| Date Range: | Topic: |
|
July 17th Report Posted 17 Jul 2010 IN: General BY QCL
The ebb tide continues to produce great salmon action this weekend but as the tide swings moderate we are starting to see the bite carry on throughout the day. Northwest winds have kept most of the fishing effort focused on the the lower west side with Parker Point and Bird Rock turning out considerable numbers of great Chinook salmon in the 25 to 35 pound range. These larger fish are hiding in the kelp during the big floods and choose to go hunting when the current slacks off some. QCL anglers are finding them at depths of 35 to 45 feet and are having good success on weighted rods as well as downriggers. Most guides are sticking with anchovies and teaser heads in purple haze or glow green and using flashers to match. Theyre finding lots of fish with equal numbers of Chinook and Coho in most areas. The Mazzaredo Islands have lit up bigtime this weekend with large numbers of Coho hanging in there, gorging themselves on the abundant Needlefish. It s action central late in the day when many lodge boats choose to stop by on their way home and top up with some great Coho action. Fishing highlights for the weekend saw a nice 45 pounder caught & released by Rachel Schnurr at Parker Point with the guidance of Fishmaster Keith Burdette. Great job & thanks for letting that one go! Some terrific fish were boated today at Bird Rock with a 44 pound trophy for Russ Burmatoff and a 40 pounder for Steve Stonehouse. The thrill of the day definitely came for QCL guest Tim Cross late in the morning at Bird Rock 1. Fishing with guide Mike McLennan they hooked up in about 75 feet of water off the east corner of the rock. The hungry salmon chose to slam a plug-cut herring on their 3rd rod, weighted with the traditional 8 ounces and fishing between the downrigger lines. Taking off on reel-screaming runs 3 or 4 times in the ensuing half hour, the big fish sounded for a good 10 minutes beneath the boat before finally coming alongside and into the net. It took a mighty lift to bring the netted fish into the boat but guide Mike quickly took charge, got a couple of photos and a measurement, and then eased the precious Chinook back into the water for a revival period before it swam out of his hands. Exceptionally deep at 48" length x 32" girth, Tims dream fish scored out to 65.5 pounds, making it the largest salmon of the seasonso far! Fabulous fishing Tim! Thanks for choosing to let that big beauty go - hopefullly it will get all the way back to the river this fall! |
.jpg)
