I felt I should update the ongoing tale of woe and despair, that being of course, Whorde Tries to Catch a Salmon.

Episode 9

Tuesday, September 23, after work and exercise I headed to the pier at Edmonds. I had a bobber with herring under it for about 45 minutes till it got dark. No bites. So then I put some herring down on the bottom and got a few bites. I think I reeled up a crab.

Episode 10

Wednesday, again work, exercise, head to pier. Again about 45 minutes of light with the bobber out, no bites. Again drug some around on the bottom after - this time I landed something little, threw it back, then I hooked something more substantial. Didn't know what it was, so I hauled it over to the pictures on the wall - turns out it appears to be a quillback rockfish. Good sized, about 12-13 inches I'd guess. Threw it back also.

Episode 11

Thursday same thing, no bites on the bobber, caught another rockfish but was more yellow, but it fell off the hook so no picture.

Episode 12

Friday same thing, no bites on bobber, again I pulled up a rockfish and a couple of crab I think. Apparently it's not super hard to catch things from the pier - it's just super hard to catch anything that is legal to keep.

Episode 13

Still not willing to throw in the the towel, on Saturday I had line in water by 6:30 am. Saw a guy catch a fish with a bobber at 7:30 so finally I know it can actually be done. There were 5 of us that stayed with bobbers out. Second guy caught a fish around 8:30, 3rd guy around 9, 4th guy had a bite but it fell off shortly after - who was the only guy of 5 to not get a bite? Yep, that was me. I left about 1, when the school of about 30 that was swimming around dead centered my herring and didn't even glance at it. Came back about 5:30, stayed till dark, no bites.

Episode 14

And now we reach Sunday. Six days in a row of fishing. Again I was there at 6:30. This time the bobber crowd showed up like the meant it. By 10:00 when I left there were 10 or 11 bobbers in the water. The guy who caught the first fish on Saturday had something attack his bobber, and I think he had a take down but the hook didn't set. Not long after, the guy who kept throwing his bobber across my line caught a small salmon. We all waited around about another hour with nothing, then some guy pitching a lure around the corner into the deeper water landed one. Then I left.

For the 6 days, I caught a handfull of rockfish, a couple of little tiny sole maybe 5 inches, and I managed to somehow hook one of the pogies that kept devouring my herring. Zero salmon, zero bites. I dont know what I'm going to have to do to catch a salmon I can keep .... gill netting from my rubber raft perhaps? Sigh.

I did learn that crab, rockfish, and sole all like perch just as well as they like herring, and since perch is tough as an old boot, it makes much superior bait.

---