I'm going out Thursday a.m. launching at Snyder St. and running up. Catch a couple limits of chinook and home by noon. Open seat available to the first one to reply.

If I didnt have to work I would be all over it. Sorry maybe some other time, Dev88T

Will have to watch you go past my office Good luck!

Well, it was a pleasant day on the water, but didn't touch a fish--except maybe one. One of the lines went uphill at one point and got wrapped around the downrigger cable. Could have been my own crackering somehow, but it mighta been a fish. All in all, it was a fun day.

Today was pretty tough as well. We finally managed to get two in the box, one 22 lbs and mine was 34 lbs, but we worked at it until 3pm. The fog in the morning was kind of a pain.

We actually had another lost at the boat, and two other drivebys, so we coulda-shoulda had a pretty good tally. Oddly all five hits were on mag warts today, despite running a mixed bag of kwiks, eggs, herring and M2SPs. Of course by the end of the day all four of us had mag warts on!

You ever get skunked Starfish? Good job on the fish. Magwarts, eh? I still have zero confidence in plugs as I've yet to score with one (although I did have that drive-by earlier this season on a blaze orange mag). Is there some sort of secret to them or is it really as simple as flatlining 'em 100' behind the boat and backin' 'em down through the hole? I worked long and hard off of Bateman on the 7th but got blanked again. I guess it's probably a little late for the Bateman scene, but I thought I'd practice up on my downrigger and herring drill before hitting the coast next weekend.

Anybody want to go out tomorrow morning or evening? Bateman Island or Yakima?

E-mann wrote:

You ever get skunked Starfish? Good job on the fish. Magwarts, eh? I still have zero confidence in plugs as I've yet to score with one (although I did have that drive-by earlier this season on a blaze orange mag). Is there some sort of secret to them or is it really as simple as flatlining 'em 100' behind the boat and backin' 'em down through the hole? I worked long and hard off of Bateman on the 7th but got blanked again. I guess it's probably a little late for the Bateman scene, but I thought I'd practice up on my downrigger and herring drill before hitting the coast next weekend.

Sadly, yes-- I sure do get skunked now and then! But luckily we dodged the bullet again Saturday and managed two adults and a jack, one adult on a diver/kwik and the others on a pink mag wart.

Essentially it really is as simple as flatlining 60-100' behind the boat. A few tweaks help... like tuning the lure so it dives straight down, washing them occasionally in lemon joy or crest toothpaste to eliminate unfavorable scents, dousing them liberally in Mike's Lunker Lotion or Smelly Jelly, and keeping track of which lures get bit more often and using those ones. Also keep the lures working in and out of current seams or rock ledges, and run them in the right depth of water (typically 15-25'). If you're fishing two people it helps to have both lures the same distance back; sometimes the fish will shy away from one lure and confront the other and get annoyed. If I'm fishing four people I'll run two long and two short to prevent tangles. Probably most important, keep those hooks sharp!

Adipose Soup, I wish I could get out there and fish tomorrow-- dang work gets in the way. I hope you slay 'em!

Starfish, I think that is the most perfect, concise lesson in catching fall chinook on plugs in the Columbia that I've ever seen. I think it applies to Kwikfish as well as Wiggle Warts.

Of course, even knowing that I still can't catch fish. Grrr!