Nehalem Bay Salmon

[Wet_Willy]

Well, it sure seems a little slow in Nehalem Bay. Fished Sat and Sun with only one pull down that got spit out in under a minute. Harvey with 'Rip some Lips' got two for his boat of 7 rods and Dennis the 'Salmon Master' was able to fool one for his clients. Saw one other salmon caught in front of the Wheeler dock that might have gone 20-25#.

A question for those of you that might know, how do you fish a cut plug herring against the tide? I am most comfortable trolling with the out/in going tide as I can get that "death roll" from my herring. Harvey and Dennis were trolling against the tide and hit their salmon that way. My herring just start spinning way too fast (at least I think they are). Anybody have a solution? I know that Dennis and Harvey do...

Thanks,
WW

[Gone Fishin]

Don't be fooled by the roll...Salmon prefer the "flash" of the plug-cut herring. I always rig mine the same way, and if I see some consistancy in the direction (to which the current is flowing) with a bite happening, chances are I'm going to be going that direction also. Just my way, that works for me. There are A BUNCH of ways to rig a herring, it could drive ya nuts, and it does...just use the method that works best for you. http://www.ifish.net/forum/images/graemlins/smile.gif Good Luck !

[HOGTIDE]

W-W,
To slow down a fast spinning cut bait adjust the top hook. Looking straight down the baits throat (as if it still had a head) picture the vertabrae as the center of a clock. Move your upper hook closer to 12 and the bait slows down. Closer to 3(the short side of the bevel) and it speeds up.The depth of your hook insertion also matters. The deeper in- the slower the roll. The shallower the hook- the quicker the rotation. 2 o'clock is a standard chinook salmon spin. I usually fish 3 o'clock , a fast spin coho style, just cause I like it...works great for springers. However, the exception ,for me, is Tilla-bay. Strangely it seems, often, that no spin, a bad bait works best there. Ive had several very good days at the coastguard station with a non-beveled bait that wouldn't spin, but swung a large 2 to 3 ft. circle behind my lead. I never was quite sure if I had really figured it out or I was just catchin dumb fish...or maybe if theyre hungry, they eat anything.
GoodLuck

[MoJet Driver]

To roll or not to roll..

Just a side note, I've watch the locals up at Reserection Bay, AK, hook a whole DEAD herring slightly behind the dorsal and fished 3 feet under a float and catch silvers off the beach. What will they think of next?

[garyk]

Hogtide --

You wrote: Ive had several very good days at the coastguard station with a non-beveled bait that wouldn't spin, but swung a large 2 to 3 ft. circle behind my lead.

At TB and its tidewaters, that's the action I try to get, not a 'spin' but a wide roll. It's really hard to do consistantly. Sometimes I've gotten it to dart as it rolls. The rod tip will really be working - it'll look like I've got some kind of slow quickfish on. And that action is what's taken our fish - even way up the Tillamook River.

[HOGTIDE]

yup...garyk

thats the action thats been lucky for me down there. Last year I tried some lower rogue bait threading and that seemed to produce that wide roll consistantly.Pulled my leader all the way through and out the tail end. Slide a treble into the tailend perfection knot and pull up on the leader. The water pressure is 'centered' on the full face of the threaded cut bait which is being held by the treble, not the top hook. If the resistance of the bait is being held by the top hook it spins, held by the back treble it rolls. My gosh...isn't this more than anyone ever wanted to say or hear about a slimey bait! But I think it may be the answer to Wet Willies question about trolling against the tide while keeping a productive bait.

[garyk]

HOGTIDE WROTE -- "My gosh...isn't this more than anyone ever wanted to say or hear about a slimey bait!"

No, no, HOGTIDE - post more! You sound like a genius. You should be teaching a graduate level course. Something like #527 - "Mechanical Physics and the Art of Rigging Herring".

So I follow your Rogue River rigging description and have 3 questions:

1. Are you still beveling the face (plug cutting) or using the whole, intact herring?

2. Is there an upper hook and how do you attach it if the leader is threaded inside and down the length of the herring.

3. What size is the posterior treble hook?

4. Are you injecting any scents?

[HOGTIDE]

garyk

I do use cut bait , but only with a minimal bevel back to belly and side to side. The top hook is inserted at 12 o'clock. But the key is that the top hook does NOT hold the weight of the bait against the current. The leader should be a tight line all the way down to the treble. The top hook is inserted and then slid down toward the tail, leaving it loose, the centered, threaded leader being the axis for the roll, the treble bearing the pressure. I use a relatively small treble, #2 cone cut, because the fine wire hook seems to be extra sticky and also has minimum interference with the roll of the bait. No, I don't use scent injection, even though Gilly (he doesn't like Tillamook anymore)and the crew swear by it. I'm quite sure it helps/doesn't hurt, but i just don't want to mess with it. I think the herring may already milk a pretty good smell to those hungry tyee.

Good Luck!