Winchester Bay wednesday 8-28-02

GutshotApe · 08-28-2002, 05:48 PM

Launched in Salmon Harbor at 9:30am and fished the incoming tide until 3pm from the tip of the jetty up to the boatbasin. Didn't have a bite on medium sized herring trolled close to the bottom. Too rough at the jaws for fun but OK 1/2 mile upstream. Outside was rough and only a couple boats in view. Saw a guide with 3 dudes headed out but they soon returned inside

. Fogbank 1 mile offshore at first then it came in about to Halfmoon Bay around noon. Not many other boats salmon fishing, maybe 15, but lots of crabbers. Probably 50 or more boats were above the 101 bridge at Reedsport and 20 or so below when I passed thru this morning. Probably should have launched in Reedsport and fished there - at least would have saved the $5 launch fee. The dredge Yaquina was working in the lower bay where I was - don't know if that hurts fishing or not :whazzup: . Lots of small sandlance & micro bait fish around - saw a chinook chasing bait on the surface. Saw 2 comm'l trollers unloading chinook like cordwood at the dock. Windy & cool, as usual. May try again next week after the LaborDay crowds disperse. :smile:

scrod · 08-28-2002, 05:55 PM

Do you belong to PETA? Or, do you just bother people?

GutshotApe · 08-28-2002, 06:00 PM

What are you trying to say?

Salmonator · 08-28-2002, 06:05 PM

:whazzup:

crabbait · 08-28-2002, 06:22 PM

Scrod - I don't know what brought on that remark but I do not think it was appropriate.

Please explain or retract.

Gutshotape - Thanks for the fishing report.

[ 08-28-2002, 07:23 PM: Message edited by: crabbait ]

lightline · 08-28-2002, 06:34 PM

crabbait if that is in the form of a motion I'll second it. That was as low of a blow as iv'e heard on Ifish.

Capt. Rich · 08-28-2002, 06:53 PM

Well... There was one charter that was crazy enough to fish outside today. We ran out five miles to 340' water and nailed two nice chinooks to 15#. It was major snotty and we were lucky that the passengers were hardy and not barfers. So we gave up after a couple of hours and fished the jaws. We had two takedowns and lost both of them to shoemaker moves. (setting the hook on troll hooked fish) The weather is predicted to be the same tomorrow and start to really blow for the weekend. Not good. But before the blow started the outside waters were productive. But pretty far offshore. The best salmon fishing was in deep waters 350-425'. That translates to five to twelve miles offshore. We found that if you moved to deeper water, the coho were less of a pest. It is really too bad that marked coho can't be taken. They are thick as fleas and huge. The average size is pushing 10#. Have caught several in the 20# range.

Alligator · 08-28-2002, 07:25 PM

GSA,

Thanks for the report. I'm planning to head down to Winchester bay Friday evening for Saturday crabbing and once the traps are set then fishing. I heard it is closed to crabbing in the ocean. Is that how you understand it? Also do you think it wise to set out crab rings and traps early in the morning at the end of the incoming tide around 6-7am? Where in the bay should we set them? Thanks in advance.

Les

scrod · 08-28-2002, 07:41 PM

Gun..
My sincere apologies!!! I had too many windows open and you got a reply meant for someone else. I am so sorry. :whazzup:

crabbait · 08-28-2002, 08:02 PM

Thank you, Scrod. I knew there had to be more to the story. :smile:

avid · 08-28-2002, 08:04 PM

Capt. Rich,

How has the tuna fishing been?

GutshotApe · 08-28-2002, 08:07 PM

Scrod - Apology accepted, no big deal

.

Alligator - A lot of people set out crab rings then go fish. However, today I spoke with an elderly couple at the takeout who had a new ring apparently stolen :depressed: yesterday. At least it was gone when they came back to check it. They went back looking for it today. Don't know how common this is. They were locals and said they suspect others may pull & check other people's rings while they're off fishing - again, I don't know if this is normal or not - I haven't crabbed there since about 1976 (don't really like crab). Crabbing at Winchester Bay is very popular and you will see where others do it. Two popular spots are Halfmoon Bay near the old CG pier and the shallows across & down the river from the boat basin. Back in the '70s I had good luck inside the west basin and I noticed several floats there today. You can crab there whatever stage the tide is. You may be right about the ocean being closed although it was too rough today for crabbing outside so I can't say for sure what the current regs are :whazzup: .
GSApe [img]graemlins/program.gif[/img]

Chum King · 08-28-2002, 10:53 PM

Gutshot,
Occasionally someone probably does "heist" a crab ring,

but usually it seems that the crabber either doesn't put enough line on the ring, or they drop it in the channel. I think you mentioned that the dredge was working... need I say more?

I know that in Yaquina Bay, the Coast Guard regularly goes out and pulls rings and pots out of the channel, and then stack them on their dock for the owners to come and claim.

Capt. Rich · 08-29-2002, 05:08 AM

Avid, unfortunately for the South Coast, tuna has been a no show. The high winds we had for the last four weeks has chased the tuna water way off shore. The commercials have had to go over a hundred miles to catch any numbers. We have run four trips and only scored on two of them. On our only overnight trip we did try for swordfish and did have a hookup but lost the fish when the drag lever on the International reel got opened when the fisherman got tired after a fourty-five minute standup fight without a belt in rolling seas. Raincoat sleeve caught the drag lever. As it was on a halibut opener, we stopped at the ranch on the way back in and didn't score on halibut but got six tuna, five sharks and some rockfish. Halibut has been really slow after the commercial season. If the winds ever stop, we might get a few days in September or October but a lot of the commercials have already written off the season. After the fight for the swordfish, we are pumped. As the Brooklyn Dodgers used to say... "Wait til next year!!!!"

avid · 08-29-2002, 05:56 AM

Rich,

That's exciting news about the swordfish and unfortunate you lost it that way. How big of a sword was it, any idea? It would be great if you could add swordfish trips to your charter business.

The SST for the area off the Umpqua has never looked good for tuna water this whole summer.