Fishing

the North Coast

Fishing - Catch and Release Yourself

Author: Rick Chapo

When fishing for Steelhead or Trout, many anglers prefer to catch and release their fishing prizes. Still, what should you do when you're the prize?

That's Gotta Hurt

If you become a fanatic, you will inevitably hook yourself one day. Of course, this has never happened to me, butmy "friends" have done it repeatedly. Being a thoughtful and observant person, I've seen how they go about unhooking themselves. Again, this is never happened to me. Ever. No, I won't take a lie detector test.

The Barb

The best hook removal method depends on the location of the hook barb. The barb is the part of the hook that keeps the hook fromsimply sliding back out of the fish or, in this case, you. The essential question is which direction will result in the leastdamage from the barb.

A "friend" of mine once managed to hook himself through the flap of skin between the thumb and forefinger. The hook penetrated from the top of this hand through to the palm. The barb had goneall the way through the skin. In such a situation, the best method is simply to cut the line at the base of the hook andpush it the rest of the way through the skin. This technique will result in a minimum of damage.

Another "friend" of mine once slipped on a rock and hooked himself something fierce in the meat section of the palm aboutan inch below the pinkie. There wasn't anyway to push the hook through, so it had to be pulled back out the way it went in. The problem, of course, is the barb could have caused a lot of damage on the way back out. So, what's the solution?

There are two solutions [excluding the hospital] to avoiding barb damage. The first requires two people. The hookedindividual should press the hook slowly toward the curve of the hook. Put another way, you want to compress this curve of thehook. This sounds brutal, but actually should cause the barb to retract from the meat of your hand. The second person thenapplies pressure to both sides of the entry point to pull it open. The hooked individual should then GENTLY slide the hookout trying to follow the curve of the entry path. Sounds painful, but it works.

If you're alone, follow the same instructions but you'll have to do without the pressure. Just go slow and easy. If the hook doesn't slide, don't force it. Just head off to the local emergency room.

Catch and release is a good way to fish. Even if you catch yourself.

This book:Side-Drifting for Steelhead

is a classic if you're really serious.

Author: Bob Matsen

Where to fish for salmon or the Chinook or the king salmon. The pacific salmon range from California to Alaska. These anadromous species can be found in most pacific coastal waters, streams and rivers that have a good flow of water and temperature as well as a suitable habitat for going up to spawn. You will find that they may be as many as three spawns per year, spring, summer, fall.

The average size of the Chinook can be from 16 to 20 lb. but you will see larger fish up to 55 lb. taken from the remote areasalong the pacific coast.

The Chinook will return to the river in which they spawned from at the age of 2 to 7 years old. The salmon will travel over 7000 miles at sea to return to its spawning grounds. One of the longest river spawns is the 2000 miles battle up the Yukon Riverlocated in the state of Alaska.

With the advancement of man a lot of the smaller streams have been choked of with pollution and silt from local construction.Some of the streams have been filled in for housing and commercial use. There has been a increase of volunteers to clean up the streams and repair the gravel spawning grounds. With some success the salmon have slowly been returning to these devastated areas.

The salmon use solar navigation ,smell, day light and rain fall to help guide them to the spawning grounds. Most need a gravelbed of course gravel to spawn in. The female will dig out a spot and lay her eggs and the male will fertilize the eggs with jets of milt. Both fish die with in days of spawning.

The spawning fish feed many bears ,bird like the eagles and people on the run up to their spawning grounds. The decayingfish supply food for the river or stream organisms which provide food for the fry after the hatch. The fry will spend up to 18months in the river and stream systems before heading out to sea to repeat the process all over.

Before you fish for salmon you will need to check the regulations in the area you are planning to fish in every area will have different regulations. Time to fish size limits and the number of the fish you may keep. State Regulations must be followed as the fines can be very large if you get caught fishing with out the proper license or are out of season. Always check with the regulatory body for the area youwill be fishing in. Better to have what you need than to lose a boat or vehicle or go to jail.

If fishing in early spring or late summer or in the fall be aware that you may see bears of all sizes after all you arefishing in their favorite spot. Give them a wide berth they are hungry and will protect their territory. Better to play safethan to have a bad encounter you will lose if you come into contact with a bear.

Trolling from a boat will help you avoid the bears. The down rigger is very popular to get the bait down to the level towhich the salmon are at. Trolling depth will vary from 10 ft to 150 ft a lead cannon ball from 2 to 10 lb. will be used.Hootches , and anchovies work in most location best to check with the local guides to find out what is working on the given days you are fishing.

No matter what you fish with or which method you use a Chinook salmon will give you a fight you will not soon forget. SammySalmon

Author: Terry Price

There are many great reasons you may want to book a boat charter ranging from pleasure boat cruising to an excellent fishing charter to your favorite fishing destination. This brief article will give you some excellent tips and recommendations on doing your homework prior to hiring a fishing charter. The first thing you want to do is make sure that your new captain islicensed for charter fishing. If you are chartering from a large marina, you will find that the marina requires their captains to meet certain qualifications before they will allow them to run aboat for their fleet. Even if you are fishing a lake where a coast guard license may not be required, it is good to find acaptain that is qualified. Obviously, for safety reasons, a trained, experienced captain will give you peace of mind. Whenselecting the right charter company, make sure you contact the local tourism authority as they are an excellent source of good charter operators.

Remember that captains and mates will not share all of their secrets about their charter, but remember that you are payingfor the trip so ask questions about the best season, tackle and more. You will be glad you did. You will find that it is best to take your own gear on fishing boat charters. For the most part, the gear is used heavily on a charter boat and you may have grown accustomed to your own gear instead. Most captains are amenable to the idea.

One very important thing to remember before you your fishing charter is to get LOTS OF REST the night before. Stay away from fried foods the night before and eat a light dinner, because a day's fishing on the water is going to take a lot out of you. Besure you take along a carbonated beverage or a beer to help with a churning stomach as seasickness medicine can vary ineffectiveness.

Another good tip is to let the marina personnel clean your fish for you, as it will avoid delays for everyone.

Finally, take lots of sunscreen lotion along and a camera to capture the action-packed day on film. It is a good idea to read more about this awesome hobby and learn more about it before you head out onto the sea or lake. Have fun, and enjoy this excellent time on the water!