Today was one for the record books for Spot Tail Salmon Guides! One of my favorite Seattle fishing charters had a banner day on Puget Sound out of Seattle. It isn’t often that we get a chance to see a Chinook of this caliper so close to the Emerald City on Puget Sound, but the fact that it was a hatchery fish that could be kept was even more impressive! I watched it all happen from a hundred yards away and it looked like a battle for the ages.
Captain Sean Bowman had a crew of three and they mooched their way into a couple nice Coho and a very respectable high-teens Wild Chinook that was released. Near the end of the morning, David hooked into the trophy. The battle lasted for all of ten minutes. Ten minutes seems like an eternity in salmon fighting terms. You need to give credit, where credit is due, many anglers would lose their cool and find a way to lose a fish of this grade by getting too eager. David did well. Sean was vigilant with the net, but a big fish like this doesn’t enjoy being on the surface without a long battle. After bringing it close a number of times, it was finally ready for the net.
Sean weighed it on the Boga Grip scale at 29.5 pounds before it was bled. A true Tyee is any Chinook over 30 pounds. I’d say we give them the extra half pound benefit and call it a 30! I wandered over to Sean’s boat at the dock and that beast laying on the deck was one of the largest Chinook I’ve ever seen in Puget Sound!
Big fish caught on light mooching tackle like this requires a calm demeanor and care. Big fish like this don’t get close enough to the surface to net without giving plenty of nervousness to the angler and netter. But Sean and David did well, and brought it in! Such a rewarding and humbling experience to catching one of the biggest hatchery Chinook in Puget Sound for 2020! Well done gentlemen!
Puget Sound’s Marine Area 10 is open until the end of August for Chinook Salmon fishing, or until the quota is reached. Fishing hasn’t been red hot but there alot of big fish around this season. This is the year for a true trophy of your own!
Cabezon – Big Headed Crab Eater of the Reef
