😂

Not great, really. I usually launch at Sunnyside Beach Park. There is free parking there but it's a little tough to get the kayak down to the water because the beach is rocky and has a bunch of logs. It's also a 2+ mile haul to Fox Island unless you point your kayak directly at it, which is somewhat dangerous because of boat traffic. You can find free parking near the golf course, but then you have to haul your kayak about 1/4 mile down the trail and carry it down a set of stairs. Also beware of the currents. I forgot to mention that in the video, but it's fairly close to the narrows, which have notoriously strong currents. That said, it's a beautiful area and there are fish there. You just have to put in some work.

I found it by accident but I’ll be back!

Thanks! It between Tukwila international blvd and I 5. The fishing was pretty consistent through that stretch. I was bike fishing and ended up at a few different places.

Thanks for the sub!

I fished a variety of places between Tukwila international blvd and I 5. All seemed promising. I was biking the trail and stopping anywhere that seemed fishy. They seem mostly gone now though.

Not totally sure of the brand, but it was 1/4 oz pink and white pattern. This was filmed last week in Tukwila. I tried the same spot this weekend and there were 1/10 as many fish. I caught one.

Thanks! I was more surprised than anything.

Believe it or not, I’ve never jigged for salmon. The hot time for coho is August and September, so I’d guess that’s your most likely slot. If I were to try it, I’d hit a point sometime before high tide around then.

Well, where he's fishing, he's also at risk from the water and the mud.

That was more on my mind. I know the duwamish used to be the most polluted river in the United States. But good point about the needles. I’ll probably suffer through the sloshy boots next time.

@@kayakfishingpnw used to be? Keep telling yourself that.

I don’t know forest park. It was somewhere between 599 and I 5. I literally just hopped on a bike and cruised the trail listening and looking for jumping fish and shore access. There are lots of spots in that stretch and Im pretty confident that there are plenty more up river from there. I also fished for coho in the river this year. I had some luck with pink #5 spinners but they were pretty hard to catch. Chums have been a lot easier. I fished 3 days and caught at least 15. Good luck!

Yup in Tukwila

Thanks again for the great tips!

@@kayakfishingpnw Will you share the place ? Where is this ?

I see the most people out at low tide but I was catching them well into the incoming tide. This was my 3rd through 11th ever bobber down from a salmon so I’m definitely still learning. There are more places to stand and you can cast farther into the river when it’s low tide, so it could just be logistics.

Right now it don't matter you can get them All the way to the hatchery when it opens. But to get your best fish in the lower end, fishing the outgoing tide until it starts coming back up. Unless you fish between Kent and tukawilla,

Thanks! It was Friday at around 3 pm. I wanted to get straight to fishing, so I shot the into after filming the rest of it. It was low light because the sun was setting.

Fairly close. I’m usually targeting halibut when I’m in the strait so I’ve hit the hump northwest of seal rock a few times. Looking at a bathymetry map those look like great lingcod and rockfish spots. Are there halibut around there?

Ya, I’m getting less and less sold on them. This experience definitely has me less interested in using them.

Fair point. I was basically just making fun of myself. I trolled for something like 4 hours without catching anything because my leader was too short. When I finally fixed the issue I caught a fish that would probably put me at 450th place. So, I “self disqualified” by not weighing my fish and going after pinks instead. Great event! Thank you for hosting it!

@@kayakfishingpnw whew. I was worried! Looks from your other video you did better this year! We try to have at least a small merchandise prize for a lot of anglers and every kid who enters. Thanks for supporting the club (Puget Sound Anglers Sno-King chapter)!

Unfortunately no. I’d love to hit neah bay one more time but probably won’t this year. Any exciting catches while you were out there?

@kayakfishingpnw Nothing crazy but brought home Ling, rock, greenling and a salmon from Seiku. Saw a juvenile whale very close to the Yak. It's all gonna be sushi this week!

Nice!

Thanks! Nice meeting you too. That chum you hooked seemed massive. Too bad it got off. Subscribed.

Thanks for watching! I use a Scotty Lake troller. I’d like to upgrade to something that can take a 6 or 8 lb ball but I’m hesitant because of the extra strain on the kayak. For divers vs downriggers, I’d say it depends on your goals and the species you are targeting. I think divers are more fun, so if I think I can catch fish on them I’m likely to use those. If I’m really focusing on catching fish I will use a downrigger. IMHO, one of the most effective salmon rigs you can use is an 11” flasher with either a hoochie or spoon and you can’t run something that big with a diver. You will also never hit 100’+ depth with a diver so king fishing seems more limited. I’m planning on experiments it more over the winter, so stay tuned to find out how that goes. And, again, I’d be a lot more confident king fishing with a glowing 11” flasher.

Ya, I usually pack light. This is the first time I’ve ever broken a trolling rod so it didn’t even occur to me to grab an extra. I might start bringing a dedicated diver rod now though.

Very good questions. I can’t give a complete answer but maybe a couple pointers. I don’t know much about pfds beyond them requiring coast guard approval. I pick bright colors-especially orange for just about everything though. Pockets are also good to have. You should definitely have a waterproof phone and vhf radio attached to you at all times. Store the coast guard’s phone number in your phone and make sure you can make calls with just your voice. Alone is not recommended. I do it because I like the solitude. If you do make sure to know all details about the area including current patterns, how waves react to wind, boat traffic, and even low tide hazards. Stay in your comfort zone and respect the weather. Stay near shore whenever possible. Most of the time a dry suit is required. Have a brightly colored flag or additions to your net. I’m hoping to release a video in the coming months on how I approach safety. Stay tuned!

Nice! I’ve only fished there once but that makes sense. Thanks for sharing.

A lot of people don’t. I find that it saves time. When you have a shaker or seaweed on you have to bring them both up anyway. If you winch it in with the downrigger it seems like less work and you can get it done faster.

So he can lose it at the last second 🤣🤣

Lol

Id recommend downloading the Fish Washington app. Rock fish retention is often open for certain species at various times through the summer and fall in marine areas 1-4 and I think sometimes 5. Rules change annually and emergency regulations pop up over night. So I just check the app before every trip.

@@kayakfishingpnw thanks!!

Thanks for watching and sharing your tips! I definitely like the simplicity of attaching weights to the line. I tend to prefer rigs that don’t require me to set the hook. That’s the only reason I tend to favor downriggers and divers. When either unclips the rod lurches forward for me to set the hook. That’s just me though. Glad you have success with clip on weights!

It’s probably not obvious in the video, but my net extends about 4’ in the air and I put about 4 square feet of blaze orange duck tape on it for visibility. I also made a point of going with a bright orange kayak with a brightly colored life jacket. I also keep a really careful eye out for all boats-not just commercial traffic. I’m also definitely aware that doesn’t eliminate any risk.

A lot of factors go into it. Sounds like you were likely in a higher current area than I was. I have the fastest kayak Hobie makes (revo 13) and I upgraded to turbo fins. I also try to go with the current. I might go out an hour before high tide and troll one direction then reverse later.

@@kayakfishingpnw I have an old Town Salty which is the fastest that Old Town makes. I was near the Point Robinson area and did seem to have a good amount of current. I couldn't see how deep my ball was on the fish finder because of so much blowback.

Thanks!

Not really. Its pretty much hot no matter what. I wear breathable shorts and a t shirt under. If you get really hot you can splash water on yourself or dip your feet in. I kept getting splashed by waves in this video so it wasn’t an issue for this video.

Sure. Here's my "how I" video for coho. Goes through the whole rig. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXu0aaeNqK6CjqM

Thanks for the feedback. It is especially difficult with the wind noise. Some people use Bluetooth mics. I'll consider it. I'm a little wary about bringing more water-sensitive electronics aboard, but I will investigate. I've started providing the gear and bait I use in the description. I was assuming it would be sort of boring to hear in each video. Happy to start including it if it would be helpful. I was wearing a dry suit in this video. On hot days, I often wear hiking pants. They're made of fast-wicking UV-protective material. I get them at Costco for about $12.

@@kayakfishingpnw Thanks for the response and good luck with your channel!

Thanks! It's called an AquaVu. I used to use GoFish Cam but I think they're going out of business. The first two AquaVu cameras I used either didn't work out of the box or broke the first trip. This one has endured a bit. Maybe their improving their QA? There is not light on it and it's only rated to go down 100' but the battery lasts for something like 5 hours.

@@kayakfishingpnw yes GoFishCam is out of business. Sad as I liked their camera and used it (still do) for a variety of underwater shots. That all said, I’m looking to try a new camera this Fall called the CanFish, it was released earlier this year. I’m planning to do a comparison video and it may be my new goto camera, we’ll see.

Coho: I go fast (3 mph+) and target depths between 40 and 70 feet often in 200+ foot water. I generally use hoochies to avoid shakers. Chinook: I go slow (1.5 to no more than 2.5 mph) and keep the bait 10-20 ft off bottom in depths of 80-140 feet. I generally use spoons because I don't catch as many shakers at depth. Hoochies work too. That said you will catch one using the other technique with some regularity. Small chinook are virtually unavoidable while coho fishing.

The best I've come up with is just putting out less line. E.g. use a 70' diver but only let out 50' of line to get it down to about 30-35'. They definitely will still bite on a 70' diver 35' down. It seems to add a lot of drag to do that though.

I’ve only caught one, so definitely not an expert but I’ve been told they don’t make it that far south in the sound. They’re more in the strait and ocean. Be very careful if you want to target them there. The weather is much rougher and it tends to be notably cooler. Lingcod are a good warm up fish and they are definitely in the sound. Thanks for watching!

Ya. Cabezon are the largest of the sculpin family.

Not totally. Out right now and I have one aboard. Hooked another but my snap broke! Rivers are/soon will be more productive.

@@kayakfishingpnw sweet. maybe i will try again next weekend