X-Files
Coulter Creek
Right out in the middle of
everything yet remains invisible.
Timothy Kusherets
Located in Pierce County Washington United States.
Coulter Creek is not a widely known system, as a matter
of fact, you will see in the regulation handbook that it is predominantly
closed throughout the year, but what it doesn’t tell you is that
you can fish in the estuary in front of it. Coulter creek houses an
immense salmon run of all species.
The estuary in front of it is an excellent place to hook up with Chinook,
Coho, chum, and sockeye. Whether you are coming from Belfair, or Gig
Harbor, you need to travel along highway 302 East or West, it doesn’t
matter they both go to the same place. The hatchery is right there on
the highway, but you have to be careful not to pass it because if you
do it takes quite a length of road before you can find a decent and
safe turnaround. You can park along 302 by the bridge, making sure that
you are well off the road. It is always good advice to park parallel
with the highway.
The best way to fish it is to either wait for the high or low tides.
Whatever time you decide to fish it, you should bear in mind that once
the water line crosses into creek water, you should either stop fishing,
if you are on the bank, or go further out into the estuary.
The best times to go there are the months of August to December. The
chronology of arrives goes like this, Chinook, Coho and sockeye, and
then chum. The lures that you will want to use will change with the
species of fish. Chinook like anything that is of a larger profile,
darts, zingers, buzz bombs, and spinners over the size of five. You
must fish your entire offering deep in order to place it right in front
of the fish, as they tend to run and stay in the deepest portions of
the estuary until they make their run up stream.
Coho and sockeye will routinely slam vibrax spinners that are size three
or smaller. More often than not, they will gravitate from the middle
of the water level towards the surface. Your presentation should be
slower and methodical. Don’t make jerking motions, whatever your
offering is, whether it is natural or artificial, or they will become
spooked and turn off.
Chum like offerings that are in the middle ground, but I have found
that they will take spoons more often than not. Clown faced spoons are
the choice of colors that they prefer. Chum, when schooling in and estuary
just before the run upstream, will stay very near the surface of the
water, which is contrary to the fishermen that attempt to fish the with
drift gear. The spoons offer a wider range of presentation ability and
get the attention of the fish far more easily than corkies or jigs.
If the fish are near the surface and your lure is near the bottom the
fish will not see it. Intrinsically, all anadromous fish cannot see
most of what is underneath them, that is why it is important to make
any presentation level with, or above, in their field of vision.
© TAK-TOPFS 2009 Copyrighted
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