A Beginners Progress in Sooke - Englishman

[Englishman]

I have taken up the suggestion of forum members and created an “Englishman” thread to chart this beginners progress of learning to properly (and hopefully more consistently!) catch summer Chinook.

I have now separately been out with two members of this forum and learned a huge amount about bait presentation and trolling tactics around some of the Sooke hot spots. Thanks a lot guys it has been really fantastic and an honour to fish with each of you.

With forum Member 1 we went to Possession on Tuesday. We put in a full morning and did not get any Chinook but did get pinks. However, there was one probable big spring hit which snapped the teaser head right off!
With forum Member 2 we went to Otter to-day. After quite a few hours we did get a small 6lb Chinook on anchovy at 120’ that will go great on the Bar-B-Q or smoker. Other than it was just pinks.

I now realise it is indeed incredibly difficult and uncertain to catch summer Chinooks (in Sooke at least). If it was easy, anyone could catch them, even me!! LOL

Which makes the local guide posts even more amazing. Posts and pictures of limits of 20lb plus Chinook for each boat guest, day after day. It is nothing short of remarkable, and the knowledge these guys have must come pretty close to voodoo magic!! LOL

Well, must keep trying and maybe these mythical biggies will find my lure one day…….

 

[gon fishin]

Englishman
You had mentioned in a previous post that you had a voltage of .3 volts which is low. When was the last time you changed your zincs. Worn zincs will produce a low voltage situation I change mine at least once a year They may look OK But still need to be changed
Did you go in your boat both times?
Have you ever read the directions that come with the Rhys head ? I found one in my boat the other day and actually read it I was amazed much how much detailed info there was
Real estate is location Location Location
When fishing it is Timing Timing Location

 

[gon fishin]

I didn't find the directions on line but I did find this Does your roll look something like this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4fY5SzlDdo

 

[Englishman]

Thx Gone fishin'. I took all my zincs off last week-end and drill disk sanded them till they were shiny again. I checked the natural voltage again today and it is now 0.73 volt, so I think I'm OK. We went out in the Member 1's boat on Tuesday and my boat today. We put the black box (0.6 V) on the cable side today, but the small Chinook came on the braid side, so I still have doubts about the effectiveness of the black box.
The roll we had looked pretty much like that although the one in the video has a bit of a head dipping, head-up, almost rocking motion which I would have to play around with more to see if I could get that exactly.
English

 

[Little Hawk]

English: Don't fret if you don't hammer a big one this summer. Fishing is like hunting.
It's not about killin' stuff, it's about getting out there.

Good luck to you.

 

[scott craven]

For what it's worth, don't feel that bait is the only ticket...
if the springs aren't hitting try a spoon or a hootchie.
sometimes they can be more effective and you're not always having to
check your bait.
more time in the water, greater chance of getting that big one !

 

[Seafever]

I agree with R.S.Craven......other stuff works besides bait.

Englishman......what flashers do you use...and how far behind the clip do you pull them? Flasher choice can be a big factor.

If you are running a black box one side on wire......make sure the ball is isolated from the wire with one of those Scotty black plastic ball clips (or anything similar).

Assuming you are fishing no deeper than 100ft. you're voltage will be whatever it says it is on the b/box dial.
Try different voltages between .5 and .7 (big fish are more sensitive to voltage than little fish). Try turning the box off alltogether. If yours has "pulse' try that also...Sockeye tend to like higher voltage(.7) while Chinooks tend to like lower voltage (.5 to.6). Coho tend to like somewhere in the middle.

Run spoons 6ft. back of the flashers.

Have you tried anything in a "Mongoose" color/pattern?

 

[Englishman]

Hey thanks for the information guys.
On Day 2 we tried hootchies and spoons to no avail – my only two summer chinook so far have both been on bait , so unfortunately I have little faith in other methods in summer for Sooke (I believe the Sooke guides are all using bait – they certainly imply they are with all the forum talk about “the roll”!
Yes my cannonball is isolated with a plastic clip and rubber snubber (although others have suggested it should not be isolated . I will play with the voltage bit more, even though I have never caught a summer Chinook on the cable side….LOL
On Day 2, we tried a whole variety of flashers too; green/glo, candy man, boogyman, Betsy metallic, green haze, various UV colour combos……..the possibilities, in combination with teaser head colour, are endless. LOL Tended to run the flashers 20-30 feet behind the clip.
But Little Hawk is right ---- I had two fantastic days on the water last week and learned a huge amount.

 

[Charlie]

You want to replace you zincs when approximately one half gone!

From reading all the posts, it certainly appears you now have a good process of elimination going on why you are not catching summer Chinook! You seem to have covered most of the bases everything from black box, drop back, flasher, depth, bait and roll! So, if all that seems to have failed, I am thinking and suggest – you just might stink! J

Your saga is starting to sound the same as a good friend a few years back, when everyone was catching fish all around him, he was lucky to catch one if any. After a few years and about the same process of elimination you are currently going through (and many dollars), we found it was nothing more than - he stunk! The guilty party very well could be the same thing you are experiencing.

It is, or could be an amino acid known as serine (aka L-Lysine). It is an offensive smell to salmon and it is found on most mammals like bears, dogs, sealions, and humans. The amount of serine in human skin depends on sex, age, and race. Women, children, Blacks, American Indians, and Latins all produce less than us good ole white adult males. A study back in 1978 showed salmon slowed and actually stopped migrating for a half hour when one part human skin in 80 billion (yes billion) parts water was dumped into a river.

The flasher vibrations will attract and bring the salmon to its vibrations, where the roll vibration on your bait will take over and attract the fish to the bait. Then within sight, sight will will also attract to the bait - just think those dots Noggin adds to his spoons. If the salmon gets all the way to that point, prior to actually striking the bait if it smells any serine, just say good bye - it will immediately be REPELLED! To a salmon that smells like a threat!

Do an old man a favor; pick a day to go fishing very early in the morning – starting before the sun comes up. Then fish one hour before through one hour after tide change, both high and low. IF, serine is the culprit you are putting it on everything your hands touch; including, all tackle and bait itself. So, prior to the above day, wash all tackle (everything) with some lemon scented dish soap. Then just for grins, after you wash everything, find and wear a pair of surgical gloves washing the gloves after putting them on.

I am thinking if you have already checked and corrected everything as posted – you just might start catching some summer Chinook! J

 

[danthewire]

Gotta agree with what Charlie says.
I wash my hands throughly the morning I am going out and I actually put a drop of ainse oil on my hands.
Remember........
Dan.

 

[Seafever]

English:- the fact that you are fishing Sooke waters does not mean an automatic Chinook...

You've got to look for them...or where they are likely to be at a given time.

Pinks,Sox and Coho not so much.....

Here's a tip:- try varying your troll speed:- some of these August Chinook.. especially big ones are a tad lard-butt compared to smaller feeders. Trying going dead slow, try going dead slow and then "gun it" for 5 seconds and then slow down again. Try getting near structure,slow down ...and then "gun" it for a few seconds. By 'gun" it I don't mean rocketing out of the water....just gun it enough to get the tackle up and flying. A lot of guys won't work structure for fear of losing cannon balls/tackle. Pays to have a good chart and a good depth sounder for this situation.

I use that Berkely Spray Herring Scent. It goes on nice, will kill off other odors.

It doesn't glob up the shine on spoons like Smelly Jelly and the like does.

Also:- try using your wife's hand lotion before you go fishing. Ever wonder why women often nail the lunkers?......after they've they got on board with hand lotion all over them?

Visualization is good too......see your fish--------be your fish.

Picture in your mind landing the big one. Be specific..picture the place,the weather, the direction you are going in....all that stuff.

I've done this and it works.

also:---when eating brekky or eating on the boat.......NO BANANAS AND NO CITRUS (juice,oranges,whatever!)..and......no fried chicken or meat products.

and:- never use that Citrus hand cleaner before or during fishing....

 

[Englishman]

Thanks Charlie, DanTW and Seafever
At this point, anything is possible. I think I have read something about the hand/scent effect before. I believe some trout fishermen scour their hands with lake side mud/sand and then rinse in the lake before tying their flies on.

Here is a similar article to back up Charlies post
http://www.sschapterpsa.com/ramblings/Scent.htm

I know what I'm doing tomorrow, and I should probably wash the cannonballs as well as my gear they get handled a lot too. LOL
Englishman

 

[Tips Up]

Englishman
What kind of boat are you in?
Tips

 

[spring fever]

That was an interesting article. Do you have proctor and gamble stock? ( lemon scented joy)

 

[Charlie]

That was an interesting article. Do you have proctor and gamble stock? ( lemon scented joy)

Actually, I didn't say, suggest, or recommend "Joy", is that what you use?

 

[spring fever]

No -Joy was mentioned prominently in the web article englishman posted. I use an antibacterial soap-more to prevent infection from cuts and spine punctures and kind of suggest the other guys use it. I do use various fish scents-usually smelly Jelly, anchovy oil or berkly gulp juice. I don't go nuts in this regard although it does make me think a bit about those dry periods with no bites- maybe it is l-serine

 

[Englishman]

Springfever,
No idea why Joy is featured so often. It is mentioned in several articles if you Google "L-Serine fishing". Could be that one article feeds off another and it gets propagated that way. Lots of other products would work I am sure. Loads of interesting articles on the Internet though on L-Serine. I even found a .pdf of some original work on this done in 1956, including some experiments performed at Skutz Falls on the Cowichan River!!

Tips up my boat is a Trophy 2002 model.

 

[Tips Up]

Tips up my boat is a Trophy 2002 model.

LOL!
That will narrow it down a bit out their. Not too many trophies.
Got a name on it or something to identify. Thought I would keep an eye out for you tomorrow.

Tips

 

[Charlie]

No -Joy was mentioned prominently in the web article englishman posted. I use an antibacterial soap-more to prevent infection from cuts and spine punctures and kind of suggest the other guys use it. I do use various fish scents-usually smelly Jelly, anchovy oil or berkly gulp juice. I don't go nuts in this regard although it does make me think a bit about those dry periods with no bites- maybe it is l-serine

I hear you on the "infection from cuts and spine punctures"! I have ended up soaking my hands many a time.

I really don't go nuts with any type scents, especially store bought. Have found there just might be such a thing as too much of a good thing - is BAD! I do believe however, at any given time if someone were to ask - I bet you could find and I can produce a bottle of pure garlic oil at any given time! Yes, that is pure oil - it doesn't spoil! FYI, store bought scents spoil and turn rancid, one needs to check those expiration dates!

I just glanced over that article, that would be from 'LeeRoy's Ramblings' and I don't believe, I will argue one word written there, including the lemon scented "Joy" plug! I actually use Dawn!

 

[highlights]

Another big factor is almost being able to will a fish to your line. I know it sounds weird but many top anglers are almost trigger happy because at any given moment out there they are expecting a strike. I'm like a cat, the concentration is intense but it seems to work...... if we are now going in this direction with the thread ...lol

If Im not paying attention forget it. The moment I get renewed interest it's usually on.