11-06-2004, 05:17 PM
[font "Arial"][black][size 3]It was a crisp October morning, and the glow of the
sun was just peeking over the eastern horizon.
You could see the water below and hear the salmon
jumping in anticipation of the spawn.
While they were preparing to spawn,
we were preparing to catch them.[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Remember how you felt on Christmas Eve as a kid? Your parents told you it was bedtime, and even though it was ten o’clock, you were not tired? Remember how long it took to finally fall asleep, only to keep waking up because of the anticipation of the next morning? [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Oh man… that was me on the night of October 15th, 2004. My friends Lisa and Dennis promised to take me salmon fishing Saturday morning, October 16th for the first time in my life. Bedtime rolled around and I was beside myself. I had my alarm clock set for 3:15 am so I could be at their house by about 3:30, they only live a minutes ride away.[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Coffee in hand, I show up. They were finishing getting their gear on and we pack up the car and were out the driveway by 4 am, just as planned. [/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Now, the day before, Dennis had told me to get some big slip sinkers, so I did. I bought a bag of 12, 1/8 oz. sinkers. Dennis just shook his head. "NO Sue, BIG SINKERS!" he said. Well, as far as any fishing I had ever done, these WERE big sinkers. So here we are at 4:30 am by the lake looking for an open tackle shop. There was one right next to where we had to park to get to the dam, so I bought a few bags of 2-ounce bell sinkers and off we went.[/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Lisa has gone salmon fishing with Dennis a few times before, so I was the newbie. They were calling for rain and cold weather so we were wearing waders, layers of clothes, gloves, and rain gear. Needless to say, we got so hot that we stripped down a layer or two after the sun came up.[/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]We walked to the dam where the salmon were and everything was quiet.
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]There were a few fishermen there already, picking their spot. As I looked down towards the water on the other side of the creek, I could see the red glow of a cigarette. There were even fishermen down at the water, waiting to fish. Now we could relax until sunrise. Dennis kept telling me to listen for the salmon, [/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]that they would be jumping soon. And sure enough, I heard my first salmon. [/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]As morning approached, it gradually became brighter and you could now watch the salmon break water. Some would tail dance across it, others would jump out the water similar to the way a dolphin does, and some breached like a whale. It was time to get a salmon sack on the hook and prepare for that first cast. David had insisted that I use 30lb test line... soI did. The set up was dropshot style with a 2-ounce bell sinker tied to the line about 18 inches below the hook. As I stood at the railing, [/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]I looked down across the creek, and the fishermen that were in the creek had lined up and were waiting. The crowd was not as elbow to elbow as I had imagined and there was a euphoric air about it all. I was soaking in all of the sights and sounds of this morning, burning them into my memory, so I could fall back on them and remember that feeling later on in my life.(like this winter when it is too cold to fish!!) [/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]To the right of us, about 200 yards or more, was a ladder that you had to climb down to get to the creek to unhook your fish. This was where you had to horse your salmon to once you hooked up. [/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]The next thing I knew, lines are going in the water and someone is already shouting, "Fish On!" I had been coached earlier by my friends that when I heard "Fish On!" I had to reel in my line as fast as I could and step back from the wall if the person screaming that was upstream from me. [/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]I tossed my line in and you could feel the salmon bumping it. Everyone there kept telling me "When you feel a bump, pull up real hard." So after about 10 minutes of this, Lisa was the first one to hook up. It was hooked in the belly, so they had to release it. Dennis hooked up next, another foul hook up and had to release it. Fish were being hooked up two and three at a time. It was a borderline mad house, but not so much of a madhouse that it wasn’t fun! [/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]![[Image: Dennis_Lisa_and_Susan.jpg]](http://thefishermom.com/albums/Salmon/Dennis_Lisa_and_Susan.jpg)
Dennis, Lisa and Susan holding the salmon caught by Lisa and Dennis [/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Then it was my turn, "Fish ON! Coming down!" I screamed. I got it halfway to the ladder and the fish jumped out of the water and shook free. After that, time had no concept…. Lisa ended up catching a small salmon, and then Dennis had a few foul hook ups. When Dennis would hook up, I tried to follow him to the ladder and go down there to unhook his salmon. I was very excited the first time that he hooked into a salmon and I got to release it. I had never held a salmon before, and it was a beautiful large male King. Lisa ended up catching another Salmon, and Dennis got a keeper as well. [/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]With fifteen minutes left, there were still no keepers for me. I had made some friends by now, and this one guy handed me a 5-ounce sinker and told me to tie this on and hang on! I set up my rig and tossed it in. Sure enough, with one swift pull, I had hooked up and my line took off. He did some magnificent runs and jumps across the creek to the other fishermen while I was tangled up with someone else’s line. Once freed from the other fishermen’s lines, he and I battled it out. [/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]He was hooked in the tail and had a lot of spunk. There was a kid down at the creek that grabbed him for me and unhooked him. I asked him not to let it go yet; I wanted my picture with that fish. [/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]He was a magnificent looking King. Nice hook to his jaw and very heavy! That was the biggest fish that I have ever caught, and my adrenaline was just pumping away![/size][/black][/font]
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![[Image: Susan_s_Salmon.jpg]](http://thefishermom.com/albums/Salmon/Susan_s_Salmon.jpg)
Susan and her 43 inch male King Salmon[/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]After that battle, I lost my 5-ounce sinker and my rig was all chewed up. It was time to leave anyway, so we called it a day. I had met fishermen from Pennsylvania, Maine, and a few locals as well. It never really rained much, but we did have some wet snow a few times. It had been a day to remember, the day of the salmon run![/size][/black][/font]
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sun was just peeking over the eastern horizon.
You could see the water below and hear the salmon
jumping in anticipation of the spawn.
While they were preparing to spawn,
we were preparing to catch them.[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Remember how you felt on Christmas Eve as a kid? Your parents told you it was bedtime, and even though it was ten o’clock, you were not tired? Remember how long it took to finally fall asleep, only to keep waking up because of the anticipation of the next morning? [/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3][/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Oh man… that was me on the night of October 15th, 2004. My friends Lisa and Dennis promised to take me salmon fishing Saturday morning, October 16th for the first time in my life. Bedtime rolled around and I was beside myself. I had my alarm clock set for 3:15 am so I could be at their house by about 3:30, they only live a minutes ride away.[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Coffee in hand, I show up. They were finishing getting their gear on and we pack up the car and were out the driveway by 4 am, just as planned. [/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Now, the day before, Dennis had told me to get some big slip sinkers, so I did. I bought a bag of 12, 1/8 oz. sinkers. Dennis just shook his head. "NO Sue, BIG SINKERS!" he said. Well, as far as any fishing I had ever done, these WERE big sinkers. So here we are at 4:30 am by the lake looking for an open tackle shop. There was one right next to where we had to park to get to the dam, so I bought a few bags of 2-ounce bell sinkers and off we went.[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][size 3][/size][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Lisa has gone salmon fishing with Dennis a few times before, so I was the newbie. They were calling for rain and cold weather so we were wearing waders, layers of clothes, gloves, and rain gear. Needless to say, we got so hot that we stripped down a layer or two after the sun came up.[/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]We walked to the dam where the salmon were and everything was quiet.
[/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]There were a few fishermen there already, picking their spot. As I looked down towards the water on the other side of the creek, I could see the red glow of a cigarette. There were even fishermen down at the water, waiting to fish. Now we could relax until sunrise. Dennis kept telling me to listen for the salmon, [/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]that they would be jumping soon. And sure enough, I heard my first salmon. [/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]As morning approached, it gradually became brighter and you could now watch the salmon break water. Some would tail dance across it, others would jump out the water similar to the way a dolphin does, and some breached like a whale. It was time to get a salmon sack on the hook and prepare for that first cast. David had insisted that I use 30lb test line... soI did. The set up was dropshot style with a 2-ounce bell sinker tied to the line about 18 inches below the hook. As I stood at the railing, [/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]I looked down across the creek, and the fishermen that were in the creek had lined up and were waiting. The crowd was not as elbow to elbow as I had imagined and there was a euphoric air about it all. I was soaking in all of the sights and sounds of this morning, burning them into my memory, so I could fall back on them and remember that feeling later on in my life.(like this winter when it is too cold to fish!!) [/size][/black][/font]
[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]To the right of us, about 200 yards or more, was a ladder that you had to climb down to get to the creek to unhook your fish. This was where you had to horse your salmon to once you hooked up. [/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]The next thing I knew, lines are going in the water and someone is already shouting, "Fish On!" I had been coached earlier by my friends that when I heard "Fish On!" I had to reel in my line as fast as I could and step back from the wall if the person screaming that was upstream from me. [/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]I tossed my line in and you could feel the salmon bumping it. Everyone there kept telling me "When you feel a bump, pull up real hard." So after about 10 minutes of this, Lisa was the first one to hook up. It was hooked in the belly, so they had to release it. Dennis hooked up next, another foul hook up and had to release it. Fish were being hooked up two and three at a time. It was a borderline mad house, but not so much of a madhouse that it wasn’t fun! [/size][/black][/font]
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Dennis, Lisa and Susan holding the salmon caught by Lisa and Dennis [/size][/black][/font] [font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]Then it was my turn, "Fish ON! Coming down!" I screamed. I got it halfway to the ladder and the fish jumped out of the water and shook free. After that, time had no concept…. Lisa ended up catching a small salmon, and then Dennis had a few foul hook ups. When Dennis would hook up, I tried to follow him to the ladder and go down there to unhook his salmon. I was very excited the first time that he hooked into a salmon and I got to release it. I had never held a salmon before, and it was a beautiful large male King. Lisa ended up catching another Salmon, and Dennis got a keeper as well. [/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]With fifteen minutes left, there were still no keepers for me. I had made some friends by now, and this one guy handed me a 5-ounce sinker and told me to tie this on and hang on! I set up my rig and tossed it in. Sure enough, with one swift pull, I had hooked up and my line took off. He did some magnificent runs and jumps across the creek to the other fishermen while I was tangled up with someone else’s line. Once freed from the other fishermen’s lines, he and I battled it out. [/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]He was hooked in the tail and had a lot of spunk. There was a kid down at the creek that grabbed him for me and unhooked him. I asked him not to let it go yet; I wanted my picture with that fish. [/size][/black][/font][font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]He was a magnificent looking King. Nice hook to his jaw and very heavy! That was the biggest fish that I have ever caught, and my adrenaline was just pumping away![/size][/black][/font]
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Susan and her 43 inch male King Salmon[/size][/black][/font]
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[font "Comic Sans MS"][black][size 3]After that battle, I lost my 5-ounce sinker and my rig was all chewed up. It was time to leave anyway, so we called it a day. I had met fishermen from Pennsylvania, Maine, and a few locals as well. It never really rained much, but we did have some wet snow a few times. It had been a day to remember, the day of the salmon run![/size][/black][/font]
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