PNW Offshore

Spent Saturday on the coast. The plan was to check out the Canadian offshore waters for coho. Crashed in the 16' Arima at the dock and headed out at 5am. Arrived out on the bank to humpback whales and loads of birds feasting on the bait out there (mostly krill). Saw a few fast moving pods of boiling salmon on the surface but couldn't get them to take the fly although I had one boil behind a slider. Moved up to a tide rip where some gulls were diving instead of sitting and pecking at the krill elsewhere so I stopped above the rip and let the clouser sink as I drifted into it. Second cast came tight to the first salmon of the year, a 4 pound wild coho.

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...psdf8aad20.jpg

Fished the bank hard for a few more hours. Couldn't seem to figure out exactly what they wanted besides that it was small and they get friggin' picky when they're on krill. Had one other boil on a gurgler and decided to head back in. The wind died and the sun came out. Got back towards land and decided to swing into a spot that is occasionally good for finding black rockfish on the surface. In my years of guiding out there I had never seen anything quite like this. Huge areas of rockfish boiling on crab larvae or juvenile jellies.

https://vimeo.com/67548697

Hopefully we get some more light winds and low swells and I can get back offshore and find some more salmon.

This thread is gonna make my mouth water.

Hey Chris hope the Coho show up for ya this year. You going out of Neah I presume? Would sure like to connect and fish with ya sometime. Have not had an ocean coho fly grab since I fished with ya back in Neah Bay years ago. Jack

nice! getting me stoked for a trip i have planned out to Neah late July.

You've got the same boat I'd like to pick up one day.

Saw that same bubbling rockfish insanity at Neah a few weeks back. My mind was set on a hali out of the yak (didn't happen, one takedown but didn't stick) but was INSANE seeing the rockfish going apeshit on the surface like that. Looked like crab larvae that was causing the frenzy.

headed back out offshore sunday and monday. sunday was tough but monday was coho city. great last trip before moving to FL

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...ps13a768bf.jpg

http://i272.photobucket.com/albums/j...ps5ca33477.jpg

You sell the Arima or taking it with you?

Rock fish on the top is on my bucket list, that vid was awesome. I have been to Neah bay twice and found no surface love.

selling the arima... trying to figure out how to sell it at the last possible moment.:)

here's a video of monday's fishing.

https://vimeo.com/68759780

jack,

yeh, fishing out of neah bay. not guiding any more. the last trip was good, but nothing tops a few of the days we had out there. i remember that 2 hour drift where the wind and current kept us from drifting away from fish and it was coho mayhem without ever having to reset the boat.

house has sold, so not sure if i'll be able to get back out there with locked in work days plus running to FL mid-month. plus having a 16' boat i gotta really hit the good weather windows... although once US salmon opens i'll be able to fish closer in at the whistle buoy.