Help me catch a chum salmon

[Parasite]

I've caught Atlantic salmon, and all Pacific salmon except for chum. I'd like to scratch that one off the list this fall. Any help? I don't want to mess around with my kayak at Hoodsport. I just want to catch one, and that's it. And fair chase of course, no lining ... Any rivers you'd recommend? I'd like to wade and cast hardware.

[Platensek-po]

You will have way better luck fishing the salt.

[PolarBear]

Kennedy Creek in Mason County.  Anything green or purple.  Grew up out there catching them to get eggs for winter steelhead. The carcasses got tilled into the garden

[scotsman]

Check the regs. All of the west side of Puget sound south of the Tacoma Narrows has been closed for emergency shortage of chum salmon. Closure starts November 12 so you have a couple of days to get out there.

[Parasite]

Where'd you see that? I did not see that on the emergency closures?

Check the regs. All of the west side of Puget sound south of the Tacoma Narrows has been closed for emergency shortage of chum salmon. Closure starts November 12 so you have a couple of days to get out there.

[npaull]

https://fortress.wa.gov/dfw/erules/efishrules/erule.jsp?id=2432

[grade-creek-rd]

go to the Satsop, (east fork "S" curves...park just before Decker Creek and walk down the well-worn trail)

Gear: 8 1/2 foot to 10 1/2 foot spinning rod, spinning reel with 40# braid (or stronger, I like #50), a slip float (1 ounce or up to a 3 ounce), swivel, (tie to the eyed ends, use the snap to add a weight for casting and getting your jig down fast), 18-24 inches of leader at #20 pound monofilment to a 1/4 ounce bright colored jig (cerise, chartruese are their favs) such as a Yakima Bait Company Maxi-Jig (Calypso is a great color). a piece of raw prawn...I buy four or five of the larger count (24 to the pound) ones, less than $3 in bait for the day...just a small chunk about the size of your thumbnail.

Guys there also "drift fish" the hole but they mostly line the fish...

Cast it out, let it drift, when the float/bobber goes down, set the hook!

Good Luck!

Grade

[7mmfan]

go to the Satsop, (east fork "S" curves...park just before Decker Creek and walk down the well-worn trail)

Gear: 8 1/2 foot to 10 1/2 foot spinning rod, spinning reel with 40# braid (or stronger, I like #50), a slip float (1 ounce or up to a 3 ounce), swivel, (tie to the eyed ends, use the snap to add a weight for casting and getting your jig down fast), 18-24 inches of leader at #20 pound monofilment to a 1/4 ounce bright colored jig (cerise, chartruese are their favs) such as a Yakima Bait Company Maxi-Jig (Calypso is a great color). a piece of raw prawn...I buy four or five of the larger count (24 to the pound) ones, less than $3 in bait for the day...just a small chunk about the size of your thumbnail.

Guys there also "drift fish" the hole but they mostly line the fish...

Cast it out, let it drift, when the float/bobber goes down, set the hook!

Good Luck!

Grade

That's basically it. The Wynoochee should have a fair number in it as well. The run at Black Creek always used to be a good spot to find a couple.

[baker5150]

We used to slay the Chum on the Vedder River up in BC

[7mmfan]

We used to slay the Chum on the Vedder River up in BC

I used to slay them in every PS river. Snohomish, Sky, Stilly, Skagit, Samish, etc....... and not that long ago either. 15 years ago it was a no brainer to float the Sky or Skagit and hook literally as many as you wanted. 50+ without thinking about it. Can be a real struggle now. Sad. Glad those in Japan are eating all the roe they want.

[Gobble Doc]

We used to slay the Chum on the Vedder River up in BC

I used to slay them in every PS river. Snohomish, Sky, Stilly, Skagit, Samish, etc....... and not that long ago either. 15 years ago it was a no brainer to float the Sky or Skagit and hook literally as many as you wanted. 50+ without thinking about it. Can be a real struggle now. Sad. Glad those in Japan are eating all the roe they want.

I remember this too. Looked forward to it every November. I’ve wondered if there are any chum left still going up the skagit and stilly.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[j_h_nimrod]

Cook Creek off the Quinault, almost done for the year but some still around

[scotsman]

Any word if there are any at Hoodsport? All our usual local South Sound rivers are shut down and granddaughter wants me to help  her catch a Sammy. - any Sammy.

[actionshooter]

go to the Satsop, (east fork "S" curves...park just before Decker Creek and walk down the well-worn trail)

Gear: 8 1/2 foot to 10 1/2 foot spinning rod, spinning reel with 40# braid (or stronger, I like #50), a slip float (1 ounce or up to a 3 ounce), swivel, (tie to the eyed ends, use the snap to add a weight for casting and getting your jig down fast), 18-24 inches of leader at #20 pound monofilment to a 1/4 ounce bright colored jig (cerise, chartruese are their favs) such as a Yakima Bait Company Maxi-Jig (Calypso is a great color). a piece of raw prawn...I buy four or five of the larger count (24 to the pound) ones, less than $3 in bait for the day...just a small chunk about the size of your thumbnail.

Guys there also "drift fish" the hole but they mostly line the fish...

Cast it out, let it drift, when the float/bobber goes down, set the hook!

Good Luck!

Grade

This brings back some memories for sure... used to catch 30-40 a day there when I was in my teens and 20s... got burned out on the crowds... If hey are there, it should be toward the end of the run.

[Parasite]

Thanks guys. I was going to hit the Satsop but I was too busy preparing for my whitetail trip. I'm headed to Illinois for 5 days to hunt and I'm at the airport right now. Maybe there will be some chum around when I get back on Monday night.

[boneaddict]

We used to slay the Chum on the Vedder River up in BC

One of my favorites!


One of the reasons it’s good is because coho and kings are in the river as well.  The Canadians are all after them.  The chum hang in different water.  The Canadians will all look at you like you have lost your mind.    Whereas in Washington it’s often shoulder to shoulder .   
It’s a little late for the Vedder I think.  I used to target it closer to mid October.   

Wallace creek on the sky is a good spot through Thanksgiving.

I have no idea about closures etc.

[baker5150]

We used to slay the Chum on the Vedder River up in BC

One of my favorites!


One of the reasons it’s good is because coho and kings are in the river as well.  The Canadians are all after them.  The chum hang in different water.  The Canadians will all look at you like you have lost your mind.    Whereas in Washington it’s often shoulder to shoulder .   
It’s a little late for the Vedder I think.  I used to target it closer to mid October.   

Wallace creek on the sky is a good spot through Thanksgiving.

I have no idea about closures etc.

We'd be up there Sept thru Mid November, with the best usually late Sept into Oct.
We would target Kings, but the chum were so thick I could never help myself. 

[boneaddict]

Kings are nice to put into the freezer, but pound for pound if you like fighting fish.  Its just plain FUN on a flyrod.  Ive snapped two rods on them. LOL    not funny at the time but

[Birdguy]

Minter Creek has met escapement numbers and has reopened for Chum fishing per the email I got from WDFW. Will almost certainly be combat fishing but early and late could help you find your bucket fish!

[AL WORRELLS KID]

No Good to Eat?     
Why some of my Best Friend's who live right on the river, swear they would much rather, "Eat Them, than Fight Them!" 
Doug



TILLAMOOK, Ore. – Chum salmon, long considered to be almost extinct on the Oregon side of the lower Columbia River, might again return to its tributaries if a cooperative effort of the Oregon and Washington departments of fish and wildlife proves successful.

The first week of April, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) released 106,000 juvenile chum salmon into lower Big Creek in the first phase of project attempting to re-establish the species, which began to disappear from the Oregon side of the river more than 50 years ago. 
The approximately 50 adult chum salmon male and female pairs used to produce the 2½ -inch fry at ODFW’s Big Creek Fish Hatchery were donated to Oregon by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW).