had a similair experience with my mono leader on my copper set up get wrapped around the dipsey line. 2 Weeks ago I also had the fish smash my dipsey rod and run across the back of the boat and tangle my my rigger. Fish got off, It's hard to stop these fish when they are running. It's like trying to stop a train sometimes. That's why you hear alot 1 for 3, 2 for 6 etc. Keep up the good work.

[Splitshot115]

Great job Dave

[stan]

Thanks for the report and pictures, Man that hair cut takes me back 38 or 40 years.

Welcome back home

[traveling man]

congrats on your first of many salmon. Great story, now get back out there and get a salmon for your son!!!

[muskybob]

Nice going Dave. Congrats on throwing the skunk overboard.

[B8buket]

AWESOME! WTG!

[Jeff J]

Dave,

Congrats and hopefully this is the first of many many more.

Good luck!!!

Jeff

[chowder]

Great post! I have really enjoyed following your progress. Good for you!

[Charley Tuna]

Dave,

Bravo Zulu. Time to splice the main brace as we say in the Canoe Club!!!!

[IrishRover1]

Congrats!! Nice fish!

I am a newbie too, I can't wait until I can post a nice catch....

[JR]

Great job Dave Glad to hear that your starting to get into some nice ones and look foward to your next post

[Fish Hunter]

Way to go!!!!!!!!!!

With the thought that you are putting into your fishing, you are gonna have them jumping in the boat soon!!!!!!!!

My hair was high and tight once also.

1st Cavalry Division

1/12 Battalion

Combat Support Company

Ft Hood, Texas, 1975-78

[Dandyeyes]

Nice job guys. You are getting there. One thing you may want to try is to move your dipsey holders back near your riggers more so that you can get the rod tip farther away from your rigger set-up and also if you have to make a sharp turn your wire won't rub on your rigger lines.

[Kingpin]

Congrats Dave , great story and nice looking fish , can't wait to hear about your son's first fish , keep us posted .

[eturc]

Dave- nice fish... way to break the bubble...

You wait- you want a fire fight- wait until you have 3 fire off and only 2 guys on the boat.

Had that happen outside Oswego 2 weeks ago to my father and I... Made for an interesting night... Got all 3 in the boat and had the 4th rod fire just as I was getting the hook out of the last fish...

Snubbers on wire- most definitely- right behind the dipsy in front of your leader (recommend the 8-9" ones).

I had 2 hits this year that were so hard they snapped the leader (50lb flouro..) even with the snubber on there.

We destroyed 2 snubbers on our annual trip to Oswego this year- but we got both fish in.

The other thing - have someone show you the rubber band trick for wire.

You loop the elastic around the wire and then hook the other part of the elastic around your reel handle. Then turn your drag down so it is almost free spooling. When a big one hits- it snaps the elastic band and then allows the fish to run (nothing better than hearing the drag on an Okuma screaming). Lose a lot less gear and fish that way. It gives you a chance at getting the rod out of the holder too. One of our bud's showed us that trick one time and we have had a lot less misses on the wire since.

-Eric