2018 Area 9 and 10 Summer Kings

[Stein]

Here is a question, when you guys say "tide change", are you talking about low tide or when the current is slack?  Today, Kingston/Jeff Head was about 7:53 for low tide and 9:47 for slack current, which is almost two hours later.  I tend to look at current more than the tide heights as I think this is what impacts the bait and fish, but I'm wondering what you guys think.

For current, I pull all my times from DeepZoom or off the Lowrance.

[CP]

It's all about the current - ebb to flood or vise-versa.  Often there is no real "slack", just a current seam traveling across the water and when you pass it or it passes you the current is running the other way. 

But when the current direction changes, the fishing almost always changes.

[blackpowderhunter]

Where are the larger fish?

There’s at least one good sized one swimming around out there.  He has a white lightning Coho Killer stuck in his jaw.  If you happen upon him I’d like my spoon back.

might be the same one that took my purple spoon last night! best take down of the night and it was peelin some line, then SNAP goes the leader. 

[WAcoueshunter]

Most of ours have been 8 - 12.  We got two that were bigger, but both came after we had bonked our kings for the day and got a free pass.  Here's the biggest one, he was probably in the 20 range.  That's a 4" spoon hanging out of his mouth for reference. 

[blackpowderhunter]

Most of ours have been 8 - 12.  We got two that were bigger, but both came after we had bonked our kings for the day and got a free pass.  Here's the biggest one, he was probably in the 20 range.  That's a 4" spoon hanging out of his mouth for reference.

id love to find that one out there 

[SeaRun1]

Yep me too.  I have hooked a few that I think were bigger but not sure, felt like it.  I will gladly return the spoon to catch a bigger one!

SR1

[CP]

If you really want a big one you are probably going have to toss back a few 8-15 lbers.

That's a hard thing to do when you consider the value of the fish in hand: 


https://www.pikeplacefish.com/collections/salmon/salmon-chinook.html 

[WAcoueshunter]

If you really want a big one you are probably going have to toss back a few 8-15 lbers.

That's a hard thing to do when you consider the value of the fish in hand: 


https://www.pikeplacefish.com/collections/salmon/salmon-chinook.html 

Yup, and I can’t do it! I can let the 22-24” fish go, but am gonna bonk pretty much any Puget Sound fish over that. Last week that worked against me, but fishing the last couple weeks is definitely not the norm.

[SeaRun1]

Notice how the “wild” fish in the picture is missing an adipose fin?  I wonder if your average Washingtonian knows the differences in our salmon, where they come from and the politics behind them.

SR1

[Stein]

Notice how the “wild” fish in the picture is missing an adipose fin?  I wonder if your average Washingtonian knows the differences in our salmon, where they come from and the politics behind them.

SR1

I think they are referring to "wild" as in "from the ocean free swimming" vs. the farmed fish from Costco that swim in a pen someplace and are fed pellets.

Even using the WDFW definition, fish with an adipose aren't necessarily "wild", they just aren't hatchery for sure.  Some fish make it through the machine without getting marked, some hatchery fish breed in the wild and some native hatcheries don't mark fish at all.

[CP]

This might be the best batch yet:

 

[blackpowderhunter]

This might be the best batch yet:

 

recipe?

[SeaRun1]

That looks really good!

SR1

[CP]

This might be the best batch yet:

 

recipe?

Dry rub:
4 cups brown sugar
1 cup sea salt
Dash of cayenne pepper
Tbsp. of ground cloves

Cover salmon with the rub then into zip lock bags – force out as much air as possible. 
Into the fridge for about 14 hours, turn the bags over every now and then.
Rinse, then on to drying racks – back in the fridge over night
Smoke with alder chunks

[WSU]

I do the same but substitute fresh coarse ground black pepper (from a pepper mill) sometimes.