The Bait Shop Guy
07-22-2009, 11:55 PM
I took Brian Helgamo out for some salmon action south of town tonight. He started coming to the shop with his dad back when I was still taller than him, (that was quite a long time ago!)
We started just south of Portage Point on the East side of the channel. We trolled north past the red buoy, crossed the channel towards Escanaba, and went almost as far south as Portage again. Didn't mark squat for bait that whole way, except for a few small bait balls where we first started. I told Brian we had to make a move, and we headed back another mile or so south of where we started. We instantly started marking huge bait balls 25 to 45 feet down in the shallower 65 to 85 foot water. By the time we got everything set up again, we were in 90+ FOW, and not marking any bait. We started to move back to the shallower water when we hooked a 4 pound king on a Bish's Bruiser cheater line. Reset that one and had a Chilly Willie Silver Streak take the next one on a rigger line set 30 feet down. All this time we were going through more bait than I think I've ever seen in that area. The Chilly Willie hooks the next fish, which screams out a ton of line. Little did we know this fish would set off a chain of events that reminds you why we love/hate salmon fishing!
The fish was on the surface well off to the port side, past the leadcore out on a planer board (mast type.) I hoped it was over the core, but as it swam over to the starboard side, I could see the core was pulling pretty hard. I popped it out of the release and had it about halfway in when I found both the cheater AND Brian's main line wrapped up around the core. This was right after sunset, so I had to dig out my headlamp before I could start cutting and untangling lines.
Right in the middle of all this, Brian says "Man, look at all the bait down there." I say, "Yeah, that's what you want to see," pointing to the big hooks around the bait ball. Of course, that's when the second rigger line pops (Flounder Pounder 40 down,) and the fish starts dancing back behind the boat.
I finally get Brian's line free of the core, and clear one of the dipsys, before getting to the rigger rod which somehow still has the fish hooked. Get that one in and it turns out to be a steelhead (I never caught one off of Esky before.) Unhooked it and threw it in in the well.
Brian's fish has now crossed over the starboard planer board bait, so now I have to get it in and out of the way. His fish passes the board, then starts heading back behind the boat. Brian threads the rod around the tow line, and the fish starts coming to the side of the boat. Things are pretty tight onboard my rig, space wise. As a result, I don't bother to bring a net. Small fish get pulled over the transom, and the bigger ones get gaffed by the motor - at least that's the plan. Brian's fish decided to make one last lunge by the boat, and got the line wrapped around the downrigger cable. I start trying to gaff the sucker, but can't get a good hit on it. Finally after 5 or 6 swings, it connects and I flop it over the rail. It's the big fish of the night at 14 1/2 pounds. I think that 10 minutes of insanity is why we play this game!
After going through the gear, we still had 2 rigger rods that hadn't been cut, and dropped them back down to 30 and 35 feet. Flounder Pounder took one more hit, but didn't stay hooked.
Ended up going 4 for 5. I think I know where I'll be headed after work Thursday night!
We started just south of Portage Point on the East side of the channel. We trolled north past the red buoy, crossed the channel towards Escanaba, and went almost as far south as Portage again. Didn't mark squat for bait that whole way, except for a few small bait balls where we first started. I told Brian we had to make a move, and we headed back another mile or so south of where we started. We instantly started marking huge bait balls 25 to 45 feet down in the shallower 65 to 85 foot water. By the time we got everything set up again, we were in 90+ FOW, and not marking any bait. We started to move back to the shallower water when we hooked a 4 pound king on a Bish's Bruiser cheater line. Reset that one and had a Chilly Willie Silver Streak take the next one on a rigger line set 30 feet down. All this time we were going through more bait than I think I've ever seen in that area. The Chilly Willie hooks the next fish, which screams out a ton of line. Little did we know this fish would set off a chain of events that reminds you why we love/hate salmon fishing!
The fish was on the surface well off to the port side, past the leadcore out on a planer board (mast type.) I hoped it was over the core, but as it swam over to the starboard side, I could see the core was pulling pretty hard. I popped it out of the release and had it about halfway in when I found both the cheater AND Brian's main line wrapped up around the core. This was right after sunset, so I had to dig out my headlamp before I could start cutting and untangling lines.
Right in the middle of all this, Brian says "Man, look at all the bait down there." I say, "Yeah, that's what you want to see," pointing to the big hooks around the bait ball. Of course, that's when the second rigger line pops (Flounder Pounder 40 down,) and the fish starts dancing back behind the boat.
I finally get Brian's line free of the core, and clear one of the dipsys, before getting to the rigger rod which somehow still has the fish hooked. Get that one in and it turns out to be a steelhead (I never caught one off of Esky before.) Unhooked it and threw it in in the well.
Brian's fish has now crossed over the starboard planer board bait, so now I have to get it in and out of the way. His fish passes the board, then starts heading back behind the boat. Brian threads the rod around the tow line, and the fish starts coming to the side of the boat. Things are pretty tight onboard my rig, space wise. As a result, I don't bother to bring a net. Small fish get pulled over the transom, and the bigger ones get gaffed by the motor - at least that's the plan. Brian's fish decided to make one last lunge by the boat, and got the line wrapped around the downrigger cable. I start trying to gaff the sucker, but can't get a good hit on it. Finally after 5 or 6 swings, it connects and I flop it over the rail. It's the big fish of the night at 14 1/2 pounds. I think that 10 minutes of insanity is why we play this game!
After going through the gear, we still had 2 rigger rods that hadn't been cut, and dropped them back down to 30 and 35 feet. Flounder Pounder took one more hit, but didn't stay hooked.
Ended up going 4 for 5. I think I know where I'll be headed after work Thursday night!