Well the new rod and reel is 3 for 3 on trips made and not getting skunked. I was able to catch a chinook yesterday and it was the only legal fish we boated. Yesterday was one of those days when you question if the old saying of the worse day of fishing is better than the best day at work. We worked for that one fish. We put on some miles starting out of Shilshole and headed to point no point and fished pilot to skunk. Lots of bait and markers just no bites. After a few hours and shakers we pulled up and headed south to apple tree, the salad bar was open and we were cleaning off slop, dogfish, rockfish and shakers. We decided to pull up and get out of the mess and headed to a place where the crowds weren’t fishing. Did a quick recon and bait and markers started to light the screen. We quickly drop our lines and my dad’s poll starts to dance, it was an under sized chinook. I get that fished released and get his rod back down and mine pops off the rigger. I reel down and set the hook and it’s go time! I get the fish to the boat and in the net, then checked the adi and it’s a hatchery. I was thinking to myself this looks to be right at legal limit so the tape comes out and it reads 24” and the fish goes in the boat the boat at 10:30 am. We fished until 7:20 pm and nothing but shakers after that.
The keeper bit on a hoochie behind a green/red flasher with 38” leader, 15’ set back 160 on the wire.