Where to go, landlocked newbie salmon fisher

[7mmfan]

Got my first salmon today, out of Bush Point. Thanks everyone for the advice!

Was my second trip out. First trip was to Carkeek Park, which...yeah, I'm not going back there. Not a fishing friendly spot, though if there weren't a billion people crammed on the beach it looks like it would produce fish. And maybe if you showed up at dawn you could do some good, but no way late in the day like I tried.

The second spot, Bush Point, was packed with fishermen every few feet for as far as I could see. Had a bit of a spat with the guy to my right who kept casting so far to the left that he was crossing the lines of three or four people at once. All I said was that we were going to get tangled if he kept casting that way, he and his buddies acted like I'd slapped him and started whispering and pointing at me ("Did he say something to you? I'm going to say something to him, that's messed up..."), but I just ignored them and kept fishing.

I got there about an hour before high tide, and the bite seemed to be pretty strong. Passed three or four people in the parking lot who had limits, and one guy on the beach said he'd caught and released three silvers. Pretty much everyone was using a 2" pink rotator or buzz bomb, mostly without a hoochie. I started off with a 2" pink rotator and matching hoochie, but after about half an hour or so I switched over to a 3" pink and white UV buzz bomb with a hot pink hoochie to stand out a bit from the crowd. I've got some coon shrimp I meant to tip the hook with (1/0 sickle siwash), but I forgot them at home. Oh well, next time.

Left after just the one salmon. I was going to try to limit out, and maybe hand the rod off to my wife so she could get a limit too (yes, she's licensed), but my back was sore and I was annoyed at the people next to me so I decided to end it on a high note and take my prize home.

Thanks again, everyone!



Didn't weigh or measure, but it was just about the same length as my 18" cutting board.

Excellent! I bet that first one tasted great on the bbq!

[OCFish]

<snip>

Excellent! I bet that first one tasted great on the bbq!

I baked the first fillet as soon as I had it cleaned. Used a recipe I saw attributed to Pioneer Woman, where you stick it in a cold oven, set it to 400F, bake for 25 minutes. Should have used more salt, but otherwise it was excellent.

The rest is either going to be fish tacos tonight, or if I can get around to cleaning the smoker...

[Alchase]

<snip>

Excellent! I bet that first one tasted great on the bbq!

I baked the first fillet as soon as I had it cleaned. Used a recipe I saw attributed to Pioneer Woman, where you stick it in a cold oven, set it to 400F, bake for 25 minutes. Should have used more salt, but otherwise it was excellent.

The rest is either going to be fish tacos tonight, or if I can get around to cleaning the smoker...

He said cleaning his smoker! 

 

[7mmfan]

<snip>

Excellent! I bet that first one tasted great on the bbq!

I baked the first fillet as soon as I had it cleaned. Used a recipe I saw attributed to Pioneer Woman, where you stick it in a cold oven, set it to 400F, bake for 25 minutes. Should have used more salt, but otherwise it was excellent.

The rest is either going to be fish tacos tonight, or if I can get around to cleaning the smoker...

Salmon filets definitely need a fair amount of salt. My favorite extremely easy salmon recipe is to coat with a little olive oil or avocado oil and then season liberally with Johnny's Seafood seasoning. It's fantastic. I cook my salmon hot and fast, 500 degree oven for about 8-10 minutes depending on thickness of filet. I want it rare-medium rare in the middle. I use a meat thermometer to check it and pull when it is at 120 degrees internal.

[bracer40]

For those without a thermometer, a good rule of thumb is 10 minutes per inch of thickness when broiling or baking at 400-450 degrees..

[Alchase]

One of our family favorite salmon recipes, make a boat out of thick aluminum foil. Place salmon fillet in boat, pour a bottle of Gerard’s Italian Dressing over the fillet. And a sliced up cube of butter and sliced portobello mushrooms and spread all over the fillet. And place on grill/smoker until done.
My family would take Hawaiian rolls, and dip them into the marinade and eat them as an appetizer!
Seriously it is that good!
 

[OCFish]

I just wanted to say thanks one more time to everybody, but most especially h20hunter, who very graciously offered to take me out on his boat to slay some pinks. The day started off rough, not just the heavy chop this morning but also I went to the wrong boat launch. Easy to mistake Mukilteo and Everett, the spelling is just so similar.

The bite was slow at first, but picked up once the tide changed. We hooked five and landed three (all trolling), including one that I very nearly fed into the prop (oops again). All in all, I had a fantastic time, and went home with a cooler full of fish and some red rock crabs for the wife.

So with that final thanks, I think I should probably just let this thread die. It's served its purpose very well, no need to turn it into The Ongoing Exploits of OCFish.

[Alchase]

Awesome!
Sounds like a great day on the water!

[paguy]

Much respect for H2Ohunter, This is great. Pay it forward and take a kid fishing.

[OCFish]

Much respect for H2Ohunter, This is great. Pay it forward and take a kid fishing.

100%.