I got the ultimate last-minute invite today from the Seattle mooching legend himself, Captain Keith Robbins, the big kahuna over at Spot Tail Guides, an exclusive mooching salmon fishing and fly fishing charter based out of Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood. We headed out for a couple hours of fun-fishing, there was a pretty inviting midday tide change at Jeff Head and we figured it was worth soaking a few cut plugs.
We cruised across Puget Sound to Jeff Head with a couple rods and a cooler full of herring. I love the simplicity of mooching, and although I am often found trolling with my beloved electric downriggers, mooching offers a completely hands-on fishing experience… nothing separates you from the fish except a small sinker and a couple dozen yards of fishing line.
Hunting For Bait
There were huge plumes of bait around and we set up for a couple drifts. Salmon followed up the bait all the way to the surface. The dogfish were around but didn’t pester us too much. We caught a couple juvenile Chinook and then Keith hooked a really nice one! It was awesome to get out for my first mooching trip of the summer. Hopefully with many more to come!
If you want to learn more about this fun way to catch salmon… check out my Riptidefish post: Master the Art of Salmon Mooching.
Easy Breezy Resident Coho Salmon Fishing in Puget Sound Report
