Northwest Dive Club

Saw this story this morning, and it brought to mind the scene at Redondo last Sunday ... probably 30 fishermen lining the beach north of Salty's, casting out into where the divers usually go ...

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -legs.html

As is usually the case this time of year, the salmon are running and the fishermen are out in hordes ... casting from shore and boats in places where we're not used to seeing them. I've seen them standing on the rocks at Cove 2, casting out into the area where divers typically swim on their way back from the Honey Bear. I've seen them at other sites, lining the beach because there's no more room for them on the nearby fishing pier.

Just a reminder ... look up and around every once in a while ... at least until the salmon runs are over ... and give those fishing piers an extra wide berth ...

... Bob (Grateful Diver)

We've had some pretty scary incidents with fishermen and with downrigger balls in particular (I'll let Bassman tell you the story). It's a great story because neither of us got hurt, but it could have been real bad...

+1 on the be careful part

Honestly, the real bad times we should have either pulled a float / flag or picked another site - in hindsight we were probably a bit "stupid" to have entered the water with that many boats trolling back and forth as well as bank fishermen.

I was hooked at keystone jetty once... it was gently confusing at first but soon became a grab a rock and deploy my
little hand mount cutting device.

ljjames wrote:I was hooked at keystone jetty once... it was gently confusing at first but soon became a grab a rock and deploy my
little hand mount cutting device.

That would be the case with fishing line, we got nailed on the tank by a 10lb downrigger ball. Startling at the moment, scary afterwards... but if we had been hit in the head by the ball... or caught by the downrigger cable... it would not have been so easily dealt with.

Flags meant nothing over the weekend. I saw three flags in the water north of Salty's and they didn't make much of a dent in the shore fishers. There were a number of boats that were apparently more intent on trolling through the area (over the deep line) that most other boaters were avoiding than standing off for the dive flags.

Rockfish instead of me ...

I know a diver that this very thing happened to her 3 years ago in cove 1, the fisherman on a boat, hooked her and brought her up too fast and she did indeed have to go to the chamber.

I have seen down rigger balls go by, and I made sure to look for the hook that followed.

MJ

mjachetta wrote:I know a diver that this very thing happened to her 3 years ago in cove 1, the fisherman on a boat, hooked her and brought her up too fast and she did indeed have to go to the chamber.

I have seen down rigger balls go by, and I made sure to look for the hook that followed.

MJ

the inner Elliott Bay Chinook season is the WORST carnival of all.

CaptnJack wrote:

mjachetta wrote:I know a diver that this very thing happened to her 3 years ago in cove 1, the fisherman on a boat, hooked her and brought her up too fast and she did indeed have to go to the chamber.

I have seen down rigger balls go by, and I made sure to look for the hook that followed.

MJ

the inner Elliott Bay Chinook season is the WORST carnival of all.

That hasn't been open for a while. What is going on right now is a huge run of pink salmon, happens odd numbered years, and this one is a huge run. Should taper off by mid September.

dsteding wrote:

CaptnJack wrote:

mjachetta wrote:I know a diver that this very thing happened to her 3 years ago in cove 1, the fisherman on a boat, hooked her and brought her up too fast and she did indeed have to go to the chamber.

I have seen down rigger balls go by, and I made sure to look for the hook that followed.

MJ

the inner Elliott Bay Chinook season is the WORST carnival of all.

That hasn't been open for a while. What is going on right now is a huge run of pink salmon, happens odd numbered years, and this one is a huge run. Should taper off by mid September.

Good Pink runs in the Green?

CaptnJack wrote:

dsteding wrote:

CaptnJack wrote:

mjachetta wrote:I know a diver that this very thing happened to her 3 years ago in cove 1, the fisherman on a boat, hooked her and brought her up too fast and she did indeed have to go to the chamber.

I have seen down rigger balls go by, and I made sure to look for the hook that followed.

MJ

the inner Elliott Bay Chinook season is the WORST carnival of all.

That hasn't been open for a while. What is going on right now is a huge run of pink salmon, happens odd numbered years, and this one is a huge run. Should taper off by mid September.

Good Pink runs in the Green?

When the run is strong, they are everywhere. They'd spawn in a CSO if you'd let them.

dsteding wrote:

CaptnJack wrote:

dsteding wrote:

CaptnJack wrote:

mjachetta wrote:I know a diver that this very thing happened to her 3 years ago in cove 1, the fisherman on a boat, hooked her and brought her up too fast and she did indeed have to go to the chamber.

I have seen down rigger balls go by, and I made sure to look for the hook that followed.

MJ

the inner Elliott Bay Chinook season is the WORST carnival of all.

That hasn't been open for a while. What is going on right now is a huge run of pink salmon, happens odd numbered years, and this one is a huge run. Should taper off by mid September.

Good Pink runs in the Green?

When the run is strong, they are everywhere. They'd spawn in a CSO if you'd let them.

I don't think most fishermen would care where they caught them either