Joe's Trailcams

Sunny weather has been in short supply this summer, so I took advantage of a break in the rain and went for a paddle after work, then spent the night in the woods.

Pink salmon will be spawning in every stream that has enough current to support them. I set 2 cameras at 3 different small streams that get a run of fish every year. Cameras get better results on the little creeks than larger streams, simply because a camera can cover a small stream easily. It also helps to choose streams with a small amount spawning area, since that concentrates the bears’ fishing activity.

I set the first camera at the bottom of some rapids that the salmon have to pass over in order to reach the main spawning area for this stream.

I set the second camera at the top of the rapids.

At the second creek, I positioned the cameras in the spawning area; this camera is set to record videos.

This shallow stretch will be an easy place for bears to catch salmon as they move upstream.

This 3rd creek is new to me, but I found plenty of old salmon bones from last year’s run, so I know there will be salmon here in another month. Deer have also been hitting the skunk cabbage on the left, so this will be a good spot.

This is the last camera. I set all these cameras where a major trail crosses or follows these streams. The torn up ground on both sides of the creek here show that this is a popular spot to cross this stream, so it should be a good spot year round.

_{There was a lot of wildlife out and about all day, which kept me entertained as I paddled between these salmon streams.}

After seeing endless schools of herring fry, then watching the fish I’d just caught regurgitate a bunch of the same little fish, I decided to tie some flies to imitate those baitfish.

I tied 4 versions of this fly; they are basically the same, except that there is a 5-layer wing on the black/blue/white fly; white marabou, silver crystal flash, black marabou, black crystal flash, topped with a little bit of blue hair. I also lightly painted the top of its head with acrylic paint.

I plan on running these behind a dodger when I’m paddling my kayak. If I were fishing from a heavier boat I would tie these on a heavier hook, It can be hard to make a good hook set in a kayak, but these light wire hooks should penetrate more easily than a standard salmon hook. I don’t have to worry about the hooks bending out because it’s nearly impossible to put that much pressure on a fish from a kayak.

Didn’t mess with any of my trailcams this weekend because checking them when it’s been raining often leaves too much humidity inside them.

Watched an eagle dive into the water and grab a pink salmon that was too big for it to carry while flying, so it swam the fish to shore. I paddled to the other side of the bird to get better lighting, and was able to video the eagle landing with its catch. Bald eagles float and are good swimmers; this one had to swim about 50 yards to get its fish to shore, only to have it stolen by a mob of other eagles.

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