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[Clarki Hunter]

I was out there yesterday and although everyone reported slow and mostly dark fish, I met a couple of guys who had limited out with chromers fishing the last place you would pick in a run.  They were basically fishing pockets behind rocks in a very fast section of a run.  Very interesting and effective for meat but not much in the way of sport.  I hit a couple of the gravel extraction pools and saw one fish taken and several chum released.  As usual some very poor fish handling skills on display.

[hue-nut]

pocket water is not a sporting way to fish coho? Funny thing is when I am fishing upper river talking to the old timers they laugh that I fish the canal so much because "that's not fishing". We've been slaying them floating roe along shallow (2 feet deep) seams about ten feet from shore, 1' from weight to float and a 10" leader, sporting enough for me. Hitting moving fish can be a lot more fun than stacked stale fish. The doe I kept this morning hammered it three drifts in a row before she stuck. ta each his own but the upper is really nice this time of year, no one in sight!

[alwaysfishn]

Agreed Hue-nut! Whether I'm catching coho in pocket water, with a big hunk of smelly roe or with a spoon it's pretty darn sporting for me!

Maybe Clarki could explain what was so unsporting about how they were fishing pocket water.....

[Clarki Hunter]

Agreed Hue-nut! Whether I'm catching coho in pocket water, with a big hunk of smelly roe or with a spoon it's pretty darn sporting for me!

Maybe Clarki could explain what was so unsporting about how they were fishing pocket water.....

I should have explained the technique a bit better.  They were fishing 2-3 feet from shore and kind of sight fishing.  As fish moved up behind a rock they drifted the short (2-3') rig along side then behind the rock where the fish was holding.  Fish on, plop onto shore.  But they were the only ones to get fish that I saw, so you won't find me arguing over the method, it's just not why I fish.  So to me it wasn't very sporting. 

Not sure about everyone else, but I hope for a savage take and crazed run with some ariels.  Of course it's usually, "hmmm snag or take?" reel scream > zzzzzzzzzzing pop goes the hook!   

[hue-nut]

I saw 2 guys fishing the same way in the top end on thursday and were getting into fish constantly while everyone else was getting skunked. They didnt even cast, just dropped their line in and followed the float with their rod drifting maybe 5 ft then picking it up and doing the same thing over and over. Imo there isn't much sport in that. I admit I caught a nice chromer yesterday using almost the same method( I did cast out a few ft) and felt a little guilty after like I had done something wrong?I find fishing deeper water is way more challenging and funner but if you just want meat in the freezer then head up to tamihi and join the rest of them.

if you are fishing the deeper water it will definitely be more challenging to get into coho.....because their travel lanes are typically in slower SHALLOW water! I was just telling a buddy today who is newer to fishing that I now fish for ho's in the water where I used to stand. Its not at all about meat in the freezer for me its about learning what type of water the fish you are targeting will move through, and I am amazed at what they will move through when undisturbed.

the Tamihi "dipping" method with wool combo of choice I do not see as sporting though

[chris gadsden]

if you are fishing the deeper water it will definitely be more challenging to get into coho.....because their travel lanes are typically in slower SHALLOW water! I was just telling a buddy today who is newer to fishing that I now fish for ho's in the water where I used to stand. Its not at all about meat in the freezer for me its about learning what type of water the fish you are targeting will move through, and I am amazed at what they will move through when undisturbed.

the Tamihi "dipping" method with wool combo of choice I do not see as sporting though

"Dipping", another nice term to go with Milo's latest report,"the roe, the pocket fishing, the lining, the TOW and other inferior ways of fishing ."    

[alwaysfishn]

I saw 2 guys fishing the same way in the top end on thursday and were getting into fish constantly while everyone else was getting skunked. They didnt even cast, just dropped their line in and followed the float with their rod drifting maybe 5 ft then picking it up and doing the same thing over and over. Imo there isn't much sport in that. I admit I caught a nice chromer yesterday using almost the same method( I did cast out a few ft) and felt a little guilty after like I had done something wrong?I find fishing deeper water is way more challenging and funner but if you just want meat in the freezer then head up to tamihi and join the rest of them.

I'm curious as to what distance you need to drift before catching coho becomes "sporting"? 6 feet? 10 feet? 30 feet? 

[fishseeker]

Confuses me too.   I am not at all clear whats wrong with fishing where you think they might be holding whether thats within a few feet of the shore or in shallow pocket water.

[Clarki Hunter]

Whoa guys, don't read to much into this...  it's ALL sport.  We spend money on gear, get up early, go hunt fish.  How we hunt is a matter of personal preference and does not make it right or wrong.  I said in my original post that it was an "interesting and EFFECTIVE" method.  I should of known better and left out the sport part.    It's simply a matter of personal opinion that hooking a fish and then landing it within seconds, does not make it sporting to ME.  That's it... nothing more. 

I would suggest that if this turns into a ethics debate, that we lock this thread up.  There are still some nice fish on the chedder, report done.