by John Keizer

There’s a dream like quality of an angler fighting a large ocean returning chinook, the downrigger release popping and the sound of his reel singing as a summer salmon makes his run to the deep dark waters of Puget Sound. This dream is about to happen on a daily basis for anglers fishing the south Puget Sound this summer where large runs of hatchery fish will soon be returning.

Right now the fish have been averaging 6-12 pounds, but that will soon change as the summer fish start to show in July, making there way back to local river systems providing plenty of action for salmon anglers.

Starting off the summer action look for fish retuning to the Puyallup River in mid-July through August. Your best chance at intercepting these fish will be off the Clay Banks and Slag Pile area near Pt. Defiance and over on the south end of Vashon Island near Pt. Dalco moving down to the Puyallup River mouth in August.

At the peak of the Puyallup run you will start seeing some of the Nisqually River kings making their presence known. These are some of the best salmon South Sound has to offer, they are hard-fighting and it’s not at all unusual to see some fish landed each year weighing in at 30 pounds.

This fishery will start around the last week of July in the Tacoma area and run through August with most of the late August action taking place off the green can near the mouth of the Nisqually River, McAllister Creek mouths on the Nisqually Delta.

August also sees the return of the Chambers Creek run of salmon located just a little north of the town of Steilacoom. These cookie cutter kings as many of the locals refer to them all look like they came out of a mold, mostly weighing between 10-15 pounds.

They stack up in August off the creek mouths making a heyday for jiggers and moochers.

HOW TO FISH:
Moochers go light a medium action steelhead rod, with a Shimano Tekota 300 size reel and 10-12 pound test for main line and an assortment of 2 (6 oz.) sinkers use the minimum amount of weight you need to reach bottom.

Super sharp Mustad 92640N fine wire hooks are a moochers dream. They have a small eye and don’t tear up the bait. Size 3/0-4/0 work great this time of the year. Tie them on long 6-8 ft. leaders and use a good quality ball bearing swivel to prevent line twist.

Run the 4/0 hook in the top of the cut plug with the 3/0 as a trailer. Using a sold tie and fresh herring work the best.

You general experience two kinds of "takes" fishing this way. The norm is the tap tap tap on the bait where you feed it to him until you feel steady pressure, then wail on him to set the hook if you’re fishing mono line. If you’re a super braid line guy then just start reeling to set the hook. A good hook set is important as you want that barbless hook to penetrate that tough bony jaw of the salmon.

The second take is not so nice; the king will grab the bait and head for the river mouth like a freight train. When this happens let him go and hope you tied good knots, Try to keep your boat close to the fish so you’re not cut off by anyone. The area is busy this time of the year.

The key to landing big fish is to play them out. Best summer mooching depth is 90-120 ft. Shallow early in the morning and deeper as the day gets brighter. Check out our fishing maps on SaltPatol.com for top salmon fishing locations.

TROLLING:
Downriggers rule here, I personally find this method of fishing on my boat day after day the most productive way to fish Puget Sound for salmon.

I fish 3 Scotty electric downriggers off my 26 ft. Team Lowrance boat. The advantage of covering lots of productive water, targeting the exact water depth the fish are holding and playing fish on light tackle without any weight is a hard combination to beat.

I run Shimano Tekota 500LC reels with G. Loomis SAR1265C rods; with a 25 lb. test main line to a golf tee and a ball bearing snap swivel. This attaches to the flasher.

TROLLING TACKLE:
If there are lots of fish around nothing beats a whole or cut plug herring off the downrigger. With nothing between you and the fish but a couple of hooks, this provide the most fun catching summer kings.

If the fish are the least bit finicky or scattered or the dogfish are around pull out the hardware.

Large Pro-Troll flashers produce lots of sound in the water and will greatly increase your catch. Run a Gold Star green spatter back squid 40 in behind the flasher on 50 lb. test mono or a Silver Horde Ace High Fly. Both of these rigs have been very productive over the past few seasons.

If you like spoons or plugs the Silver Horde King Fisher Lite works very well and so does the Sonic edge spoon. These are all run on 25 lb. leader behind the flasher. I have had good results with the green spatter back patterns and the green glow. The Silver Horde all glow white plugs work well also. Get the ones with the rattle as they have produced better for me.

LOCATING FISH:
Most of the best summer king trolling takes place in 70-150 ft. of water, watch your sonar and set the riggers to the depth your marking fish. Many times these transiting fish are not found on the bottom like winter blackmouth but are found in the mid water.

Normally I would troll until we mark fish on the Lowrance HDS unit under the boat and set the downriggers accordingly to target the salmon at that depth. However, you still needed to troll over top of fish to figure out where they are holding in the water column under the boat. Now with the introduction of the Lowrance Structure Scan that has all changed! I can now scan 300 ft. either side of the boat and look at the water column from top to bottom. This allows me to easily move the boat in the depth or water the fish are moving through. Does this work? You bet as it opens up a new 3D approach to fishing. I can even see other angler’s downrigger balls troll by and see what depth their fishing at.

The Structure Scan can be added to any Lowrance HDS unit as a plug and play transducer system.

DERBY TIME:
The Gig Harbor Puget Sound Anglers 15th Annual Salmon Derby is a fun one to fish and has some super great prizes. It kicks off at dawn on Saturday, August 14th with first place $2000, 2nd place $1500, 3rd Place $1000. There are also many valuable merchandise and travel prizes. Tickets cost $25.00 and can be purchased at Outdoor Emporium, Sportco, Auburn Sports, Narrows Bait &Tackle and the Pt. Defiance Boathouse.

For more information and tips on fishing this derby attend my pre-derby seminar on Tuesday 10 August at the Gig Harbor PSA meeting held at the Tacoma Outboard Association in Tacoma. It’s free and starts at 7 pm.

Get out and enjoy this fishery, it’s looking like a great salmon summer in the South Sound.

South Sound
Kings Info:
Season: Areas 11&13 open now for 2 salmon a day 1 hatchery chinook. Best fishing for Chinook mid July –August for migratory kings.

Who to call: Narrows Bait & Tackle (253-564-4222) Pt. Defiance Boathouse (253-591-5325) Zittles Marina (360-459-1950)

Launches: Pt. Defiance Ramp is the most popular locate at Point Defiance Park. Narrows Marina is a short run from just south of the Narrows Bridge. There is a launch with a dock in Gig Harbor. There is also a ramp at Zittles Marina near Johnson Pt.

What to bring: Mooching tackle, sinkers, leaders, and fresh herring. Trolling Pro-Troll 11” flashers, Ace High flies, green Gold Star Squids and Kingfisher spoons.

ORDER YOUR
FISH STICKERS
HERE!

FISH STICKERS | WRITER’S PROFILES | 25 YEAR HISTORY OF THE REEL NEWS | LINKS