Salmon Bite Cycle/Reasons

It seems over the years, the "really good bite" days are around three days apart. What do you think?

Also, what is your theory on why Chinook take their own eggs? Are they actually eating the eggs or just placing the eggs in their mouth with some nesting instinct? I feel it's the latter.

I think that the added Sandshrimp "trigger" when combined with eggs under a bobber, is two fold. One, is they actually eat shrimp and Two, they think the shrimp is messing
with their eggs?

Facts or conjecture to add?

[Hookset]

If we could only talk to the fish, maybe we'd understand. Where's Mr. Doolittle when you need him.

I thought the chinook eating eggs was a predatory protective instinct. They are very terotorial and shred / kill eggs other then their own. Never thought this was an act of feeding. I don't really know, maybe it's a combination of both, food and protective response.

Any biologist on the board?

Gregg

[WheresMyBobber]

Hi ******

I honestly believe that chinook take their own eggs to eat them. The reason I say this is because when backbouncing or backtrolling, the longer you let the fish take the eggs, the deeper they'll swallow them. While this holds true for any bait fished this way, I do think they are trying to eat it. I've experimented with letting chinook take backbounced eggs for as long as I possibly could before having to fight the fish, and the result is almost always a hookup in the back of the throat or top of the stomach (whatever you call that area on a fish). The longer you let them take it, the deeper they're hooked.


Another factor is the freshness of the eggs. Obviously the better quality eggs you use, the more takes you get. Does this mean that eggs of lesser quality don't smell like eggs they want to protect by holding them in their mouth? I don't know the answer to that one, but my guess goes back to them eating what looks, tastes and smells the best to them.

Then lets take this question to smolts. Smolts seem to hit anything that even resembles something to eat whether it's eggs or a herring twice their size. This could simply be a result of being extremely hungry, being naieve, or because of their inherited instinct to eat those kinds of things.

Nothing scientific here, just my opinion from my own esperiences.

I haven't even fished for fall fish at the coast yet this year. I've been taking a (short) break from fishing, and have actually been enjoying it.

This should be an interesting thread. [img]images/icons/cool.gif[/img]

Forgot the first part of your question regarding a good bite cycle every three days. I've noticed a similar pattern, maybe not exact, but close. I have no clue as to why. [img]images/icons/confused.gif[/img]

[ 10-21-2001: Message edited by: WheresMyBobber ]

Interesting thoughts!

http://eesc.orst.edu/salmon/

Rick

[ 10-22-2001: Message edited by: ****** ]

[Pitch Pocket]

I have to agree that they are probably eating them. Anchored above a hole in the Trask, I felt a single bump and then nothing. We pulled up the anchor to leave a few minutes later and I tried to reel up and it was snagged. The snag moved when I put some weight on it. Ended up landing a 40 lb hen hooked deep in the stomach. I don't think she was protecting that handful of eggs!