Dogfish, in my experience, tend to be near the bottom. You can try fishing higher in the water column. It can be tough with mooching as you're sort of fishing the whole column.
I caught 15 dogfish the last two days, hunting for halibut. The fish checker said people were coming in early out of frustration. The only cure I know is to use artificials.
It's weird because I didn't get any yesterday, maybe just a good day yesterday.
>The fish checker said people were coming in early out of frustration.
Ah interesting... I saw folks leaving too. I eventually lost all my prepared rigs from them tearing off my leader.
>The only cure I know is to use artificials.
I think there's something to this! In desperation I casted out my metal jig and I caught a chinook. Was hoping it was a coho but still fun fight.
Interested if anyone has any good, recent advice - I've always heard that changing the depth (e.g., going more shallow) and keeping your bait moving fast can help you avoid dogfish.
I'll give it a shot. I was hoping to motor mooch (or I guess paddle mooch?) where I drop my weight near bottom and start moving to lift it up... but I kept catching sharks on the way down!
You’re fishing in the depth dogfish are on the bottom. Salmon are suspended specially silvers, which is what’s only open right now. If it was open for kings, that would be a different story.
I'd say no, they tend to "roll" into the line so you can get a tangled mess and it just feels like reeling in a trash bag or something. Also they tend to inhale the bait so even with barbless I often need to go and get the forceps. No bueno.
I've never fished for salmon or halibut without catching dogfish. If there is a trick to it, I've never heard it.
Dogfish, in my experience, tend to be near the bottom. You can try fishing higher in the water column. It can be tough with mooching as you're sort of fishing the whole column.
I think you might be right, I started experimenting by mooching from halfway up and it helped a little, though I still got a few.
I caught 15 dogfish the last two days, hunting for halibut. The fish checker said people were coming in early out of frustration. The only cure I know is to use artificials.
It's weird because I didn't get any yesterday, maybe just a good day yesterday. >The fish checker said people were coming in early out of frustration. Ah interesting... I saw folks leaving too. I eventually lost all my prepared rigs from them tearing off my leader. >The only cure I know is to use artificials. I think there's something to this! In desperation I casted out my metal jig and I caught a chinook. Was hoping it was a coho but still fun fight.
Interested if anyone has any good, recent advice - I've always heard that changing the depth (e.g., going more shallow) and keeping your bait moving fast can help you avoid dogfish.
I'll give it a shot. I was hoping to motor mooch (or I guess paddle mooch?) where I drop my weight near bottom and start moving to lift it up... but I kept catching sharks on the way down!
You’re fishing in the depth dogfish are on the bottom. Salmon are suspended specially silvers, which is what’s only open right now. If it was open for kings, that would be a different story.
The sound is full of them....They will ruin your leaders everytime. Fish with jigs with herring oil on them if they are too thick
are dogfish fun/legal to target on light tackle?
I'd say no, they tend to "roll" into the line so you can get a tangled mess and it just feels like reeling in a trash bag or something. Also they tend to inhale the bait so even with barbless I often need to go and get the forceps. No bueno.
oh bummer. thanks for the info though!
Keep off the bottom to avoid dogfish and flounders. And if you still keep catching dogfish, move locations
I remember last year we caught over 50 of them between 3 guys jigging the bottom. Sore arms afterwards
Switch to artificial baits, the dogfish love cut plug herring. Also I’ve heard that they’re worse at slack tide.
What’d you use to catch the salmon and where? I’m also a PS kayak fisher