DizzyDigger
Gold Member
- Dec 9, 2012
- 5,950
- 11,786
- Detector(s) used
- Nokta FoRs Gold, a Gold Cube, 2 Keene Sluices and Lord only knows how many pans....not to mention a load of other gear my wife still doesn't know about!
- Primary Interest:
- Prospecting
Last Sunday was one of those rare Fall days..clear skies and warm, but the air still had that crisp smell to it. The river was clear, low and absolutely a gorgeous green color.
Even though the Skagit River runs through my backyard, I hadn't been down fishing in almost 10 years. Meniere's disease took my balance, and walking along a very rocky beach was just asking for trouble, so I quit going.
Sunday, a couple of friends were fishing, and I decided it was long past time for me to get back to something I love......catching salmon! Being an odd year, we have a Pink Salmon run that arrives in Sept., and then the Coho start showing up in Mid-Sept. through Oct.
Had my favorite rod, a 10' Lami with a well seasoned Curado reel....and found I hadn't lost a thing in my casting skill..not a single backlash.
Carefully hiked my way over to my favorite spot..it's produced hundreds of salmon in past years, and made a few casts before hooking up on the first fish of the day, which turned out to be a Pink, also known as a "Humpy", as the males grow a big 'ol hump on their backs during spawning.
A large percentage of the Pink's had already spawned and died, but this one was still in decent shape. Pink salmon is what you generally get when you buy canned salmon. They aren't the best when baked or smoked, so this fellow got sent back to the river in order to finish his journey.
Moved upriver about 50 yds. and started working another spot that has produced well, and a few minutes later I hooked up on my first Coho (aka: Silver) salmon of the year. There is a huge difference in the amount of fight in a Coho vs. a Pink...and this one made me work a bit to get her to the bank. Still bright, shiny and fat....
After, I just found myself a comfy boulder to sit on and simply enjoyed the afternoon. Days like this can be rare here, so I just sat back and soaked it all in. And yes, I need to spend more time in my backyard.
The Coho came from right behind that big boulder...shot looking upriver. The following pic is looking downriver.
An old fishing guide showed me the absolute best way to bake Coho..and the recipe calls for mayo, brown sugar and a few simple spices. Yep...that's tomorrow nights dinner...
Even though the Skagit River runs through my backyard, I hadn't been down fishing in almost 10 years. Meniere's disease took my balance, and walking along a very rocky beach was just asking for trouble, so I quit going.
Sunday, a couple of friends were fishing, and I decided it was long past time for me to get back to something I love......catching salmon! Being an odd year, we have a Pink Salmon run that arrives in Sept., and then the Coho start showing up in Mid-Sept. through Oct.
Had my favorite rod, a 10' Lami with a well seasoned Curado reel....and found I hadn't lost a thing in my casting skill..not a single backlash.
Carefully hiked my way over to my favorite spot..it's produced hundreds of salmon in past years, and made a few casts before hooking up on the first fish of the day, which turned out to be a Pink, also known as a "Humpy", as the males grow a big 'ol hump on their backs during spawning.
A large percentage of the Pink's had already spawned and died, but this one was still in decent shape. Pink salmon is what you generally get when you buy canned salmon. They aren't the best when baked or smoked, so this fellow got sent back to the river in order to finish his journey.
Moved upriver about 50 yds. and started working another spot that has produced well, and a few minutes later I hooked up on my first Coho (aka: Silver) salmon of the year. There is a huge difference in the amount of fight in a Coho vs. a Pink...and this one made me work a bit to get her to the bank. Still bright, shiny and fat....
After, I just found myself a comfy boulder to sit on and simply enjoyed the afternoon. Days like this can be rare here, so I just sat back and soaked it all in. And yes, I need to spend more time in my backyard.
The Coho came from right behind that big boulder...shot looking upriver. The following pic is looking downriver.
An old fishing guide showed me the absolute best way to bake Coho..and the recipe calls for mayo, brown sugar and a few simple spices. Yep...that's tomorrow nights dinner...
