SALMON AND SALMON FISHERIES OF SWIFTSURE BANK 
753 
made by July 4, 50 percent by August 3, 75 percent by September 4, and 100 percent 
by the first week in October. 
It will be noted that the differences in time of the king catches are due mainly to 
the length of season fished, and that there is little similarit} 1- in the time of the 25th 
percentiles. In the case of cohos, however, the 25th, 50th, and 75th percentiles of 
both types of gear coincide. The heavy catches of immature cohos by the seiners 
allow them to take the first quarter of their catch in some two weeks; the trollers 
require approximately two months to take 25 percent of their catch, since they are 
fishing primarily for king salmon during the early part of the season. During the 
remainder of the coho rim, the curves of both types of gear are very similar. 
SPORT FISHING 
King and coho salmon have provided popular sport fishing in the region for 
many years. With the exception of fly-fishing in a few restricted localities, this 
fishery has been carried on entirely by trolling, or by modifications of this gear, hence 
catches of other species of salmon are rare. 
Collins (1892) referred to trolling for salmon as a recreation, saying: 
In autumn, when salmon are most numerous in the Sound, Seattle Bay is literally covered with 
pleasure boats for days in succession. 
Rathbun (1899) mentions sport trolling for king and coho, either with spoons or 
bait, and also refers to good fishing in the spring for king salmon in the pools of such 
rivers as the Nanaimo and Cowichan. At the present time the Campbell River is 
best known for fly-fishing for kings, and many cohos are taken by this method at the 
mouth of the Cowichan River. 
Throughout the southern part of the region the greater part of the spring and 
summer king-salmon catches, and a considerable number of coho catches, are made 
with “spinning” gear. This is a highly specialized development of trolling, and 
consists of fishing from an anchored boat with a rod, light line, and small hook. The 
bait is a spinner which is usually cut from fresh herring. In use, the line is cast from 
the boat, allowed to sink almost to the bottom, and then recovered by drawing it in 
with successive pulls, allowing the recovered line to coil in the bottom of the boat. 
The largest longs are landed in a few favorable places by 7 trolling with “plugs” some- 
what similar to those used in bass fishing. 
The bulk of the sport catches on the sound consist of coho salmon, and these are 
most frequently taken by trolling with spoons, although many fishermen use cut 
herring or candlefish. Mature cohos are taken in the fall on copper spoons which are 
nickelplated on one side. 
Although sportsmen fish in nearly all the inner waters of the region and as far 
out in the Strait of Juan de Fuca as Port Angeles and Victoria, the most heavily 
fished waters are in the region of Whidbey Island and the lower part of Puget Sound. 
Many resorts located in this region have 50 or more boats available for rental, and 
several thousand sportsmen fish from early spring to fall. Fishing is conducted in 
places such as Elliot Bay at Seattle throughout the entire year. 
This sport has become increasingly popular in recent years, and the outfitting of 
fishermen, together with the rental of boats and sleeping quarters, may now be 
ranked as one of the fishing industries of the region. 
