Northwest Fishing Reports

I was just wondering what your guys favorite bait for chum is. I still havnt caught one yet so I was just looking for some pointers. I am more interested in river bait, but even bait to use in the sound will work too, just to give me a feel for the fish. Thanks fellas

Guys use smaller herring and anchovies under floats out in the salt. Bait for rivers though: I've heard just prawns from the grocery store, and tip your jigs with them...

jigs tipped with prawns - not from personal knowledge, just what I've heard. And yes, I will be trying it in the weeks to come!

Well I finally caught my first chum salmon. There was a few different baits that would work. We had a few bights on blue foxes and green hoochies. I foul hooked one on a hoochie and had one on. But the best bait was corkie and yarn. A chartreuse corkie and a red corkie worked, red yarn and chartreuse corkie also worked, just a plain chartreuse corkie. But the best was a chartreuse corkie and chartreuse yarn. Big and small corkies worked but I would say the smaller ones worked better.

Dont use bait for samlon in the rivers i found that pink Buzz bomb works best and use pink jiggs too

gpc

Congrats! Looking forward to marking that one off my list as well. Did you catch it in river or salt (I assume river)? Haven't seen a report (could be it hasn't been put up yet). I tried the Snohomish last Friday and didn't see (or catch) anything.

when do the chums come in? and when going to the carbon off of mcmillan bridge do you go off to the right or left? which is better and how far do you go. thanks

I'd suggest not using buzz bombs in rivers. Maybe at the mouths of some of the bigger rivers in the very slow water or tidal stretches, but up in the system, I would stay away from buzz bombs...

Chums are coming in as we speak. The bulk of the run is still in the salt, but they are in the rivers and ready to be caught..

Gringo Pescador wrote:gpc

Congrats! Looking forward to marking that one off my list as well. Did you catch it in river or salt (I assume river)? Haven't seen a report (could be it hasn't been put up yet). I tried the Snohomish last Friday and didn't see (or catch) anything.

Sorry Gringo, I typed up a reply to your question but I guess I forgot to click the "post" button. But anyway, thank you and I did catch it in a river. It was out of the Kennedy creek in the shelton area of highway 101. The creek wasnt listed under the river section to make a report so I just marked it as Kennedy creek and put it in the secret lake section. You should try to make it down there, tons of fish and its not even the peak of the run yet. But I wouldnt recommend keeping the. I havnt tried them smoked yet (brining right now) but I baked a fillet last night, it wasnt bad but I wouldnt have been able to guess it was a salmon.

Corkey and green yarn knocked em dead at hoods canal hatchery.

In the rivers,just spin and glow and yarn if youre in the part of the river where theres some flow,if not just put a corky on. Never tried the herring or anchovy thing yet but I've seen people catch chum off the shore in Hood Canal with it.

lilray8801 wrote:when do the chums come in? and when going to the carbon off of mcmillan bridge do you go off to the right or left? which is better and how far do you go. thanks

I don't know when they come in. I am waiting to catch one.
As far as I can figure there are 2 bridges that might be considered McMillan bridges. Both are over the Puyallup. One is on highway 162 by the mouth of the Carbon river. The other is closer to Sumner, turn on to Colburn-McCutcheon Rd this is the Puyallup river, also.
With the 162 bridge over the Puyallup if you park in the dirt by the bridge then go towards the Puyallup river you are facing south. When you get to the river go downstream (left, which will be eastward). It may be as little as 1/4 mile to the mouth of the Carbon which will be across on the right. If you follow the river downstream this is the Puyallup.
Google maps help get an idea of what the area is like.
click here

They are netting as heavily as they ever have and it's taking a toll on the Chum fishery. Not good runs to many of the areas systems this year...

Sam Kafelafish wrote:They are netting as heavily as they ever have and it's taking a toll on the Chum fishery. Not good runs to many of the areas systems this year...

If that is true it won't be just this year but others, also.

I like to use chartreuse green or purple jigs under a float or same colors yarn and corky drift fished. I also tie my own flies that I drift fish with for chums (mostly streamers).