onlyflyfish4vr

Finally a break in the waves. 3 hr. mid day troll working depths from 6' to 30'. Started with a double in 25 fow. Lost fish on orange j-11 Rapala and board. landed an over 30" (pike skinny) Laker on Craigs SH spoon 100' back on DR 15 down. Lost 2 other ??? (seemed like SH) on flatlines. 1 orange/black ladder back Silver Horde, and a Wonderbread Bomber. Went shallow to end day. While pulling lines, had DR set 5 ft. down and pulled line to have 5 lb. Brown grab it. Nice day, especially considering it's less than 2 weeks from Christmas.

Thanks Kevin for the info. That's the water we target also this time of year, unless it's too dirty.

Nice job getting out and the catch. I was hoping to, but couldn't. Hoping to a few more times if the waves allow and before the launches ice in. How deep of water were you working.

Finally got out after 3 weeks of wind. Coffee w/ cream water with less than a foot visibility changed the shallow water starting plan. Ran out to look for clean water and found it at 130. Worked out to 180 without any action on graph or rigs ( Downriggers, half core, dipsey, 2 and 3 color). Fished back and picked up laker on half core/DOC in 120. Picked up rods, and ran in and started trolling 30 to 12 FOW. Picked up 2 steelhead, 1 throwback on orange J-11 flatlined 200' back, and had another screamer come unbuttoned before we could get rod. All fish came on same rod. Nice to get out finally !

Port Sheldons are out. Fished there today.

Thanks again for the report. My partner bailed this afternoon, so I just wished.... sounds like your spoons were HOT tonight !

Agree with above. Last Sat. we went 10-14. I usually start a little North, Off the stack, at around 190 work out to 230'ish. Fish steelhead 5 color, and higher lines w/ SS DOC, spoons off boards. 225' and 300' copper pulling glow spoon, and plug. Dipseys deep w/ flasher flies, and riggers running spoons deep.

Braid dipsey's set on 2 back 175-200 took 5, 2 on downriggers 65-75 down, 1 300 copper, 5 color on 2 of steel. 225 copper and wire diver 125 back took nothing.

7:30 started in 175' after slow ride in the fog. Started at 175' NE troll to 221'. Turned back and worked back to 165'. Ended up 10 for 14 landing 5 kings, 1 coho, 1 laker and 3 steelhead. Lost 3 Steelhead off 5 color, and one ? on dipsey/spinney/fly. All fish hooked in 200-210 fow.

Dipsey/ spinneys in Mt Dew, Blue Bubble w/ matching flies, and Blue dolphin rigger/300 copper took Salmon, Lake trout, and one 12 lb. Steelie. 5 color Hot nose carmel dolphin and SS DOC took 2 steel. DR where set at 65-80.

Long ride in as fog really was thick from 150-beach.

Thanks again Jim,

That was our plan tomorrow am, and you just made it clearer.

Thanks for all the words of experience. Many great words of experience, I like the advice of tight drag for hookset. I have been keeping it light and also letting the fish do the long run. Thinking this may be a key to so many coming off.

What a great forum and fellow fisherman!

Looking if anybody has to help landing ratio improve on braid diver rods. May be missing something, or it's just a few trips of bad luck.

Using 9' 6" TDR rods w/ 27LC reels. Braid divers w/ snubbers 8-10' leader w/ dipsey 2-2.5 setting large rings out 185-225' flasher/fly (Owner hooks). Have batted a measly 20% in the last 3 trips out, Having 18 fish come off. These fish were all hooked and turned (most fought in around 100-150') and came unbuttoned while reeling in. I'm not counting the rips.

1. Drags fairly loose. A couple of fish , the rod handler horsed..

2. Hooks new and sharp

Nice catch. Sounds like you may have been going a bit slow, but nice reward.

It's yours. I won't be out Saturday am. I'll PM you tonight, when I get home from work and figure something out.

Same boat for us. MIA a blue dolphin spoon, and a mt/ dew spinny/pickled sunshine fly...then 5 more came unbuttoned. 2 landed.

4 for 7 fishing in mainly 80-90 fow, slowly picked away, no before light bite. 2 on spinnys and flies (mountain dew, and pickled sunshine). 2 on Magnum Jamacain Sunrise DR at 55 down. Lost mid. 20 lb'er 2 feet from net on Blue Dolphin 90 down. From radio chatter it was tough fishing for some, and cold water was in the bottom 20'.

Found a item Friday around 11 at the base of the Lake Mac photo op sign/hooks. If your'e missing it, identify.

7:30-dark, flat seas. Started south troll 5 miles south working 80-100 fow. 2 for 3, 1 7-8 lb. coho on wire diver 165 back mountain dew spinny and MD fly with 48" lead. 1 shaker released off bloody nose spoon 55 down. Lost 20ish lb. king, back of boat on NBK 65 down. All 3 fish came in 83-84 fow. Washed lures for a while turned north. One rip on Moonshine FP plug at dark, and a 36" king on Jamaican Sunrise, 45 down. 2 coppers and 2 leadcores went untouched all night. A lot of boats and lots fish at cleaning station (some big and nice ones, and some boats had lots and lots of 10-14" ones).

Sailboats under power are considered powerboats. Same rules, white light off stern 135 degree visibility. Anchored, all navigation lights off, white mast light on 2 mile visibility.

The surface temp was back up to around 72. No probe (yet). Someones radio chat said 50 25 down in 80 fow.

Washed lures and had empty graph from 50-130 then back into the 70 range ( changed to glow) as sunset came. Graph started to show bait and fish in 25'-45' down. Ended up with one steelhead off 300 copper and small silver horde glow/gray ladderback. 2 other fish hooked and lost. One off downrigger 45 down w/ glow blue dolphin, and as friend was pulling in 100 color with area 51 fish hit and ended up taking leadcore and board. Another nice night besides the biting flies.

Ran deep past the cold water. Started at 250. SW to 270. 300 copper small pearl J plug gray ladderback took steelhead in 257' and then was taken along with the copper by a "Nice" fish as I unhooked the board (260'). Picked up a small laker 55 down in 263' on rigger/ Flintstone Jamaican Sunrise. On SE troll back in picked up a 8 lb. King on braid diver setting 2, 200 back with 11' pearl/lime paddle and mountain dew fly. Lost 2 fish (good fights, came unbuttoned) on riggers 45 and 60 down on blue dolphin, and ??. One other lost on 225 copper green dolphin. Great morning sunset, and day.

Thanks as always for the detailed report Jim. I should have come out to those depths right away as I planned Sat. am. instead of being a "sheep' and stopping short and fishing with the pack Saturday. Looking forward to your "Area 51" variation.

Sat am late start fished 160-180 with no success. packed up moved to 250-260 and found mix of 6-8 lb. coho, kings, and steelhead. Only had about an hour to fish left... ended with 18 lb. king, 4 coho, 1 10 lb. steel. 45 and 55 downriggers with blueberry muffin and Jagerbomb, 300 copper 3 times with glow blue dolphin.

Back out evening and just couldn't find fish in the same area. Put on glow in 270 at sunset 2 long rips on 225 copper, and full core, 2 downrigger releases 55 down, 65 down. 1 10 and 3 lb. King 225 copper MS bloody nose, 1 drowned shaker on Area 51 braid dipsey 200 back setting 2.

Evening fish started at 200'. Fish lost half way to boat in 204' on full core and MJ spoon. Slow, not much marked all the way out to 245'. Trolled into 230 and put on Jagerbomb, and ? orange/chart. SS spoon .freesliders off 2 riggers at 45, and 55' down. Picked up speed to 4.1 SOG and went 3 for 7, with 2 other DR releases in 40 min. all steelhead, largest about 13 lbs. Other spoons hit were DOC, tequila sunrise and blonde tangerine. all but one hit was on super slim or stinger size spoons.

Great evening, and the sea fleas can go home !