Got Eggs?

As salmon make their way up river, my bait of choice tends to evolve.  In my first post this year, I shared my stuffing of one of the freezers in my garage with 420 herring, the bait of choice closer to the ocean.  Somewhere, someplace, there is a brilliant fisherman that figured out that for whatever reason, salmon also like to eat the eggs of their own kind; in a cannibalistic kind of way.

6lb. of fresh, uncured salmon roe (eggs)

The tactic using eggs is to simply hide a hook in a cluster of eggs.  Naturally, when eggs are extracted from a female / hen salmon, they are connected by a membrane in long skeins (2 per fish).  While a fisherman could cut off a cluster of eggs and fish them fresh, they're extremely fragile and wouldn't last long in the water as well as the refrigerator/freezer.  Insert, an endless opportunity to cure and toughen the eggs with various color and scent combinations.  

The end product, a variety of cured roe in 3 colors; Orange, Red, & Pink

As we move into October, I'll be making my way up to the Hanford Reach along with the end of the Columbia River salmon run.  As I make preparations and count down the days, I wanted to include a picture of fun to fight fish from 2010.

Roe with a little something extra

This up-river salmon caught on a cluster of eggs similar to the above

Work & Fishing Do Mix

In 2011, I said the term "A bad day fishing is still better than any good day working" far more often than I'd like.  It's just not something someone would say when the fishing is good.  Interestingly, never did I think I'd ever be able to say that I had a good day working while fishing.  

My Favorite Simon Wobbler

I'll spare the details, but work has been very busy lately.  All week, the need to put some office time in over the weekend was clear.  September is the heart of the fall run and I couldn't stand the thought of sitting at a desk on a hot weekend day when I should be fishing... I got creative and took the office to the river Saturday.  Up river from the Buoy 10 area in the fall, the common approach to salmon fishing is to find a good spot and anchor up (sit on the hook).

My office for the morning, working hard on the hook

Within just a few seconds of snapping the above picture, my rod folded over with the tip just a few inches off the water.... it wasn't even 7am yet.  After a 22 minute fight, I landed a nice 20 to 25lb Columbia River Chinook Salmon (my scale was wigging out). 

After only a couple hours "working on the river", I pulled my anchor and was headed back to the dock.  It's a great feeling pulling into the dock with fish while other boats are still launching for the day.  

Family Traditions

Henry David Thoreau once wrote "Many men go fishing all of their lives without knowing that it's not fish they are after".  I have a vivid memory of the college literature class where I first read that quote.  Likewise, I can clearly remember my initial thought that  Mr. Thoreau was a nut.  Why would someone fish if it wasn't about man attempting to bonk as many fish as possible in one lifetime?  It wasn't until 10 years later, when I spent a full week chasing trout and bass on a small lake in northeastern WA with family, that I finally connected the dots on what that quote was getting at.

This past August marked our 5th annual trip up to that special lake where I've had unforgettable times with a variety of family and friends.  Each year brings it's own unique and special moments that will be more memorable than the size or number of fish caught.  Don't let me lead you astray, we've got game and catch a boat load each year, guaranteed.  However, 2011 will be most memorable for the first year I was able to share the experience with two sons.

For those less inclined to relate to Henry David Thoreau, give this song a try (youtube) - "This memory's a big'in and he thinks we're just fishing"

Big G with breakfast

Papa D and Little G

Last year, fishing was lights out!  It didn't matter what you tied to the end of a line, catching fish was guaranteed which set expectations fairly high for this year.  Consistent with the rest of my 2011 fishing efforts to-date, the fish didn't come easy.  We had to put some time in and figure out the details; keying in on the perfect depth, speed, and color.  Once dialed in, we were able to consistently hook into carry over fish in the 18" range.

This string of 4 fish weighed in at 6lbs.  Most fish we tossed back in hopes they grow for next year.  However, our cabin neighbor had a brand new smoker and was having a tough time catching fish to fill it...so, a donation was proudly made.

Redneck Yacht Club!!