Chum salmon on a fly....change of heart

[Stew]

Please read my latest post on this thread

[Cliff]

are those in washington? i am always looking for new people to fish with!

Cliff

[Stew]

North Oregon coast near Tillamook. The chums are catch and release only and are the best fighting fish I've encountered on a fly. You cannot target them after mid November.
They spawn in the lower river so they are not good table fare even if you could keep them.
I wouldn't recommend using a real expensive rod for these fish.
Hot pink and chartruese seem to be the go to colors for flies for these fish that are agressive biters.

[Mark Vickers]

I'm in. I'll start tying chum candy and/or Kilchis Killers tonight.

[Cliff]

you think a novice like me could catch one? I have an 8wt floating? I can cast well, and catch trout, but never hooked up with a steelie or salmon? Sounds like a lot of fun!

Cliff

[MarlinMark]

I might be in for a half day on the Kilchis. (Too much hunting trips coming up right now.) Post the date and I will try to make it. They are a hoot. I caught one on a floating green corkie once.....

Mark :cheers:

[Ryan Pultz]

I might also be up for it. I will have to see if opening weekend gets me a deer. rp

[SilverFly]

Sounds like fun. Haven't fished Chums in over 10 yrs.

Make it on a Thursday or Friday and I'm in. Or, if there's a lot of people that can't go on a weekday, maybe a few of us could do a "scouting" trip on a Thurs/Fri before hand.

-SF.

[scoutfish]

Set a date a week out an i,ll get a day off!! :dance:
I,m up for this never, caught one an a fly :rolleyes:

[Abalone]

This is the last weekend for archery, If you set a date after that I am game to go.

Sounds like fun. So what fly patterns are required ? I will have to go buy some or something.

Sounds like a lot of fun for my 9 wt.

[AndyK]

Like Stew says above, almost any pattern in hot pink or chartruese will work. Even chartruese yarn on a hook will work! I suggest just tying some yarn egg patterns in those colors.

[TillamookChinook]

I'm in!!
The best day of fishing I have ever had was for chum in Alaska. Everybody there said they were fishing for coho, but the chum outnumbered the coho 50 to 1. When I finally did get a coho it did not fight nearly as hard as the chum.

TC

[Slow and Low]

Seems like the Miami has gotten pretty busy the last several years. Always people kicking fish onto the bank and walking through the reds. Lost of snagging and landing as opposed to breaking them off.
Is the Kilchis a better deal with the limited access? Wouldn't mind hooking up with some folks to float when they get get water.
This year I moved to Washington. I have heard about the Chum carnival and am not interested...anybody know of real fishing opportunity up here.
Also let me know on fishing the Kilchis and I'll drive down and meet you with boat.

[C 'n' D]

S&L:

Chum litter the Puget Sound and especially Hoods Canal from October through November. Just about every creek and river will have them in it. I live in Kitsap County and know of several places within 30 minutes that will be loaded with chum.

There is a summer chum run in Hoods Canal that has been in the rivers over the past few weeks. I caught some on the fly in the salt just last week. Good times.

CnD

[scoutfish]

TTT Lets get together and do this. :yay: :yay: :yay:

[Amahnee]

I'd like to join you Stew. I know we don't see eye to eye politically, but I think we could have a great day on the water. :cheers:

[No Bail]

I'd like to try for chum again. Count me in if the day works out.

[Stew]

I'd like to join you Stew. I know we don't see eye to eye politically, but I think we could have a great day on the water. :cheers:


Sure the more the merrier but we definately will not be discussing politics. Don't want to put too much pressure on any one river especially one as small as the Miami.

[ripnlips]

I'd like in on this. What weight rod? What flies do I go get. I've always wanted to do this.

[Cliff]

whens the run going to be hot? looking forward to this!

Cliff

[BlackfeetFF]

im interested in goin down, always been interested in targeted those rare chum, keep in touch and let me know.

[Stew]

The window of opportunity for C&R on these fish is a short one....like about 2 or 3 weeks then the targeting for then ends in mid November. I recommend at least an 8 weight and you won't want to bring a rod that is too expensive becaue there are instances of guys breaking their favorite Sage on the brutes.
Chartruese and hot pink seem to be the colors with nothing real fancy necessary.
I go barbless too for easy C&R.

[Mark Vickers]

I've tied up some Kilchis Killers just for the occassion. Here is the basic recipe. I'll post a photo if and when I can figure out how to get my digital camera to take a better closeup.

Hook: #4 gold saltwater hook (they're stronger)
Thread: Black, but chartreuse would be fine
Tail: Charteuse crystal flash
Body: Chartreuse floss
Hackle collar: Several turns of chartreuse schlappen
Wing: A few strands of chartreuse crystal flash

This fly looks cool, and can be tied in just a couple of minutes.

[dickdocduck]

Uh, what's schlappen?

[Mark Vickers]

Schlappen - A fancy word for chicken feathers. They are soft and wide, but not as webby as marabou.

Heck, for the pattern I describe, any feather collar will work as long as it fits the color combination. The Kilchis Killer can also be tied in any color you want for chums, as long as its chartreuse or hot pink.

[Abalone]

So when we going ? Talk is cheap..... lets go ! \\\

Oh wait a minute, I may have to work the next two weekends.

[Stew]

They're not in yet...end of October

[SilverFly]

I think we should try to keep it flexible depending on weather/river conditions during the last week of October thru the first week of November. Also, my vote is for the Kilchis. Anyone planning on doing this as a driftboat flotilla or should we bank it?

-SF.

[Mark Vickers]

Okay, my ignorance on the Kilchis and Miami rivers shows through on this one... I don't think those rivers are big enough for my 19' sled. Am I right?

I'll have to go bankie unless someone wants to share a seat with me. I'll trade a fishing trip in my boat sometime.

[BlackfeetFF]

im definately in, im getting excited in targeting these fish, ive heard good things about how hard they fight from a buddy in N. Washington where there is an adundant run of chum.

[msmst25]

I'd be interested as well. Hope there's some room for a newbie. Keep us posted on the date.

[Stew]

Someone whose opinion I have a great deal of respect for and is a lot smarter than I am concerning fishery matters has pointed out to me that north coast chum salmon run is in a fragile state and shouldn't be subjected to any further harassment than they already get. With something like 12-15 guys interested in fishing for them it's my opinion that that is alot of pressure on these fish at one time. Alot of times these fish are accidentally tail hooked or snagged elsewhere in the body and if this run is too make a comeback they do not need any further pressure.The ODFW makes the season for chum short for a very good reason and could possibly close it altogether.
With all that in mind I will withdraw from putting this event together.
I apologize for the inconvenience and getting everyones hopes up but in all good conscience I don't think I'll participate.
Hope everyone understands.

[SilverFly]

Can't argue with your reasoning Stew. I haven't fished them in a least 10 years and there was a lot of pressure then. After seeing the fishing pressure escalate over the last few years on local rivers, I'd be afraid to think of what the the Chum fishery looks like now. Heavy fishing pressure doesn't bother me so much with hatchery runs, but when talking about a depleted native run, then that's a problem.

We SHOULD have decent runs of Chum on every northcoast river and large creek with good spawning habitat close to tidewater. Why we don't is a mystery to me since dams, gillnets, and local commercial fishing are not issues with these fish :shrug: . Sportfishing has to be a factor.

I admit I was looking forward to this trip, but if people REALLY want to catch some Chums I would suggest making the drive up to Washington where there are super abundant Chum runs on the OP and Hood Canal rivers. The fish are so thick up there it would be worth the extra effort anyway.

-SF.

[Mark Vickers]

Good call Stew.

Let's change this up a bit. Silverfish is right, there are abundant chum runs in Washington, especially Hoodsport. Its mostly a boat show unless you want to stand shoulder to shoulder with severl hundred folks outside the hatchery.

I was going to head up there anyway toward the end of October. I'll probably post some open seats and we can toss flies at schools of chum as they run by in the sound. Look for a new thread soon.

[garyk]

Good decision guys, :bowdown:, you have to put the needs of the fish first. :angel:

Ya might set your sights just a little bit north into Washington. The Naselle is supposed to have good chum and coho and decent flyfishing water and access. If that river didn’t work out, you’d be within easy distance of the Hood Canal chum-fest.

Here’s a report I found here in the archives searching on ‘Naselle’:


“naselle provide great silver runs, chinook and chums from round mid sept through october. tide runs up to hi-way 4 bridge, catchin usually best on the flood for a short time, and at an hour or so before low and through low. Nemah is good, but most of it is privatly owned with no sharing. Pretty much the same scenario for fishing all these costals.....”




About the Tillamook chum decline and lack of recovery. The best theory I’ve heard is that there’s something wrong in the estuary; upon which chum are very dependant. But nobody seems to have a grasp on what’s changed there between the early 1980's and now.

[salmonbonker]

Kilchis tidewater is a maybe for the 19' sled (below 101), Miami is a no way. I'd find someone to go with who has a smaller boat or bank fish it.

[Mojo]

As a replacement trip, I would suggest the Stave River in B.C. It is a lower Fraser River trib, near Mission. The river is blocked by a dam about 3 miles from it's mouth and still gets over 4 million Chums a year returning to spawn. Yep, even I can catch Chums there. It is as close to a "guaranteed" salmon fishery as I have ever seen. Just remember to never set the hook till line is peeling off the reel. There is nothing better than a chrome "holographic" hen screaming line off your reel. Fro some reason the hens fight better than the bucks (IMO).

If you have any questions feel free to PM me. I'll spill the beans...