Post by salmo on Nov 17, 2007 0:23:53 GMT
Another confession.
One of my many nicknames is Mr Simms. I have the G3 waders which get worn 3 days a week in summer and when it rains out comes the simms G3 wading jacket.
Deep down I am just an honest to goodness salmon angler.
I went on a guided trip in Alaska which was organised by one of my pals in Houston. We flew over the Cook Inlet from Anchorage and landed on a lake. A helicopter picked us up and took us up the narrow chuitna river. The vietnam vet flying it made sure we appreciated his skills though the various canyons.
When I got the phone call I was told that all the gear was provided at the camp and that we were encouraged not to bring our own gear to save weight.
By the time I arrived the best gear was loaned out and I borrowed a campsite quality spinning rod and reel. It was hard to hide my disappointment. The bail arm was loose and the drag was set for mackerel (or so I believed).
I told the guide about the drag being too light and he said "The King Salmon round these parts are like hooking your lure onto the back of a motorbike and they take off so fast that you need a light drag" (I thought bullshitting b*stard)
I nodded reluctantly and tackled him about the loose bail arm. He said "It'll be fine trust me!"
In the next 10 minutes I hooked and lost one decent fish. Then I hooked solid and the fish took off downstream (like a motor bike). The guide said "Let him run - he will turn 180 at the shallows and head back up like a train"
Sure enough the fish turned around at the shallows. I wound like f*ck and kept the lne tight until the fish arrive at the place he was first hooked. The guide said "don't panic Mr P. just let him run the pool a couple of times and tire himself out "
The fish went downstream once more and then he started to tire.
I brought him in on a shingle bank downstream.
The guide was really excited and said "he's a hog, a g'ddammed hog, this is is one of the biggest we have seen this season." As soon as the fish was safely landed he said "Are you goin' to quit pissin and moaning about the f'ckin' bail arm now - you Brits are always whining!"
We measured the fish and calculated the weight - a brightish 45lb King Salmon on a campsite rod. Big lessons learned for me was the light drag. The friction through the rod rings is significant when the fish run so hard. I also learned that the biggest salmon in Alaska can be had on tiny lures.
The other lesson was that technique can overcome budget.
I landed 7 other fish that day. Two around 30lb, 1 at 25lb and the remainder above 20lb.
I also caught a specimen wild rainbow which the guide would not let me even take out of the water as it was not a migratory fish.
What tales do you have of big salmon on cheap gear?
salmo
One of my many nicknames is Mr Simms. I have the G3 waders which get worn 3 days a week in summer and when it rains out comes the simms G3 wading jacket.
Deep down I am just an honest to goodness salmon angler.
I went on a guided trip in Alaska which was organised by one of my pals in Houston. We flew over the Cook Inlet from Anchorage and landed on a lake. A helicopter picked us up and took us up the narrow chuitna river. The vietnam vet flying it made sure we appreciated his skills though the various canyons.
When I got the phone call I was told that all the gear was provided at the camp and that we were encouraged not to bring our own gear to save weight.
By the time I arrived the best gear was loaned out and I borrowed a campsite quality spinning rod and reel. It was hard to hide my disappointment. The bail arm was loose and the drag was set for mackerel (or so I believed).
I told the guide about the drag being too light and he said "The King Salmon round these parts are like hooking your lure onto the back of a motorbike and they take off so fast that you need a light drag" (I thought bullshitting b*stard)
I nodded reluctantly and tackled him about the loose bail arm. He said "It'll be fine trust me!"
In the next 10 minutes I hooked and lost one decent fish. Then I hooked solid and the fish took off downstream (like a motor bike). The guide said "Let him run - he will turn 180 at the shallows and head back up like a train"
Sure enough the fish turned around at the shallows. I wound like f*ck and kept the lne tight until the fish arrive at the place he was first hooked. The guide said "don't panic Mr P. just let him run the pool a couple of times and tire himself out "
The fish went downstream once more and then he started to tire.
I brought him in on a shingle bank downstream.
The guide was really excited and said "he's a hog, a g'ddammed hog, this is is one of the biggest we have seen this season." As soon as the fish was safely landed he said "Are you goin' to quit pissin and moaning about the f'ckin' bail arm now - you Brits are always whining!"
We measured the fish and calculated the weight - a brightish 45lb King Salmon on a campsite rod. Big lessons learned for me was the light drag. The friction through the rod rings is significant when the fish run so hard. I also learned that the biggest salmon in Alaska can be had on tiny lures.
The other lesson was that technique can overcome budget.
I landed 7 other fish that day. Two around 30lb, 1 at 25lb and the remainder above 20lb.
I also caught a specimen wild rainbow which the guide would not let me even take out of the water as it was not a migratory fish.
What tales do you have of big salmon on cheap gear?
salmo