I was at a local beach this evening on the flood tide just observing and saw lots of small fish from 3 to 4 inches jumping within casting range of shore. I was wishing I had my rod for sure. A loon was enjoying the buffet.
I saw one good sized splash which I think was a larger trout but may have been a duck. Could they have been chum smolt or are the chum smolt smaller?
Thanks in advance for your insights.
Most likely what you saw were coho smolt. Currently there are a LOT of coho on the outmigration. Chum outmigrate to the salt as fry and would be significantly smaller. Personally, when I see lots of coho smolts or juvenile cutthroat, or if I find after my first few hooked fish that all I am getting are smolts or juveniles, I pack it up and move on. I'd rather not put those fish under any undue stress or worse hook them in the brain/head or eye and seriously injure or kill them before they've even had a shot.
They must be Coho smolt. I work on the waterfront in Bellingham only a few miles from the Nooksack river mouth and saw many jumping clear of the water tonight at work.
Thanks for the feedback.
Fred
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