Early A.M. Dash Point, Washington Report 08-12-07 ? Pink Salmon Time!
I had the opportunity to start off my Pink Salmon fishing season early Saturday morning. I was as excited as I could be to take my nephew and brother-in-law salmon fishing for the first time.
It was overcast when we got there at about 5:45 am and despite the parking lot being nearly full, the dock was not yet at shoulder to shoulder capacity. When we arrived, I heard that the score was 8 for the shore anglers and 0 for the pier folks.
Shortly afterward, a pier angler hooks up with the first fish since I got there and it puts up a good fight. Then, from out of nowhere, a grayish blur of an enormous something comes out from under the dock toward the hooked salmon. My first instinct was shark!! And my heart nearly jumped out through my mouth as the suspense built up. It was only as it neared the surface that all could see it was the fat resident female seal. She non-chalantly mouthed the fish and went on her way with a tasty morsel for breakfast. Then, as if choreographed, many on the dock released their individual ?ahhhs? and ?ohhhhs.?
I will say that for the time we were there, the fishing was slow. In addition, it didn't occur to me as I prepared our two rigs that neither my nephew nor brother-in-law had ever fished with a baitcaster so for them it was going to be trial by fire. I don't have spinning gear for pier use. Fortunately, they learned quickly under my wing with jedi training as "padawan" learners. They each managed only one major bird's nest apiece, which isn't bad or first time users.
Unfortunately for my nephew and B-I-Law, their excitement and enthusiasm dwindled and waned in direct proportion with the wearing out of jigging the heavy buzzbombs. I caught my first pink about an hour into it but by then, they had quit fishing altogether, worn out and cold (they come from a place that is very hot).
So I offered to call it quits and they readily agreed. Yikes! After all the time I spent preparing all the gear... Oh well. At least we got one.
Here is my nephew with grandma and the first pink of the season and hopefully with more fish to come.
Conditions: Gray and overcast about 65 degrees
Gear: 8?6 Okuma Celilo/301A Cardiff with 20# Sufix Siege mono for guests,
8?6? Lamiglas Norwest Special/Curado D with 12# Yozuri Hybrid Fluorcarbon line.
Lures: Pink Buzz Bombs
P.S. I would have preferred to fish for smallies.
