Chum, a very fine fish

[SandySteel]

Well the time is approaching for some of the best fishing on the coast. It is almost time for Chum. This is one of the most intriguing fisheries for me in that these fish are some of the strongest fighting fish among the salmonids and here in Oregon they are catch and release. They are also a precious resource that need to be protected. This is why I want everyone fishing this fall to please treat Chum with respect.
I have seen some pretty bad behavior in the past with these fish. This includes fishing for them on their redds. I watched one year as a guide put his fly fishing guests onto a hot bed of redding chums. One after the other the fish were hooked, played and released. So much for being conservation minded when you are a fly fisherman ( I am a fly fisherman and hardware and bait fisherman.) I have also seen fishermen unhoook chum and then kick them back in the water like they were garbage. This is just pure ignorance. I think we get so hung up on the "chrome bright" aspect of salmonids that if a fish has changed its colors (in this case green and red stripes) it is ugly, even rotten. But the spawning color of a chum is brilliant, even beautiful akin to the leaves changing color in the fall.
Now if you want to try them out I highly recomend them for the great day of multifish angling they can provide. You don't need bait as they readily take corkies and yarn (you must use chartreuse) and they will rip on you so take some stout gear. The best places in Oregon are the Tillamook streams including the Miami and the Kilchis but also including the Wilson. Make sure you stay away from redding fish. You can tell they are redding by their behavior. Often they will be in fairly shallow water digging the redd (an off color depression easily seen from shore) or will be paired up and spread out. Look for deep cut banks and usually you will find chum.
Remember, the season ends November 15 (you can't keep them at any time) and you can't actively fish for them after this.
Good luck and tight lines.

One question I have for all the experienced chum anglers out there. How does tide affect chum? They are a low estuary fish that doesn't like obstructions so I know that runs must hit the rivers on a tidal schedule but I don't have a feel for how it affects their bite or their actual run timing.

Eric Neiwert

[Jeremy]

i was wondering if i could get some info on chum fishing i am a fly/hardware fisher and have always heard that the chum are great to fish for. Just looking for some tips and when are where to go. Email with more info
at hruskajj@hotmail.com
Thanks

I remember the song from the movie: "Chum chumaree chum chumaree chumchum charee, you catch a chum ... and I will catch three". ..... No doubt about it Eric, chum don't get the respect they deserve as a game fish. The 3 reasons I sense are that they do turn a bit homely quick in fresh water, their flesh is a little too pale, and a lot of doughballs try to snag them which seems to infer to others that they aren't worth much. Wrong! When they come in fresh they just might be the strongest fighting anadramous salmonid, per size, that swims! I agree that they like chartruse green best but they also like hot pink too. When you drift the lower Kilchis from the logging bridge down and there are a lot of chums in, I suggest using barbless hooks because you won't lose 'Nooks using them and the chum can be released easier. And if that is already a mandatory reg this year you are probably laughing at me right now . Fishing the lower Tillamook rivers decades ago when the chum came in thick in big schools with the tide, they would bite readily Eric. Of course they would bite a little better when they would first slow down and hole up, similar to other fish actually. I don't think that tides affected their run timing much because the runs were more precise and more short duration concentrated than 'nooks or silvers. Thanks for a good post Eric. I hope all anglers will adhere to your proper principles! - Steve



[This message has been edited by RT (edited 10-08-2000).]

[smilesforu]

Good post Eric. While fishing the Quilcene this past couple of weeks the summer chums were just finishing up their spawning. It was nice to see the doughballs avoiding the chums and actually targeting the silvers. The only people I saw target the chum were 5 fly guys and a couple kids....sad even the snaggers knew better.
Tight Lines

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Marty M
Steelheader.net

[SandySteel]

You were asking for information of fishing for Chum salmon. Here in Oregon the run timing begins in the latter weeks of October and lasts until its close on the 15th of November. The best streams are the Kilchis and the Miami but the Wilson has a run too.
The most important thing about fly fishing is to get your fly down. This can be done with heavy (really heavy) sinking lines for the deep pools that they like. (They also sit in like deep runs as well as pockets of riffles and shallower runs in which case you can lighten up) You can also use a floating line and a long leader with a heavily weighted fly. This year I am going to try John Judy's slack line technique with a hinged nymph leader and a big floating strike indicator made of polypropylene macramé yarn. Anyway, if you are going to use a floating line you want to use quite a bit of weight on the fly.
The best flies are usually chartreuse and hot pink.
If you want more information John Shewey has a good book called Northwest Fly Fishing, Trout and Beyond. There is a complete section on fly fishing for Chum
Personally, I am an equal opportunity angler, I don't discriminate on technique (except for plunking, sorry plunkers) I harass fish (don't fool yourself this is what all anglers are really doing.) any way that I can. So for my hardware and bait brethren the standard drift outfits you use for Chinook and Steelhead will work here.
I have caught them beneath a bobber on a jig, with a corky and yarn and slinky, and with eggs below a bobber. Last year was a weird year for me though. On one trip on the Kilchis I started by targeting Chum with a chartreuse and hot pink egg sucking leach beneath a bobber. My bobber goes down, and I pull in a Chinook. The chum fishing was terrible last year so I decided to switch to targeting Chinook with a bobber and eggs and I caught a huge chum. Weird but fun.

good luck

--
Eric Neiwert
Portland Oregon
neiwert@teleport.com

[superfly]

Chum aren't the best table fare but they are an excellent fish to go after especially for you or new anglers and they are an absolute blast on fly gear. Be warned, 8 or 9 wt. on fly tackle, they are abusive fish. they are good biters and like pinks, purples and of course chartruse and greens. just about every river in washington has good runs of them.Especially the hood canal and puget sound rivers. they are primarilly a november and december salmon, with some streams getting them earlier. Leave the summer chum alone , they are on the threatend list.
Peace Superfly

[aye fsh]

Sounds like a wonderful opportunity to expose a youngster to a day of salmon fishing where they have a high probability of hooking something. Would love to get my 11 year old son and one of his friends (whose family doesn't fish, if you can conceive of such a thing) involved in this. He's not too hot on going salmon fishing as we haven't had any success of late. Anyone wanting to help me make this happen please email me so that I can get some more specific info on where/when, etc. Seems like a good excuse for a "student prep day"! Thanks - Todd

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ayefsh,there4iyam

[garyk]

Jeremy, in particular.

For rigging, guys from Corvallis taught a way that I believe is superior for Tillamook chum. You'll need a Cortland 850-deepwater-exress shooting head. It's 18-feet long; you cut it at 5', 6',7' lengths. Now you have three heads to choose from depending on current flows and depth. You back the shooting head with about 10' of Amnesia shooting-monofilament (accept no substitute for Amnesia). The thin diameter Amnesia knifes through the water,helping to keep the 850 head on the bottom. Then for ease of handling you back the mono with a level running line. Got it?

From the business end it looks like this:

1. a fly as described in the above posts

2. about 2' of maxima 12# leader

3. the 850 deepwater express head in either 5 or 6 or 7 foot lenght depending on condition

4. approx. 10' of Amnesia orange mono 25# or 30#

5. the level floating running fly line

The set-up really sweeps the bottom and in my opinion is better casting, easier handling, and far cheaper than the Teeny sink tip lines.

[Jeremy]

Thanks for the info that sounds like a great set up, unfortunately i dont have anything heavier than a 5 wt fly pole and dont want to risk snapping it in half. So at least for know i will be using hardware and probably some yarn and corkies or something. Also i dont have a boat so will be angling from the bank, if anyone knows of some good spots that will produce let me know (SandySteel, i will probably go scout sometime this week and look for the place that you were talking about). Thanks

[garyk]

Jeremy --

For what it's worth, you really don't need a boat for chum.

As to the rod, keep an eye on garage sales or maybe ebay for a cheap 7-8 or 9 weight fiberglass rod. For a reel, a large size old Pfleuger will give you a fighting chance. In most of the bank spots, you can follow the fish.

[Jeremy]

garyk, do you know where the good bank access is? I have never been over there. Thanks

[fishon]

I have always wanted to fish for chum but I didnt know we got much of them in Oregon but know that I know I cant wait to go. What river would you say is better for chum the miami or the kilchis and what are some good spot on these rivers. Any advice will be helpfull thanks.

[garyk]

Access changes from time to time. I'm pretty sure there's still bank access above the green bridge on the Kilchis.

You're pretty much fishing just the lower few miles of each river, so just go on up and see where other anglers are accessing. As to the best river, it varies. You'll just have to cruise up and see what's happening.

With the Nov. 15th closure, fishing's usually over before the main run comes in.

[Gone Fishin]

PLEASE, when accessing the Kilchis (above the logger bridge) if you are on the bank, STAY THERE! DON'T WADE THE RIVER ON TOP OF THE SPAWING CHUM OR THIER REDDS!!! I truly think this is a major cause as to the decline in our chum runs, anglers wading all over the spawning chummers. Alot of chum spawn just up above the bridge and it is a favorite place to many anglers as well as a guide I know that targets these spawners!
It makes me sick!

[garyk]

Gone Fishing --

What's your opinion? Given the steep decline, do you think we should just close fishing above tidewater for them?

Good point too about not wading on the redds, I'm glad you added that.

I don't concurr though that wading though is THE reason for the decline. I'm sure you remember when folks were both wading on the redds and allowed to keep chum.

I sure wish there was more research done on these populations to better understand what's going on.

In the last ten years or so, do you think the numbers returning to the Wilson have increased?

[Gone Fishin]

Tough questions garyk, I really don't feel that wading is THE reason of the decline, I just think it adds to the "big picture". And, when people used to be able to retain chum, there were always the true "sportsmen" out there "hen hunting", ripping the bellies open and leaving the rest! How much damage does that do?

I really don't know where or if you would draw a line and say, "no fishing above this point" but, there should be a way to protect the spawners.

And yes, I think there has been an increase in the population of chum in the Wilson especially in the past 3 or 4 years. However, I don't think the run is so great that you could target them on the Wilson, mostly just a few incidental catches. I've even caught them on the Nestucca the past couple years, and never have before in my life!

Hopefully it's a sign of good times to come and I couldn't agree more with you garyk, more research is needed!

[garyk]

Gone Fishing,

For another Tilly area stream thats seen some chums recently, my sources tell me that some chums have gone up WHiskey Creek on Netarts Bay in recent years.

[Osprey]

Sorry to hear about the lack of Chums down there,I had no idea
Up here we have lots of fish in almost all the rivers
Green seems to the popular color but in resent years as R.T. pointed out hot pink works great too.I normally fish corkie and yarn but last year I experimented with jig and floats...this ROCKS!!!
I fish 10 lb main line and will fish a heavier leader because these toothy fishies will saw you off.
They smoke up great and the eggs are my favorite for winter steelies.
Word of advice: keep the pliers handy for unhooking these brutes I have the scars to prove it keep them fingers clear
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Row quietly and fish a Cataraft !!-------<'))>><

[This message has been edited by Osprey (edited 10-12-2000).]