by Jason Brooks, June 18, 2013

Some people celebrate the unofficial start of summer with a Memorial Day barbecue, my kids say it starts with school letting out, but for me summer officially begins with my annual trip to Westport for Chinook. The summer salmon season actually opened Saturday, June 8th, but I was sidelined with my oldest son’s baseball championship, a well-deserved excuse to miss the opener. My fishing partner, Grant Blinn, called me after that weekend to let me know that the weather didn’t look too good so he rescheduled the trip. My annual summer start was back on and I can’t believe it has been a year since I was last there. I wrote about the 2012 opener and how to fish it last summer, which you can find in the archives under the articles tab for saltwater, so this time around it’s more about the adventure and a few extra tips to catch a few of those Westport Kings.

The extra week after the opener gave me a chance to talk with Pete Chadwick, another good friend who happens to own River Bend Jigs and Bait (360-482-2257 or riverbendjigs.com). Pete had been trying out new baits for the past four years and finally came up with a pre-brined and pre-dyed herring that is hitting the store freezers that same week. Once Pete found out we were heading to Westport he was willing to give me have a few trays of his new baits. How could I turn that down?

A quick meet up on the side of highway 12 just past the Satsop River, Pete’s home waters, and I had a cooler of baits ready to go. The pre-brined and pre-dyed, and even pre-plug cut herring not only saves time, like days of time if you brine and dye your own, but also makes it easy to have a variety of baits and colors for the days outing in smaller batches. While road siding with Pete he told me that if I have any unused bait to keep it in the cooler and once I get home to throw it into the fridge where it will easily keep for several weeks. In fact he has a batch that has been in his fridge for the past 21 weeks and is still in good shape. He says it has to do with their brining process, which he described is more of a curing process like pepperoni or other hard meats. All I know is that this means no more wasted bait at the end of the day!

We rolled into Westport just as the town was closing down. Most stores and restaurants close by 9:00 PM but we made it just before Bennett’s Fish Shack locked the doors for some Halibut and Chips with a pint of local micro-brew. After a four and a half hour nap at a hotel we headed to the launch. The line was already several blocks long but it only took us 20 minutes to get the boat in the water and truck parked. We hit the water just as the sun peaked over the horizon and the water was calm with a nice ride out to the bar. It was the easiest crossing I had ever had. What a great way to start the salmon season.

Once we got to where we thought we wanted to go I turned on my cell phone and already had three messages from Ralph Thomas, a salt fishing fanatic, wondering where we were. He had already hooked and released three wild kings. I called Ralph back and found out they were six miles from us so we pulled up out gear and hauled as fast as we could before the bite was off. We met up with Ralph just after he boated their first clipped king of the day.

We fished alongside Ralph most of the day, working bait balls with cut plug herring. Every time we crossed a bait ball I would get excited and tell Grant, along with Dean Dumais, our “new guy” who had never fished for Chinook or out in the ocean before, to watch the rods. I rigged up a third rod with a simple 6 oz. banana weight and a plug cut herring and the next bait ball we went over I opened the bail and dropped the rig down to the bottom as fast as I could in the 40 feet of water we were cruising in. As I put pressure on the reel to keep it from causing a birds nest I felt the bite and waited until the fish pulled line from the reel. As I set the hook I handed the rod to Dean for his first ever king. Unfortunately it was an undersized fish. Quickly released and we were back fishing again.

It seemed every time we looked over at Ralph’s boat someone was fighting a fish. When Dean was reeling in the small king I looked at Ralph and noticed they had a double going on, I also noticed very few boats around us. Sometimes chasing the “flotilla” of boats is not a good thing. Instead find the bait and you will find the kings.
Several hours went by and the third rod finally got bit again. Dean once more grabbed the rod and caught his first ocean Coho, which wasn’t open for another week so it was released and once again our fish box stayed empty. We continued to fish and watch Ralph’s boat catch fish after fish. Finally frustrated at our attempts to catch some kings we found a bait ball and refused to leave it, circling it and cutting through it several times and it paid off as the port rod popped off the downrigger with a mature king. We were fishing in 38 feet of water with only 25 feet of cable out and the plug cut herring just 20 feet behind the boat. With roughly 45 feet of line out Dean reeled as fast as he could as the king ran at the boat. I began to tell Grant to clear the middle rod but Dean’s excitement took over and started shouting for us to get the net. Both Grant and I knew that this fish was too hot to try and net this early but Dean had never caught a mature king and didn’t know their reputation of brute force and deep runs. As the king turned toward the bottom of the Pacific Dean clamped down and tried to pull the fish back, but instead pulled the barbless hooks free. Just like that and our first mature king was gone.

With spirits revitalized and fishing the bait hard within an hour we hooked up with another king, an even bigger king. Dean was a pro this time, listening to my coaching as I drove the boat away from the fish to keep it from tangling with the lines and downrigger cables while Grant cleared them all. Finally the fish was tiring and came closer to the boat with each run. Dean didn’t like being behind Grant as Grant stood ready with the net at the side of the boat so he jockeyed around to the back corner. As the big fish came along the boat I gave one warning at the helm and asked them to keep the fish away from the motor, just feet away from Dean. Grant went in with the net fast and hard to keep the fish from another run, just as the fish turned and ran hard right at the net, striking it right at the leaders end and snap. The line broke and the fish dove for the bottom. At first I didn’t know what happened and figured Grant missed with the net as he said he was sorry to Dean. Then Dean lifted the lifeless rod and grabbed the leader. I laughed and said “That’s salmon fishing!”

I called Ralph to let him know that we decided to head into port. He asked if we had any bait left as he had gone through five trays and was about out. I had a tray and a half left of some of Pete’s “good stuff” and we motored alongside of his 26 ft. Striper, pitching the bait aboard Ralph was all smiles as he planned to fish until the late evening.

We called it a day and headed for Westport crossing the bar without issues and a nice ride back in to the dock. Grays Harbor Sheriffs were there to do a quick inspection as well as the fish checker to see if we caught any fish. Both saw our looks of despair as we told the story of the “Big one that got away” and reassured us that the fishing was slow for most. The fish checker had only checked one boat that had limits for the day. She obviously hadn’t met Ralph yet.

Ralph called me just as I pulled into my driveway back in Puyallup. He couldn’t believe the day he had, telling me he had 27 hook ups, with 5 doubles, adding 3 of them from the bait Pete gave me. They released 3 wild fish in the upper 20 pound range and had a double of “hogs” as he called them pushing the 30 pound mark but lost both fish right at the boat. He also asked if he could get some more of Pete’s herring. I told him only if I get to come along next time! If you are planning on heading out to Westport take good herring, don’t worry about where the fleet of boats are, and just look for the bait balls and stay with them until the king’s bite.

Sidebar: Westport at a glance:

Best place to eat: Benny’s Fish Shack serves the best Halibut and Chips around

Best place to stay: Chateau Westport (it even has an indoor pool for the kids)

Boat Launch: the 4 lane launch is located right in town and cost $5. Moorage is also right in town and for just $15 a night it’s the best way to beat the launch lines if fishing multiple days.

How to fish Westport: Good bait and a good sonar is all that is needed. Troll through herring balls with a plug cut and a 6 oz banana weight or off of a downrigger. Dodgers are optional and not really needed as long as you work the bait balls. If you want the best bait around, even already plug cut, brined and dyed a multitude of colors check out River Bend Jigs & Bait (riverbendjigs.com) also available at several stores in Westport (ask for it at local Puget Sound tackle shops or call Pete directly for it).

Important Safety Note: The Westport Bar can be one of the most dangerous ocean entryways in North America. Heed the Coast Guard warnings and know the weather forecast well in advance. Keep a marine radio (UHF/VHF) and a GPS handy along with wearing a life jacket.



By Jason Brooks