Listening to The Outdoor Line radio show and credits from Randy and Tom Nelson who spoke at the event yesterday, Rob Endsley certainly played a pivotal role in the event. Unfortunately, we understand Rob could not attend due to his sport fishing business in Alaska.
However, in life, there is something called irony and we wanted to share an event back story Rob would certainly appreciate in absentia. Those that listen to The Outdoor Line know Rob’s favorite salmon fishing technique is mooching and it was mooching that produced the two largest salmon of the event.
Teams Cast Away & Four Reel II arrived at the Salmon for Soldiers around 7 pm on Friday night. At the main dock, boaters were already rafting alongside one another and there was no space, so we found spots on the adjacent Everett public dock and parked the boats next to each other and rigged up for the morning. We headed to the Woodfire Grill for some grub and to plan for the next morning. Bob Winters, who’s new nickname is now the ‘Fish Whisperer’ and one of the best old school salmon fishermen I know, had an idea with his son, Captain Brandon of Cast Away, to head to Kingston to mooch for kings once the ebb gained momentum. Bob explained the lost art of mooching and we learned more about mooching Friday night in that span of 2 hours then my entire time on the water.
Zero dark thirty the next morning, winds were howling and we were concerned it was going to be a challenging day for the soldiers. We were among the last of the boats to pick up our assigned soldiers and headed to a mid-point between Possession and Shipwreck. While we were lucky to see the winds die down, I knew it was going to be a challenging day as we likely missed the bite at first light.
By the time we reached our spot, Humpy Hollow looked like a floating boat show and there was lots of vegetation in the water. Someone clever suggested over the VHF that we were actually fishing for vegans. Brandon and Bob in Cast Away then decided to head south to Kingston while team Four Reel II opted to grind things out for a little while longer hoping to encounter a school (and get intelligence from Cast Away before making our move
). We had some take downs in the mid-channel but were constantly clearing the “salad” off the downriggers. Then we got the text…with the following picture attached.
- Soldiers Brian and Bret Roberts flanking Bob Winters on Cast Away
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Soldier Brian Roberts on Cast Away landed a huge king while mooching in Kingston – which ended up being the largest fish caught in the event.
The moment that text arrived, downriggers on Four Reel II were screaming up and mooching gear was being pulled out of various hidden spots on the boat. Half way down to Kingston, we got another text from Cast Away saying they landed a silver. Team Four Reel II arrived unwelcomed among the 10 or so boats in Kingston as we came in hot with a wake only produced by a 38’ foot Boston Whaler with triple 250s going 40 mph.
Considering me and my crew’s (Jeff and Patrick) limited mooching experience, trying to teach 4 soldiers to mooch for kings with no experience was challenging. Of the 8 pre-tied mooching rigs, 4 were lost in the first 30 minutes to dog fish (Soldier Joe from Spokane actually enjoyed the doggie he caught), and tangles were plenty. Team Four Reel II got better at mooching as time passed – learning to keep gear off the deck with the right presentation drop and drift.
To a bit of our surprise, Soldier Jamie needed a pick-me-up and pulled out a can of Coppenhagen and inserted a big chew into her lower lip. Then it happened. Call it luck or call it the “dip” fishing, Jamie was hooked up and we landed this brute.
- Soldier Jamie on Four Reel II
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Yes, that is a dip in her lip!
It turns out that Soldiers Brian and Jamie caught the biggest and next largest salmon, respectively, for the Salmon for Soldiers event and those kings were produced by mooching. Robbo should be proud knowing mooching not only produced the top 2 largest fish, but also led to Brian and Bret Roberts winning the top weight prize catching 4 fish in total.
On behalf of teams Cast Away and Four Reel II, thank you again for allowing us to participate in the Salmon for Soldiers event. Truly a great day with the soldiers and a very special event. Looking forward to next year!
- Troy Saharic
