Big California Nook

Threemuch · 10-29-2001, 04:11 PM

Check out this pic one of my buddies down in CA sent to me of a salmon one of his fishing partners caught. What a pig. The big 50.

Caught off Stinson Beach just north of San Francisco. That Sacramento River fall run is one of the best kept secrets in the US. Ocean salmon trolling down there is just awesome, right outside one of the most crowded urban areas in the country.

Can't wait until I get open ocean chinook trolling dialed in up here. I hope someday I get one like that. 36 pounds is still my best fish.

Pilar · 10-29-2001, 06:44 PM

Dang, what a fatty!

Floater · 10-29-2001, 07:09 PM

That's not a nice thing to say. [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

Nice fish though.

Hookset · 10-29-2001, 07:40 PM

That belly is so out of proportion, just incredible. That fish couldn't stay out of the fridge.

FM2 · 10-29-2001, 07:45 PM

Geez, those California fish eat to much fast food [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] With a belly on that fish which looks like a hen, there must be 3000 quarts of eggs in it, an Ammerman dream come true [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img] [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

smilesforu · 10-29-2001, 08:28 PM

Nice fish....huge chromer.

Tanner · 10-30-2001, 07:01 AM

What do ya expect. California is the home of In-n-out Burger. [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

Johnny Mac · 10-30-2001, 06:20 PM

Holy shiznit!!

And I'm in LA right now....hmmmm.......ROADTRIP!!! [img]images/icons/grin.gif[/img]

10-30-2001, 08:34 PM

In-n-Out Burger; YES! Can you say, "Double-Double?"

Everything in that picture looks a little 'chubby'.

Master Baiter · 10-31-2001, 07:13 AM

The spot where this fish was caught (Duxbury) closes today. The action has been hit and miss for the past month, but there have been may fish this size and bigger brought in this year. Ahhhh the year of the biggins!

MB

Son of an Okie · 10-31-2001, 08:09 AM

I can vouch for the exceptional run of big Chinook off the No. Cal. coast this year. Went home to Eureka the last week of August and fished out of Trinidad. Limits daily for the boat, average well over 20 pounds. Caught my biggest fish to date, 43 pounds. Had several more on that size. Ended up having to leave due to running out of cooler space to transport fish back to Dundee. The 150 quart was approaching full after the second day, so sent Mom out to buy the biggest one she could find in town. This was only 70 quarts, but we figured with proper management that another two days fishing could be had. Wrong... The next day found the boat limited with 8 Chinook at 11:30 in the morning, smallest at 18 pounds! I grew up down there and started salmon fishing with my Dad back in 1962. This past August was the best I've ever experienced, even better than the awesome fishing in 1969 when the Chinook came into Humboldt Bay big time. One more note worth mentioning, most of these fish were not this year's spawners. Egg and milt skeins were not even pencil big. Don't know where the fish were from, but someplace is going to get a run of big hogs next year!

Master Baiter · 10-31-2001, 08:18 AM

Yeah Okie, people were out in Humboldt Bay in ANYTHING that would float, very historical event! We were pulling nooks out of the surf on the ocean side of the jetty with chovies under a slip bobber, sooo exciting tough to net though!

Threemuch · 10-31-2001, 12:03 PM

Here is another big Duxbury reef fish taken by my buddy Bruce in 2000. 51 pounds.

I fished the opener this year out of Moss Landing near Monterey, and we put in our six fish limit of 15 pound nooks in 32 minutes. WOW!!

Interesting point about the nets, you probably have something there. The sacramento run has to bypass dams but not nets.

SlabQuest · 10-31-2001, 11:37 PM

I fished off a charter boat out of Berkley just north of San Fran last year. We didn't get many, but the size and quality were excellent. Also the cost of the trip was low compared to Westport. Everyday the fishing is different as the fish are rapidly moving down the coast - some days they limit the boat with 20 - 30# kings. The drastic improvement of their fisheries is a testament to the wisdom of removing the nets. Their economy will benefit 10 fold between net OR sport fishing. And they still have commercial trollers - so it's not like there is no commercial fishing.