Craaaazy evening of salmon fishing!

[Okanagan]

Went fishing for sockeye and/or Chinook salmon this evening with a friend in his boat.  Not much happening.  No sockeye.  Lots of pink salmon.  I foul hooked half a dozen pinks and released them, and think I had on a Chinook for about 15 seconds.

A yellow Super Cub landed on a gravel bar 400 yards across from us on another island.  The pilot soon caught a fish so we moved to that side and anchored 50 yards upstream from him in swift shallow water. 

Bingo!  Instant double.  My partner’s fish was ripping downstream like a big Chinook and he was yelling for me to release the anchor so we could follow the fish.  I have not been in  his boat for over a year and could not figure out how to release the anchor as he got more frantic.  I finally succeeded but evidently also released the float on the end of the anchor line.

We boated two big male pink salmon well downstream and went back to try to retrieve the anchor by hooking the unseen anchor rope with our fishing gear.

Of course, now we hooked fish every cast instead of dredging up the anchor line!  Double after double!  I switched to a heavy hand line with a three ounce sinker on the end and two single 4/0 hooks tied 3 inches and 8 inches above the sinker.  Hooked a large pink salmon the first throw!!  

He’s going to go back tomorrow with his son and try to retrieve the anchor with a grapnel.  Otherwise I will buy him an anchor, though this one was a custom built item.

Forgot the camera at home.  We brought home five pink salmon for my friend to smoke. 

[FinsnFur]

ewwwwwww! never put a greenhorn on the anchor
I'm glad to hear their hitting. I got a report the Salmon were biting over in Lake Michigan too, my old stomping grounds.

[Hawks Feather]

Man, I feel really sorry for you having to catch those fish.     That sure sounds like a good time (except for the anchor part).

Jerry

[Okanagan]

ewwwwwww! never put a greenhorn on the anchor

You got that right!!