ADVANCED SALMON FISHING

Learning the basics of rigging the hooks on a cut plug herring was only part of the process, and not even the first part. You first have to determine what angle to make the cut. Cut it on a somewhat blunt angle down and across, and the herring will make the big, lazy twirls that are preferred by chinook. Targeting coho? Make a more acutely angled cut up to 45 degrees across and down, to get the tighter spin they prefer. The more streamlined shape stands up better to the higher trolling speeds used for coho.

That's only the first lesson. There's more, lots more to learn. How far should the baits be dropped back begind the boat? The fish might be shallow, or they might be deep. As few as six to nine pulls might work well early in the morning when the light is low and fish are shallower. Sixteen to 20 pulls might be necessary later on, especially when the sun is shining brightly as it did much of our time while we were there. But there are no set rules, so a good approach was to start out with one outfit shallow, the other deep, and find out what the fish prefer. Boat speed is another factor — slower for chinook, faster for silvers. Speeding up and slowing down, occasionally taking the engine out of gear, and making big zig-zags, are also effective tactics.

Deciding where to go each day also presents challenges, and every morning would begin with a strategy session to decide what to target and where to fish. The choices are many and scattered over many miles of watery estate. Was the primary target for the day to be high flying and usually coopertive cohos? Or are we going to try for the more discerning chinooks? Some of the spots, like the Wall, are renowned among salmon fishermen and are frequented by boats from the few other lodges. Their fame is justified by big salmon they produce every season. But, there is no need to be in the sight of boats other than those from Legacy Lodge fleet, because Heath and his team have found plenty of their own salmon mother lodes, so to speak, by prospecting for, and finding, locations that produce chinooks and cohos as big and plentiful as any at better known spots.

Each day the routine was to get out on the water early and head off to the waters chosen for the morning's fishing. It was possible to stay out on the water all day, and lunch would be brought to us. Or, you could take a break and go in for lunch. We tended to tailor our efforts toward the coho salmon, which were less finicky than the chinooks. We caught plenty of coho by looking for tide rips and current seams in some of their favorite haunts, but the last morning, we decided to go back to where we had started our first day, across Darby Channel.

As we almost completed the crossing we could see a fog bank closing in from the south. It was no time to be out in the open channel where cruise and cargo ships pass regularly. The unease we had felt when we first arrived was replaced by confidence and tranquility. We knew we could wait out the fog that blanketed our view of the shore barely 100 feet away. There were no other boats, no wind, and a slight swell made a gentle and rhythmic thump agains the steep rocky shore.

Best yet, bait was skittering across the surface everywhere, and the salmon were biting! It wasn't a perfect storm. It was just perfect! We had landed, and lost, several big coho when Ruth's chinook had hit and I had done my best to lose it for her.

But now, I was given a reprieve. Somehow, I managed to get my act together long enough to clear the weight from the net. The leader didn't break, the hook held firm, and the chinook was free to dash off on another long run. Ruth kept her composure throughout — toward fighting the salmon anyway. Most importantly, I didn't screw up my second chance to net the biggest fish of Ruth's life, this time getting it safely into the net — and into the boat. It just missed the Tyee class (30 pounds) which would have won her a custom belt buckle awarded by Legacy Lodge to all who catch a Tyee, but she was a pretty proud girl just the same. Me? I was granted a pardon. To live, and fish, another day. As for Ruth, the girl who said, "I don't fish"? She really wants that belt buckle.