Westport Success At Last
No one is happy when they come home after a fishing trip with no fish to show for it.
Westport somehow became my salmon-jinxed area when I first moved to Washington State 46 years ago.
For a few years, I dismissed lack of bites, missed strikes and broken lines to my being a novice. Being fishless is embarrassing, so I stopped going there. After catching several big salmon elsewhere, I returned to Westport in 2010 to show off my salmon skills. I came home with my head hung low. Skunked again!
Too stubborn to admit permanent defeat, my fishing partner Emery and I reserved seats on a charter boat in 2011. Internet research identified July 20 through August 10 as the most productive time to fish at Westport. Our crystal ball blinked once, then selected August 5. Deep Sea Charters placed us with the charter boat, Playboy II. When we were told the designated deck hand would be taking over for the regular skipper, it looked like a formula for failure. It would be the deck hand's first outing as skipper too. Both Scott and his new deckhand and friend Josh were fun, energetic, and optimistic however, so we kept our commitment to go out fishing.
The previous day produced the first salmon boat limit of the year for Playboy II. Even though the regular captain had been at the helm then, we took this as a good sign. Hopefully the elusive salmon had been located, and would now be there for our taking. No more "You should have been there yesterday" business. Following an hour boat run to our first location, I anxiously tossed my herring bait overboard and experienced the pleasure of a solid bite and hookup as I let out line. Following a brief tussle, the boat's first fish landed on board. It was a chubby 10 pound king. The pressure of 46 years of skunk was finally lifted.
We were told by our young crew to fish the top fifty to sixty feet of the water column for salmon. Strips of line were counted from the reel as we lowered the plug cut herring. If the line went slack, it signaled a bite. We were told to pause, allow the fish to clamp down on the bait, and then reel quickly. Scott and Josh raced around the boat, baiting hooks, netting fish and offering encouragement. For five hours, I vigorously worked my bait up and down. My effort produced twenty strikes plus several more follows. It was amazing action. Salmon followed the herring right up to the top. If I noticed in time, I stopped moving my bait and gave them a good look at it. This trick enticed several strikes, but only one hook up.
During a routine lowering of the herring cycle, my line went slack. I stopped stripping line but after five seconds, the line slowly tightened on its own and I began to reel. A big salmon sensed something was wrong with that dead bait, but stubbornly fought me for its possession. "Fish On" was soon followed by "It's a big one" as I danced around the boat with my bending rod. Several people stopped fishing just to watch the show and see the old guy sweat. Josh moved in expertly with the net, and soon had my 25 pounder flopping on the deck. Yippee! I had waited 46 years for this fun. Twenty minutes later a 17+ pounder took my bait and also ended up in the fish box.
Our fishing day ended earlier than scheduled. At 11:30 AM we quit fishing since, by then, we had 2 king salmon for everyone on the boat.
I had landed four of them myself and was allowed to keep my largest two fish of 25lb. & 17.5lb.
Emery also had fun on his side of the boat, performing his version of the salmon to the applause of those around him. Eventually he landed two kings in the teens. Our research and bait movement throughout the day had paid off. Finally I can say, with firsthand experience now, it is a lot easier to smile for those pictures that show you had a good time fishing, if you have an ice chest full of salmon.
