Corona del Mar 5/5/09 - Surprise coho salmon

[ddrahn]

I fished from about 0630 to 0930 along the walkway and the beginning of the jetty. Beautiful day at the beach with almost no eel grass is the water and relatively light wind. I spent the morning tossing a LC 110 metallic sardine for no love from the halibut (saw one close to the shore but it showed no interest).

I was about to leave and suddenly the lure got slammed pretty good so I set the hook, thinking it was a decent size halibut. It started stripping some line and then to my surprise it suddenly came shooting out of the water (just like in the movies). Immediately, I thought holy sh*t, what type of fish is that. I finally got it to shore (after two more good leaps in the air) and too my surprise it turned out to be a 22" to 24" coho salmon. I was finally able to get it detached from the lure and snapped one picture and back into the water he went. Hopefully not to end up as a meal for one of the sealions. Beautiful fish with a greenish back and trout-like spots below the top fin.

http://images.auctionworks.com/hi/45/45178/2005-05-05_salmon2b.jpg

[troutdog]

Awesome catch and I'm sure a pleasant surprise, you going to post the pic? Thanks for the report!


TD

[ddrahn]

Picture is now posted. I was trying to get the lure out with him getting covered in sand - unfortunately he was cooperating at all. Man those fish are strong.

[cappo]

Wow very lucky catch. Thats awesome.

[Wingnut]

I can relate to the shock of seeing a Salmon coming out of the surf, very cool. :Cool: So rare indeed!

Here is some important information for anybody that "incidentally" catch one of these beautiful fish. Salmon has a ZERO TAKE limit right now. And you must release the fish while it is IN THE WATER. :Wink: Let's hope for these fish to make a strong comeback!

[ddrahn]

Wingnut, Thanks for the info on the "release while in the water". I keep up on the regs relating to the normal fish for SoCal (probably as most people do). It just never crossed my mind to review salmon-related ones (except for knowing that they're "no take").

[BIGRED KILLA]

Very nice fish a lot of people would love to catch one. But please be better at handling fish when you CPR no need for a towel that takes the slime off off the fish and try not to let it lay on the rocks and jump around that is how they lose there scales. That fish died you need to get a boga grip you can hook them in there lip take the hook out and take pics with out laying them on the floor and put him back healthy. Not trying to bash thanks for the pics and report.




Bigred

[DEADROOTS]

You had a day to remember!

[Simplyeman]

bragging rights earned......sweet fish!

[ghetto dad]

theres gonna be 200 people fishing that area now...:LOL:

NICE job man

GD

[TShaffer]

Never thoght I'd hear of one of those being caught at Corona del Mar. Strange but awesome! Nice fish.

[sansou]

Wow!

That's one for the books...

Lack of proper permits and sportsman ethics aside, I honestly would have a hard time putting that one back in the drink! LOL

[Ifishtoolittle]

Wow very nice job man WTG!

[ezcompany]

better towel than concrete. great job man

[daveg456]

theres gonna be 200 people fishing that area now...:LOL:

NICE job man

GD

Alright!!!!! I'm on it. Where's my bucket?

[pokerface12]

Congrats on such a rare catch.

[socalhover]

too cool! hope it's a start of a comeback.

congrats!

[Fish Dog]

They usually get a few every year but from what I've heard they usually get them just outside the harbor around the bell buoy. That's the first one I've heard of inside the harbor from shore.

[jimmy951]

I can relate to the shock of seeing a Salmon coming out of the surf, very cool. :Cool: So rare indeed!

Here is some important information for anybody that "incidentally" catch one of these beautiful fish. Salmon has a ZERO TAKE limit right now. And you must release the fish while it is IN THE WATER. :Wink: Let's hope for these fish to make a strong comeback!

******, looks like ill keep going to Costco for my crab stuffed salmon steaks lol.

[jerryG]

Salmon do get caught in CDM from time to time. I've seen a few reports of salmon caught from the jetty. I was fishing NPH one day A few years ago when I came across a fresh dead floater (about 5- 6lbs). It was just beyond the main channel leading in to the harbor. I got good look at the fish and it was defiinitely a salmon. I was checking it out for a minute before a furbag swiped from the surface and hauled away with it... Kill seals to save salmon... It makes perfect sense to me..

I know in the past salmon would sometimes make an appearance in Newport Canyon for the Newport sport boats. I saw a guy catch one on the sand bass grounds at HB Flats and I also saw a kid catch one on the Horseshoe. Just freak fish I guess.. I have caught king salmon off of Ventura and Santa Barbara but the fish I caught were a result of an epic salmon season that took place up there during the mid 90's. At the time most the boats up there were limiting out every day..

Anyways Good catch... Thanks for the report..

JerryG

[ddrahn]

I think about 2 years ago I fishing at the end of the CDM jetty for bonito (probably August) and I watched a sealion chase a medium-sized coho into the rocks at the jetty. I didn't see the sealion catch it so it may have escaped, but both the coho and the sealion were traveling fast.

[BrownTrout]

i remember a guy posting a pic of a 30+ inch salmon he caught off the NH jetty. it was about 4 years ago on this board.

[Newpsrat]

Very nice fish a lot of people would love to catch one. But please be better at handling fish when you CPR no need for a towel that takes the slime off off the fish and try not to let it lay on the rocks and jump around that is how they lose there scales. That fish died you need to get a boga grip you can hook them in there lip take the hook out and take pics with out laying them on the floor and put him back healthy. Not trying to bash thanks for the pics and report.




Bigred

Gonna have to say X2 on this advice. That fish died for sure. Awesome catch either way. I keep seeing a few caught a year and its incredible. Just leave any fish you want to release in the water the whole time and wet your hand before you touch it.