The Mason County journal. [volume] (Shelton, W.T.) 1886-1927, 1896-03-13
Beauties that Take the Bait.

"There is no season of the year
when I cannot enjoy myself catching
game fish in the vicinity of Tacoma"
said we'll known local disciple of
Isaac Walton to News reporter.
The fisherman had just landed at the
wharf from trolling excursion on the
bay. 1t was 9 o'clock in the morning
and he carried on a stick three fine
specimens of the Tyee salmon, weigh
ing, all told, 15 pounds, the result of
two hours fishing. Replying to in
quiries from the reporter, the fisher
m an went on to relate the habits of
the different varieties of game fish
that frequent the waters of Puget
Sound, particularly near Tacoma, at
various periods of the year. He said !:
"There is always one, if not more
than one variety OF lively fish in the
bay to delight the heart of true fish
erman. April the first the trout sea-
son opens. The bull Dolly Warden,
speckeled or rainbow and steelhead
trout are the attraction. They are
caught to the greater extent in small
lakes and streams, but some of the
varieties especially the steelhead, can
be captured in fair numbers in the
Sound. The steelhead trout is sort
of trout not differing much from the
steelhead salmon, except in size, The
varieties of trout enumerated bite a
hook we'll for about 60 days. They
then go off to spawn and do not re-
turn until the following year.
During May and June, certain
species of salmon, which seem to be a
mixed class, including young tyee,
humpback and silver varieties, can be
caught along about June. About
June l, the genuine salmon trout
make their appearance on the upper
Sound. They come in large schools
and remain until late in October.
They bite best in August and along the
shores where the water is from ten to
20 feet deep. They are very game and
furnish excellent sport. They readily
take spoon and bite best when the
hook is baited with clans. The best
place to catch salmon trout is off the
points. L have often struck a school
of these fish and landed from l5 to 20
of their number in two hours. They
range from five pounds down and aver
age two and half pounds each.
"The silver salmon come about Sep
tember l and remain until October 81.
They are very gamey and weigh on
an average four pounds apiece. They
are the best game fish that comes into
Puget Sound in large numbers, and
their advent is hailed by those who
make no study on the running OF fish
in the Sound waters, as the opening OF
the only trolling season of the year.
The silver salmon are caught to best
advantage at the mouth of the streams
into the Sound.
"The silver salmon scarcely disap-
pears when the Tyee salmon, the king
of game fish, swims up the Sound ready
to eat every young herring in sight.
The fishermen have found out he is fond
of herring and instead CT trying to telnpt
his majesty with spoon, put a real
herring on the hook and thus ensnare
the willy fish. The Tyee salmon weighs
from three to thirty pounds. They sell
dom run in large sch ools, but are some
times founGt plentifully enough to
warrant fisherman m aking seine hauls
for them. The Tye.e is very strong.
His flesh is hard, rich and prime and
is pronounced by epicureans the best
salmon in the world. A Tyee salmon
will take twice as much line to play as
will an ordinary salmon. I had one
on my nay hook near Old Tacoma few
days ago that ran out the full length
OF 300 foot line twice and finally got
away otter playing for half hour
The Tyee remains here until the mid
die OF April when they gc' away to
spawn, presumably up the Frazer river
or some other large northern. stream.
When the Tyee is gone the trout are
here again."