# Sutdown salmon



## Scott (Aug 29, 2005)

Hi guys went for a paddle today and planned to get a few flatchaps for dinner quickly when I got sick of paddling. I had been paddling for around 20 minutes when I noticed some Dolphins working a school of what I thought would have been Aussie Salmon up hard against the rocks. Didn't give it too much thought and kept on paddling. A couple of kms later I came up to a guy in a bream boat holding station with his bow mount electric. I have seen him around a few times before and always said goodaye.

As he was just hanging there, watching the water I paddled over and said goodaye. When I asked him what he was up to he told me that a school of Atlantics were popping up on occasion working a school of pretty fish (like a Tasmanian version of whitebait). He told me he had gotten one earlier but then the dolphins came through and shut the salmon school down. He said they were really finicky and were now refusing all of his offerings. He had been hanging there for the last hour and the Atlantics had popped up four times but he couldn't pull another fish.

He had been slowly working bass minnows for them on an unweighted resin jighead and only had a few half arsed hits since the dolphins had been through. He invited me to have a go so I tied the yak to the side of his boat and waited for the school to pop back up. We could still see the school of pretty fish so we figured the salmon would still be around. While waiting I re-rigged my dropshot rig so that the bass minnow was around a metre from the surface. After around 10 minutes the salmon started nailing the pretty fish again.

I cast around 2 metres behind where they were working the bait and just waited not working my SP at all. After around a minute I felt that I had given them long enough to have circled around and start picking up the dead and dieing pretty fish. I lifted my rod tip around an inch, just enough to flick the tail of the bass minnow. I then waited for 20 or so seconds and did it again. This time my little Loomis buckled and I was on. After a spirited fight I had an Atlantic around the 2kg mark at the yak. The guy in the bream boat was amazed and while we waited for the school of Salmon to start working the pretty fish again asked me about the dropshot rig. I explained what I had discovered with it and when was best to fish it. I gave him the stuff to rig one and while he was doing so the school popped back up again.

I repeated my retrieve and again hooked up. I boated another nice fat little Atlantic around the 2kg mark. The splashing from this fish whilst I was fighting it again shut down the school. We could still see the pretty fish school so we figured the Atlantics would be back. Around 10 minutes later the school popped back up and this time we were both ready. We had a double hookup. These salmon were a bit bigger so we parted company, with my fish running in a different direction to his. After around 5 or so minutes I had a nice Atlantic around the 4-4.5kg mark yak side. I quickly netted it and paddled back towards the dude in the bream boat. He was still fighting his fish so I yelled out "see ya later" and started paddling home to get the salmon cleaned and in the freezer as I didn't have my esky with me.


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## Squidder (Sep 2, 2005)

Lovely fish Scott. I love reading stories about people figuring out hard to catch fish


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## Scott (Aug 29, 2005)

Thanks guys. The biggest issue was trying to cast with 3 metres of line dangling from my rod tip. If there wasn't a sinker on the very end it would be totally impossible and as it was I could only lob it around 7 or 8 metres which due to the stealth aspect of the yak and the bream boat/electric motor combo was sufficient.

Catch ya Scott


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## scupper (Aug 30, 2005)

Great fish and great fishing. Makes my mouth water just thinking about your next fish dinner!Well done - good on ya Scott.

Regards Scupper


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## Peril (Sep 5, 2005)

Top effort Scott. I envy you those feral fish. Great on the plate


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## paffoh (Aug 24, 2006)

Experiences dont get much better than that, what a ripper way to fish and such a catch just cant be beat... WELL DONE!

Great way to have a yarn to a boatie & hook top fish, just awesome 8)


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## milansek (Apr 20, 2006)

Good fish scott well done


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## wongus (Feb 12, 2006)

Geez Scott,

Reading your stories makes me wish I had a yak when I was living in tassie and looking at options closer to home. Used to drive hours up to the Central Highlands and hours of stripping a wet fly for very ordinary results...


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## Rod L (Aug 29, 2005)

I agree Gatesy - Bloody Awsome Scott
I love the way you figered them out, something for all of us there I think


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

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## Yakabe (Dec 16, 2005)

Great fishing Scott. After living in Canada for a few years, I love salmon. Ever try curing them in salt, brown sugar and citris juices. Gravlox, oh so tasty.

Yakabe.


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## Scott (Aug 29, 2005)

Thanks guys.

Yakabe, funny you should say that mate. Gravalax is my favourite and thats what will happen to these as soon as I get them to a mate of mine at Huonville who is a chef.

Catch ya Scott


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## PoddyMullet (Aug 29, 2005)

Top report Scott and a thumping nice pic. That whole Huon Valley/Channel region is a beaut. Working through a situiation like that shows the difference between a yak angler with a deep bag of tricks and a yak fisherman who throws something in the water...wish I had ya knowledge


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## PhilipL (Apr 15, 2006)

First rate Scott.


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## vertigrator (Jul 25, 2006)

Wow, I didn't know the atlantics actually schooled up after they'd escaped the pens. Or has there been a recent break out and they haven't had time to disperse?

So I take it this drop shot rig of yours keeps your SP in the strike zone for as long as you want, which is why it was so affective. Your bag of tricks is a bottomless pit. 8) 8) 8)

Cheers
Vert


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## YakAtak (Mar 13, 2006)

Nice work scotty, any chance you can link us to your pic of the dropshot rig?
Found it


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## whoohoo (Feb 3, 2006)

Excellent report mate! Well done!


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## justcrusin (Oct 1, 2006)

Top stuff Scotty,
I just wish we had fish like that up here to catch. 
not that i'd probably ever hook one but if they were here i'd have hope to spure me along :lol: 
Australian Salmon are plentiful but if only they tasted as good as thier name sake.
Cheers Dave


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## kantong (Nov 5, 2006)

that is some great work there.
What is the drop shot rig you talk about? I thought that was your rod lol as in Berkley drop shot rods. Boy was i wrong!


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## YakAtak (Mar 13, 2006)

kantong said:


> that is some great work there.
> What is the drop shot rig you talk about? I thought that was your rod lol as in Berkley drop shot rods. Boy was i wrong!


Kantong, check this out mate. 
http://www.akff.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4290


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## Scott (Aug 29, 2005)

Karl, thanks for throwing up that link mate.

Vert, they do seem to school in small groups when working a school of bait. I have been told by one of the guys that gill net that he nearly always gets them in multiples so they must still hang in small groups after escaping the pens.

Catch ya Scott


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## Jake (Sep 23, 2005)

Great Salmon. Well done.


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## YakAtak (Mar 13, 2006)

Scott said:


> Karl, thanks for throwing up that link mate.


No worries :wink:


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## RedPhoenix (Jun 13, 2006)

Unfortunately, due to the change in ownership of this web site and the lack of response by the owners to my requests to remove my email address from all administrative-level notifications and functionality, I have decided to remove my posts on AKFF. Thank you for the great times, the fantastic learning experiences and the many many fish. If you are desperate for the old content of this particular post, it is available below base64 encoded and bzip2 compressed.

Red.

----

QlpoOTFBWSZTWd+RTB0AAAjfgAASQGEAAKAAGAA+ZZWgIABIiniE9GptRpp6aQo0GQaDQAQoW6CDd50VZAapLHpPXFnF0Q86ZZtxG3WObn1Da+GZLQgEE+LuSKcKEhvyKYOg


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## Dodge (Oct 12, 2005)

What a magic session Scott


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## YakAtak (Mar 13, 2006)

What's a gravalax? :?


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## kantong (Nov 5, 2006)

thanks for the link Yakatak


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## Cid (Nov 14, 2005)

Great report Scott and good on yer' for sharing with the boater. Karma will look after you, for sure. 

cheers,
Cid


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## Cid (Nov 14, 2005)

Yakatak,

Gravalax is salmon that has been cured with salt, sugar, spices and herbs (such as dill). It's thinly sliced like smoked salmon and is fantastic when served with a sweet mustard and dill mayonnaise!

cheers,
Cid


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## YakAtak (Mar 13, 2006)

Thanks Cid, sounds a lot nicer than the name implies.


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## Guest (Nov 29, 2006)

NIIIIICE! 8)

That about sums it up really


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## Cid (Nov 14, 2005)

In case anyone wants to make their own, here's a recipe from the web but there are also heaps more if you want to look:

*One 1-2 kg. fresh salmon fillet (preferably center piece, skin on)
1 cup salt
1 cup sugar
2 tbs. cracked white peppercorns
2 bunches fresh dill (chopped)

Trim the fat, if any, off the sides of the salmon with a long, sharp knife. Remove any bones with a pair of tweezers.

In a large bowl, mix together the salt, sugar, cracked peppercorns, and dill.

Place the salmon in a large nonreactive dish. Rub a handful of the salt mixture on the top and bottom of the salmon. Place the remaining salt mixture on top of the salmon. Cover and let it stand for 6 hours at room temperature. Place in the refrigerator weighted with something heavy such as a wooden cutting board or a cast-iron skillet for 24-30 hours, depending on the thickness of the fish.

The result is a delicate and moist cured fish. Use a long, sharp knife to cut paper-thin slices.*

You can find your own recipes for the sweet mustard and dill mayonnaise! 

cheers,
Cid


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