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Waiting Period Chum

4K views 36 replies 24 participants last post by  Ben Guss 
#1 ·
Alright, got the boat out yesterday to scope some water. I found a large group chum at the mouth of a stream. They were jumping, slashing, and finning 360 degrees around my boat for about 3 hours while I tried everything I had to get a bite....and nada! :mad: I'm new to this so maybe it's normal but damn it's frustrating with all these pigs just taunting me from every direction! What do you guys use while targeting chum in the salt, and more specifically do you have any waiting period specific flies for chum? What about presentation? I tried everything I could think of but in general is a fast "coho" retrieve the ticket or a slower retrieve better? Also are the fish feeding as they're finning and jumping or are they just screwing around? I didn't see any bait in the area.
 
#2 ·
I don't usually fish for Chums in the Sound or Canal more than a couple of times each year, but I've had better luck getting them to bite off the beach using slower retrieves. I try to cast just outside the edge of the school, hopefully in front of it. Casting right into the school spooks 'em, at least off the creek mouths I usually fish. Maybe you should position your boat off of the concentration of the fish and cast to them, instead of being right in the middle of them. I don't know where you are fishing, but where I fish, the schools are often small and moving around the area off the creek mouth, and are easily spooked. I'm usually wading off the beach, and not fishing for them from a boat.
I vary between longer strips and short ones. Sometimes I pause between strips long enough to let the fly sink a bit. Get too close to the bottom, though, and you get sculpins.
Flies? Not too big, I think. I've had luck with size 6. Chartreuse, green, hot pink, or black/purple.
 
#3 ·
Jim nailed it. Slow down your strip. I like either a floater or a very slow intermediate line for fishing salt chums. That is a good way to target staging coho as well.

Most of time the jumpers aren't the players. They just let you know there are fish in the area. Just my opinion, but the biters are the non jumpers. Same goes with coho.

Good luck,
SF
 
#4 ·
They were holding in pretty shallow water (~6 ft), so I switched to a floater so I could slow down the retrieve. Is a clouser still a good bet or is there a better set of patterns to try? There were color recommendations in the other Chum thread but no pattern recomendations. Unfortunately my saltwater fly selection is pretty limited at the moment so I only had so many things I could try.
 
#6 ·
As Jim mentioned, go smaller. Size 4 & 6's are what I like for chum. I know some folks that use size 8.
Your flies don't need to need to be fancy. If you like fishing clousers, just tie them smaller with small bead chain eyes rather then heavier dumbbell eyes. The light eyes will allow you to fish shallow without hang up on the bottom. You can also tie them naked, as in no eyes.

I've had really good success on salt chums with the following simple pattern.
Size 6 hook
Small bead chain eyes
purple marabou tail
purple chenille for the body .
I tie these in black and cerise as well. For contrast, I'll add a chartreuse chenille or dubbed head to all the colors.
SF
 
#7 ·
Thanks a ton guys! I'll tie up some flies and give it another go this weekend! I'm thinking my pontoon might be better suited to this spot than my boat if I can find somewhere to launch it. I was awefully close to churning up the bottom with the prop a couple times yesterday.

Oh, and keep the patterns coming! :thumb:
 
#8 ·
I'm with the above. Sometimes a painfully slow retrieve is the ticket. For some great pattern ideas, try using the search function on this site. There have been many discussions over the years on this very subject, and a wealth of knowledge lies at your fingertips! A good rule of thumb for chum flies is keep them small and sparse. That seems to be more important than the color.

I know how frustrating that is to have a huge school and no players. But as Stonefish says, the biters are down lower and not jumping. Thanks for the questions, now I really want to get out there and get after a few junk yard dogs! I love those fish.
 
#10 ·
My personal "Dog Slayers".
"Slow and low, that is the tempo" If less than 6' of water, floating lines are fine with 7-9' leaders. #4-6 size hooks, slooow retrieve, if you strip fast you will snag. They are light takers. 12lb tippets. Epoxy on the threads this year, they will trash your flies, tie at least a dozen, 15lb brutes with break or bend your hooks, make em' durable to last at least a day.
 
#11 ·
Peter is right! He showed me this pattern a few years ago and heck, it's practically all I use. Simple pattern. Generally slow 1 foot retreive is what I do. Floating line. Hang on brotha!!! I use #4 usually. I don't like the Gamakatsu hooks, too brittle, get others.
 
#12 ·
Slow retrieve, and lime/chartreuse cactus chenielle spanker style flies have always been my thing. Anything sparse/moderate with green/chartreuse. Maybe that's just on the systems up there, but that colour has always produced. Get ready for a ride though!
 
#13 ·
I've been searching old threads as well. You never know when someone comes up with a cool new pattern though! Ok so I'll work on a SLOW retrieve. I think that even when I tried to slow down I was probably going too fast. Still in Coho mode I guess ;)
 
#17 ·
try Cerise/black/pink/green/purple with a cone head. make it jiggy .
and scent. i know its fly fishing. but chums are very good smellers.
shrimp scent.
gear guys use prawn tails and kill em.
i like cerise my self. and keep it in their nose. just keep it there.
 
#22 ·
My buddy forgot some of his scent here after he visited. I'm not going to lie, I thought about putting some on my fly the other day when I couldn't get their attention. If I get another skunk day out there I probably will! haha
 
#23 ·
Here is an update version of my "Dog Slayer" flies from a couple years ago for those of you who requested.
I noticed using this type of body material increased hookups like mad compared to the floss body material in the previous pic, but noticed the chenille type material is a little less durable, but worth a massive increase in hookups.

I suggest epoxying the head and super gluing the body before wrapping with material and use strong thread. I tied a couple dozen knowing how much the chums will destroy the fly. The pic shows shows a basic #6 trout fly due to its what I had lying around at the time. I would highly recommend the Mustad 50 pack box of black salmon hooks in size 6 and 4, they are cheap and will last a while.

Tie LOTS of them with strong hooks,durable material,etc. Forget all the finesse and expensive fancy material and go to town and slay the dogs!
 
#33 ·
Legally it's open to all, but how to use that right may be more problematic. Outside of enforcement by the designated legal authorities, confrontation and potential violence may be the only (and unacceptable!) solution. From what I'm reading on the forums neither the state nor the tribal authorities seem prepared to enforce the rules on tribal members. Maybe I'm mistaken, but if I am it would seem to be a fairly common perception. Does anyone know how much enforcement the tribes are actually doing on their members?
 
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