Neets Bay Trolling

[InTwoDeep]

Does anyone have information on the profitability of fishing for Chum and Humpeys in Neets Bay?

[akfisher1978]

They have website you can go too that gives a log of what the trollers do down there! Looks pretty crowded!

[InTwoDeep]

Alaskafisher1978 thanks for the reply, do you have a link to that website?

[akfisher1978]

I went to the website last night and they removed all the 2012 reports! They wont start again until probably mid june! I dont have the link just typed in Neets Bay Hatchery and it pops up first!

[salmon4u]

interesting, why would they remove the reports?

[ata]

Hi All:

A couple of links and some attached info about Neets Bay and other SSRAA production.

SSRAA Newsletter http://www.ssraa.org/SSRAA_news_dec18_final%20draft.pdf
2013 Neets Bay Chum Fishery Info http://www.ssraa.org/chum_troll_fishery.htm
2012 Returns and 2013 Predictions (huge file) http://www.ssraa.org/2012%20Return%20Su ... ctions.pdf

Cheers!

Dale
ATA

[ata]

Hi All:

Was looking over some of the reports I got from SSRAA in 2012 during the Neets Bay chum fishery. Here is the last one, with some (notes) added by me:

Neets Bay Chum Report - 4 September 2012

Trollers: 51 (season peak was about 200 boats)

Per delivery: 150 +/- (ranged 80-200/day)

Daily Harvest of Fish: 4,9383 (Can be double that, but varies a lot)

Cumulative Harvest: 407,419 (SSRAA's threshold target for the fishery was 400,000)

Troll Days Fished: 4,472


Dale
ATA

[mb4570]

When is a good time to go to Neets?
Is it worth the effort staying long term ? Do Coho show up after the chum?
I just started fishing last July so just trying to figure things out, Thanks!

[Abundance]

To InTwoDeep: Well, my viewpoint is that chum fishing stands pontential of providing the best end of season income, with no fuel burnt in pursuit of fish, no weather days and fairly constant source of fish for three months. However, it is wise not get too excited about the massive seasons that the top ten percent of the boats have. That week in September referenced above? I know a guy who made close to $20,000 that week, and it wasnt the only week he did that by far. The difference in income between an elite chummer and an elite coho fisherman is profound. About half of the time, there are thousands of fish sitting under your boat waiting for something to spark there interest. Ever fished for spawner kings? Well spawner chums are no more interested in your gear than those finicky things. Trying to get them to bite is a hair pulling, head pounding bussiness. As you know, getting a coho to bite whatever you throw out is not a very challenging proposition. In my opinon, the average chum guy and the average coho guy are going to end out the season in the same spot. They are going to be barely paying their summers bills, hoping they can catch enough winter kings or live frugally enough to give it another go next year. Thats the reality of being a fisherman.
To mb4570: As with most areas, the stick and stay approach seems to pay offthe best. The chums usually show up after the king opening in early July, although there can be some good fishing starting in late June. Last year the cohos showed up pretty strong even before the chums started slowing down, and a few boats kept on fishing into October, then the gillnetters and seiners move in and you cannot really compete with them. It would be.nice if we got just a few miles of water to hold to ourselves until November, as the netters often smash them all through the fall, but it is what it is. The year before, the cohos just didn't come in when we were there, so no assurances. At close to twenty dollars apiece, those late Neets cohos might be getting a closer looking at by the fleet soon.

[Salty]

For the last two seasons I keep telling myself I will never go to Neets Bay again. Life is too short to put myself into "troller hell" ever again. Even though I got two calls that there were some fish there in late August last year I decided to avoid that experience and stayed here to fish kings and a few coho in 25-30 SE off of Cape Edgecumbe. While that was somewhat brutal, it was a piece of cake compared to Neets Bay.

I was there in September of 2011 when it rained over 7 inches in 48 hours. It also blew about 70 one night. We sought out the dock in Traitors Cove in one storm and got infested by mice. We arrived that year the day the semi-bite ended and left the day before the one day final mini-bite happened. I did get to see Neets Bay and Behm Canal turn chocolate brown from all the run off. The chums and coho were also about that same color.

This old trollers prayer is: "Lord, please bring some fish somewhere else in SE so I don't have to go to Neets Bay this year."

Having expressed that sentiment, which is genuine, I am greatly appreciative of the work the SSRAA Board and trollers on it have done to give us this opportunity. I wish we could convince the net groups in Northern SE to share harvest similarly.

Keeping my hand on it Tom.

[Salty]

One nice thing about Neets Bay is the radio conversations. There is very little VHF chatter around here anymore because everyone is too busy talking on their cell-phone privately to engage in public conversations. Because there is marginal or no cell phone communication in Neets Bay there is some CB and VHF chatter including a lot of commentary on where the lines really are, imagined troll etiquette, drag police - hooligan type exchanges, and even some story telling.
Not worth going there for by itself though.

[Carol W]

So for all of you who can't read between the lines that means Eric will be at Neets this summer. On a more serious note I was elected to the SSRAA board in the mid 80's and after all these years it is time for me to step aside, we need to find a replacement for me that is level headed but yet determine to stand ground when it needs to be done to take my place. If it weren't for SSRAA and NSRAA we wouldn't have the fishery we do today and we need good board members in these seats. So I am appealing to the younger trollers to run for my seat, these hatcheries are an important part of our business whether you are a chum troller or the stuborn chinook and coho fisherman like myself, we need these hatcheries and we need access to our share of the fish they produce.
Don't be intimidated about being a board member we all started not knowing what we do today, you gain a wealth of knowledge sitting in the board seat and form relationships that help you along the road.

Keep your hand on it
Tom