Cambell River still fishes for Kings in the rowing manner you
described...members of the Tyee Club are pictured on the wall. I think it
is those who have caught a King of 50 lbs., or larger, that are displayed on
the wall. The swirling eddies and whirlpools get the adrenilin flowing
almost as much as hooking a King. My wife participated, I stayed in the
Clubhouse and enjoyed looking at the pictures and imbibing. I tried to
learn to cast one of those 'ol Winona's once. One guy used one from
Carnation, Nick Luchus, and he was revered as one of the best steelheaders
around....I never could get onto it. I did like, the single action fly
reels that the Canadians used for Salmon fishing though. I remember a
Canadian telling me that we Americans employ the biggest conservation device
ever devised.....the star,drag reel. Fish are brought near the boat,they
dive, and now the drag is too tight on a short line and they are freed. The
thumb, as described by him, was the most sensitive, quickly and easily
adjustable drag ever created...I still believe that and use that concept on
all my fly reels.
----- Original Message -----
From: "Preston Singletary" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Washington Fly fishers" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Sent: Sunday, July 15, 2001 3:44 PM
Subject: circle hooks
> As it was explained to me, the circle hook was designed as a bait hook
which
> could be swallowed without hooking the fish until the hook was drawn up
out
> of the gullet and into the mouth again, apparently hooking only as the
angle
> of pull changed. It's pretty hard for me to visualize, but it seems to
> work. It would certainly seem to be a boon to C-and-R fisheries where
bait
> is allowed but wouldn't have a whole lot of application to fly fishing.
Ah!
> Mooching; that recalls some memories. In the "good old days" ( which I
> guess I can safely refer to now), back when there were still good runs of
> salmon coming into Elliot Bay and there were many boathouses which rented
> wooden rowboats (Yes, children, there very few people with powerboats in
> those days) for only a few dollars a day. Early in the morning, running
> lights sometimes consisted of an upright dowel with a flashlight taped to
> it. A light rod, a baitcasting reel, or sometimes a Heddon Winona, or a
> large fly reel, or even a true knucklebuster centerpin (centrepin for our
> Canadian friends) mooching reel, light monofilament line, a 1 to 2 ounce
> crescent sinker and some herring were all that was needed. The plug- or
> strip-cut herring was trailed behind the boat with the rod usually propped
> up over the stern. A few pulls on the oars followed by a pause kept the
> herring working at a variety of depths and speeds; quite a sporting method
> really. Certainly moreso than dragging a flasher, especially with a
> downrigger. By the way Leland, John T. and I were at Lincoln Park this
> morning and I had quite a bit of activity on the popper. Many rises, but
> only two hookups: one a discouragingly small cutt and the other a
> long-distance-release. I had one fair-sized fish follow almost to the rod
> tip boiling on the popper every foot of the way. Whaddaya mean you didn't
> hook 'em on the popper using circle hooks; I can't hook 'em on the popper
> using conventional hooks.
> Preston
>
>
>
