A bad cold has kept me from getting out much lately but I’ve been getting a lot of reports of chum salmon being caught in the saltwater areas like Hoodsport and in rivers like the Skykomish and the Skagit.
I don’t believe there’s a season for chum on the Skagit this year and I can’t take the gang-style fishing at Hoodsport, but I’ve going to try to get out over the holiday weekend and see if I can’t find some fish.
In the past, I’ve caught fish in the saltwater at Kayak Point as they were heading for the Stillaguamish River and I might try that.
Chum are a weird looking salmon and they’re not the best to eat, but they taste pretty good if caught in saltwater and bled and put on ice quickly. Chum can get the calico color and weird teeth while still in the saltwater, but they’re a powerful fish in salt or freshwater and make great sport.
They grew up eating a lot of krill and other seafood, so I typically don’t tie flies that look like herring or other bait fish when I go after chum. Most of the flies I tie are chartreuse in color, both to look like some of the things they like to eat and to be easy to see in the discolored water in most rivers this time of year.
The flies I use are typically pretty small, although I like to tie them on a bigger hook so it keeps the hook from pulling out or from being straightened from these strong fish. I typically use a Mustad 34007 hook because it’s strong and its stainless steel, so I can use it in the salt or freshwater. In addition to chartreuse, I also like hot pink and purple flies for chum.
Here’s the fly I often use. It’s the same style of fly I use for pink salmon
Mike’s Modified Comet (fresh or salt)
Hook: Mustad 34007 Size 2 or 4, Gamakatsu SS15 or Dai Riki 930
Thread: 6/0 to match fly
Weight: Lead-free wire, .020 or .025 six to 10 wraps
Tail: Six strands of Krystal flash to match color.
Body: STS Trilobal chartreuse dubbing
Hackle: Two wraps of select saddle hackle to match. Use fuzzy stuff at the base.
Gear: I use an 8 weight rod, but a big chum will break an 8. You’re better off using a 9 weight or, if you have a spey rod, an 8 weight will probably work fine.
Good luck at fishing for chum, but don’t be afraid to let them run. Just make sure you have plenty of backing. Another tip for newcomers: make sure that your leader is a lighter test than your backing.
I went fishing with a friend one year who caught a huge chum on the Skagit and it just kept running until it stripped off all the line and all the backing and then snapped the backing off the reel. I learned later that he had 20-pound backing and 25-pound leader. Not a good idea.
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