My wife and I are heading to Neah the first week of July. Hopefully it will be the first of several trips. I only bothered with 2 weeks out there last year because of the lack of salmon.
What are the odds that the salmon action will be back this year?
I don't know anything first hand but from what I can assimilate...early indications were grim - looked like another year like the last. More recent indications and ocean temps seem to indicate that it may be decent out in the mouth of the strait.
We'll find out what's going on first hand in a week. Bottom fish are a non-trivial bonus prize if the salmon action is slow. Hopefully conditions will allow us to run down the coast for them and also out to Swiftsure to look for salmon.
I'm all gassed up and ready to go. Today they have a Gale warning out for the Straits and it looks like it will be Westerlie for at least the next few days.
I hear through the grapevine that the Cowboy trollers are (were) having a pretty slow time of it trying to catch there King Salmon number for the last few weeks.
Like Tony I am optomistic but I am expecting the numbers to reflect the sorry conditions that were present the last spring and Fall to have an ill effect on the Coho. But if they all show up to feed right on our doorstep .
While in town recently I ran into Nate Mantua downtown. I wonder if he's got any information on what they are seeing for health of the coho population this year.
My wife and I fished out of Neah for 3-7 July. We found a few salmon but it was very slim pickings. About the same as last year at this time and infinitely fewer fish than 2 and 3 years ago.
Part of the issue probably related to the incredibly small tide changes. The lack of currents seem to make it harder to locate salmon. We didn't see much to speak of out at Swiftsure either. We did a lot of running around (~50-60 miles each day) and we did not 1 time see any salmon on the surface. It is normal to see that fairly frequently along with birds etc. We did see a number of active bait balls that were herded up by diving ducks so it seems like the bait situation is better than last year.
Still, relatively few salmon at the docks and according to the fish counters. We spent much of our time playing with Lings down the coast.
We also didn't encounter a single other flyfisher this year. Last year there were a bunch of us fly jokers out there over the 4th.
I intend to return in a couple weeks. I'm somehow encouraged about the salmon. Probably because of all the bait we saw.
Hey Tony thanks for the report the King Salmon supply in Area 6 is pretty skinny but probably near normal for this time of year as of late. People who are persistant are getting the odd one Trolling and Mooching. (lots of Westerly here abouts)
Hey Tony, We messed around with incidental Lings last year but couldn't hold them with either leader strength or maybe even rod strength. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
On the Salmon front. i will be on station at the end of the month so hope to see you there. NZ Bum
Your PM box is full. I cannot respond to your message.
-t
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
Fly Fishing Forum
163.8K posts
38.8K members
Since 2000
A forum community dedicated to fly fishing and sporting enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about safety, licenses, tips, tricks, rivers, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!