Author Topic: Goonology (Read 1254 times)

Dave Wiese · « **on:** January 13, 2011, 10:03:16 AM »

Goonology, ahhh yes that photo brings back fond memories of fishing the Oak in the Fall. Ooops, that's not a fond memory, it's a nightmare.

Loren Williams · « **Reply #1 on:** January 13, 2011, 10:29:41 AM »

Beyond me why anyone would ever consider fishing under those conditions....even worse that guides take money from people and take them to those places.

Dejon Hamann · « **Reply #2 on:** January 13, 2011, 10:39:52 AM »

Why? Is that busy? I see a couple spots open!!

Josh McFadden · « **Reply #3 on:** January 13, 2011, 10:56:50 AM »

Does everyone get in a 3 second drift before having to pull up out of their neighbors line?

Mark Hanes · « **Reply #4 on:** January 13, 2011, 11:01:18 AM »

Man D why don't you ever take anyone there to fish it looks awesome!

John Dunn · « **Reply #5 on:** January 13, 2011, 01:23:38 PM »

I always hated walking up that hill when I was cold wet and hungry.

John D

Dejon Hamann · « **Reply #6 on:** January 13, 2011, 01:35:31 PM »

You know, once in a great while, mostly when the weather is absolutely inhospitable, one can have a fairly pleasant day fishing there in relative solitude. But those days are far and few between.

Jim Frazier · « **Reply #7 on:** January 13, 2011, 02:07:22 PM »

mmmmmmm I can almost smell the skein !!! Oh the russian swear words too. Wow wish i was there !

Chris Puchniak · « **Reply #8 on:** January 13, 2011, 08:11:09 PM »

I kind of wonder what the guys on the far bank standing about 15-20 over the water plan to do when they hook a fish (I can't tell if they are fishing or spectating). But they remind me of some of the guys around here who will fish from a bank 6 feet over the water, hook a 5, 10, 15 pound coho salmon, then play it to the bank where they come to the realization they can't hoist it up...

Fortunately not everyone is that bad.

Dejon Hamann · « **Reply #9 on:** January 13, 2011, 08:56:35 PM »

I'll tell you what those guys do Chris! It's actually quite a "sight". And that's not even busy in that photo - at the peak of the salmon run they are literally shoulder to shoulder from the edge of the dam all the way to the left of the photo. Sometimes stacked a person deep (i wish i were kidding).

So, the usual rig is a surf rod or the thickest ugly stick you can find and spinning reel with about 50lb test. A guy will "hook" a fish, then proceed to leap frog each person to the left until he gets to a steel ladder where he'll have a buddy crawl down and net the fish for him or in some cases crawl down the ladder himself. Then sed angler may very well apply a tampoon to the fish if it's a female to stop the eggs from leaking out(seriously, i wish i was kidding). The fish is heaped in a pile on the cement where it will later be drug up via a long rope and brought to the salmon cleaning station. And very possibly eaten. Yes, a good number of people eat these fish.

But i digress. It's all fairly legal and many of these chaps seem to have a really great time doing it. So, more power to them i guess. And I'd be a hypocrite to say i haven't joined a few friends on the near side a few times over the last decade. You won't find me in the middle of that zoo ever again though .

Devin Olsen · « **Reply #10 on:** January 14, 2011, 09:47:31 PM »

The first (and trust me the last) time I fished there I actually saw guys on opposite sides of the cement fight over a half dead salmon in mid air. I will never forget it or the egg trails leading back to the parking lot. I was flat out amazed to watch 80-100 or more pounds of trout and fungus covered salmon dragging through the mud on people's backs on their way back to the car. Carnage!!!!

John Dunn · « **Reply #11 on:** January 15, 2011, 11:22:26 AM »

Well said Devin
(trout and fungus covered salmon dragging through the mud on people's backs on their way back to the car. Carnage!!!!)

J

Mark Hanes · « **Reply #12 on:** January 15, 2011, 11:47:51 AM »

That is bad but i still think for a crowd Nut Wall on Walnut creek near Erie is still the worst I have ever seen.

Bill Strickland · « **Reply #13 on:** January 15, 2011, 05:31:57 PM »

I used to guide on the upper Kenai in Alaska and the Russian River Confluence is a site to see as well. Same situation but lined up for a half a mile down one side trying to snag a sockeye with some of the biggest saltwater hardware, 35lbs mono, and enough lead to sink a drift boat. I used to anchor up across from them and just watch them for a few minutes each morning while my clients popped a few trout and let me finish a cup of coffee. It was a great way to start the day off with a smile and a good laugh. When you heard "FISH ON" it was time to pull the anchor up and start the day. Sad thing is they make post cards about it now!!!!

Daniel Vuono · « **Reply #14 on:** January 16, 2011, 04:44:35 PM »

Been there seen that. The russian river confluence is a mess. Pistol totting drunk people, antagonized bears, beer cans, trash, snagging ect. Amazingly though if you walk just one mile downriver past the crowds you wont see or hear anyone. Trout and dolly fishing is certainly the gem of the Kenai and a lot of fun, but I was happy to have a stash of wild caught sockeye in my freezer to eat all winter long. The few floats I was lucky enough to go made my summer though.

Chris Puchniak · « **Reply #15 on:** January 17, 2011, 12:57:48 AM »

Dejon, sounds like a sight almost worth seeing... Humans at their finest!

Funny how people get with sockeye, pinks, and th eother slamons that travel in the bigger schools. What we also get here is similar to what Bill says about the Kenai - when the sockeye or pinks are in and they deem it a strong enough run to be a retention fishery, the lunatics that line up in the "hot spots" on the Fraser are shoulder to shoulder for half a mile. Virtually anything caught is called a "sockeye" - steelhead and coho in particular get mixed up (intentionally or not), and you'll see guys post pics on their facebook (or wherever) of a dead fish they caught... all proud of the 15-pound sockeye! Only to be told - buddy, that's a illegally killed wild Thompson River Steelhead...

And after they kept their limit, they'll keep fishing. Dragging fish up over the rocks (because they don't want to get their boots wet in the shallows), then kicking them back into the water with those same boots because they don't wish to get there hands wet.

Frustrating. Fortunately most fly guys look for slower waters, so wander further away down the river from the Snag-then-kick-back-fish-into-water catch-n-release crowd.

Dave Wiese · « **Reply #16 on:** January 17, 2011, 02:35:44 PM »

It's a funny deal, goons or goobers just seem to be the same wherever you find them......... must be a defective gene.

Jason Christman · « **Reply #17 on:** January 17, 2011, 11:59:17 PM »

I went to oak orchard once......................... ONCE

Tod Mervis · « **Reply #18 on:** January 18, 2011, 10:04:28 AM »

OAK ORCHARD I also went there just once but for a good laugh you should check out Naples Creek on 4-1 same thing shoulder to shoulder for miles sand the creek averages 15 feet across. Most of the time the goons could poke each others eyes out from across the stream.

Jay Looper · « **Reply #19 on:** January 19, 2011, 08:45:55 PM »

Dejon - if this is too vulgar then take it down. I saw this on another forum in the same context as this thread.

Here is a goon in his finest moment at Burt Dam - "catching" salmon with a beer tab.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGrW3fg7WSc