Warm water kings?

With all this warm water that we have now do you stay in it and just change tactics or is it better to run out deeper until you find cooler water?

Tried the warm water bite this weekend with the temp being right around 60 at the ball. Ran 4 spoons and 5 ff setups. Started fishing at the appointed start time of 0600. We were 2/5 in the first 45 minutes missing 2 nice fish at the boat when the spoons popped out and 1 screamer. Fishing slowed after that. I know people did well out deeper too and had more of a mixed bag than us. We had ended the day with 4 kings and 3 bows. The kings that we did catch had pretty good meat and were a mix of 2-4 year olds.

There’s usually a good chance to catch Kings out of their preferred water temperature once the water warms up like now in August. However the Kings usually strike baits for even a shorter bite period than when there’s good water temperatures for them to return to. The mature Kings will be dark or that yellow tan color and their flesh will be light pink to white and usually best used for smoking purposes. But if you want to catch a big fish this is the best time. Start fishing at first light, long before the sunrise. Find bait fish with big marks underneath the bait or mixed in the same depth and set up there. For baits use plugs like J-Plugs, Silver Horde, Tomic or Lyman. I’d also use magnum glow spoons too. A typical 5 or 6 rod spread should have two plugs and three spoons. I like two #1 size dipsies set on #2-1/2, no rings, with glow spoon spread out like a 20’ deep and a 30’ deep. I use an SWR on the deepest rigger with a regular size glow spoon running about 10 feet off the bottom. Run one plug back on a rigger with a minimum of 100’ lead and set the depth at half the water column. If you have a third rigger run the second plug like a #4 silver bullet back 125’ and start at 15’ down, go deeper if you don’t get bit and once the sun rises above the horizon. Troll in a straight line in too into the current and at a direction where the rigger cables are straight down. If the first five rods aren’t producing add an inline planer with something like a 7 or 10 color core with a third plug. A faster troll works best early and covers more water so a ball speed of 2.4 mph or a GPS speed of 2.7 mph is a good starting point, slow down if you mark fish and don’t get any takers at first. Raise the speed if slowing down doesn’t produce. Stay away from the pack. Last if there aren’t any takers by 6:30 or 7 am time to move to better water temperatures. Good Luck SS

I guess I should have prefaced my comments by mentioning that I could really care less about meat. I'm lucky enough to live close to the lake and meat is never an issue. Fishing out here is all about finding the big ones for me. In all honesty, I don't even like eating salmon that much. 90% of my fish is given away to friends, neighbors, family, and the less fortunate. When I do eat salmon, its typically either smoked, or a grilled coho. You guys are right, IF you can find cold water, there will be good fish in there, but thats pretty tough right now. For me, I'd rather just stay in closer, where I know most of the bigger fish will be and try to get them to bite. They will, you just gotta work at em. And, they reallly are still just as good smoked when they've got a little copper to em. Once they enter the harbor, that's a different story, you couldn't pay me to eat one, but the ones staging out in 50-100 fow prior to the run, I've never had any issues with. Either way, to each their own, and good luck no matter which bite you choose to chase. We've all gotta make up for some lost time this summer!

I'll bite. Can you find fish in warm water? Yes. Will you find me there? Probably not. If there are cold water fish to be had, I'll be there. Guys, aside from coho....this has been my best fishing of the year the past 10 days. Find the cold water temps, fish them. Now is the time those west winds everyone was calling for in June will actually help. If right now, for example, we saw a couple days of west winds it'd be lock and load summer king action. Out of temp fish will be there this time of year, and that sun down bite will be hot, but numbers and quality is what I'll be fishing. If you're hoping to eat fish, I'd push out deep. Now, 4-6 foot waves during the always unpredictable September and October will bring many of us in closer, but weather is a different story.

Fishing in piss warm water for salmon is ridiculous. Unless you just want to smoke em. The flesh will be deteriorating before you get it in the net. Yuck! To each his own I guess.

This is just my opinion, but if you want 4 year olds, fish shallow regardless of temp as the fish start to push toward the harbors. If you want silver fish, fish cold water. That being said, I am not a salmon expert and I could be way off base. I will say the mature fish we hooked yesterday were in 63 degree water.

This is THE question for the rest of the year IMO. I don't see this warm water leaving before the mature fish start to run, so I've been contemplating the same thing. I certainly don't have a definitive answer, but I will tell you my plan. You will not find me deeper than 100 fow for the rest of the year. More than likely, shallower than that. Reasons being these: 1) We fished cold water all year and it sucked. So, if nothing else, this will be a change of pace. 2) I believe a large percentage of the mature fish are allready in shallow (less than 100), but just may not be active. The few big fish I've seen caught in the last week or so have all been fairly shallow and out of temp. 3) I run a small boat, so it's just easier for me to fish shallow. This situation we have is much like what we got dealt last year. All the fish pushed into the marinas and rivers and then the water got piss warm. Most people thought the fish left or wouldn't bite. They didn't leave, and they still bit, but not at the times, places, or ways most people were used to. Once the spawning instincts of a salmon start to take over, it's my opinion that there is almost nothing that will change their mind and push them back out deep. Once the zombie transformation starts, it is irreversible.......... Just my .02, but a very good topic. Interested to hear other's opinions. Good luck everybody! Chocolate bunny season is just around the corner.

Pray for W winds...hoping this two day little blow will help a bit.