Salmon Fishing, Bottom Fishing & Crabbing with Ted Teufel | PNW Angler Series Pt. 6

For some people, fishing is just a hobby. For others, it's something that becomes a part of who they are. For Oregon native Ted Tufel, his love for fishing started at a very young age. In fact, by the time Ted was just seven years old, he already knew what he wanted to be when he grew up. As the years went by, his passion for fishing only grew stronger. And in 2005, Ted turned that childhood dream into reality when he became a professional fishing guide. Over the past two decades, Ted has spent countless days on the water. From chasing salmon and steelhead in the rivers of Oregon and Alaska, to heading offshore in pursuit of tuna and other saltwater species, fishing hasn't just been a career for Ted. It's been an absolute way of life. Today, as the owner of Pro Fish Guide, Ted continues to share his knowledge and passion with others, helping anglers experience some of the incredible fishing opportunities we have here in the Pacific In this episode of our Pacific Northwest Angler Series, we're getting to know the man behind Pro Fish Guide. We'll take a look at where it all started, the experiences that shaped him, and what it's taken to turn a childhood dream into a lifelong career. It's shaky. This is Ted Tufel, and this is part six of our Pacific Northwest Angler Series. We call this place Jurassic Park, so we'll put on the Jurassic Park theme song when we pull up. Oh, I love it dude. I've wanted to be a fishing guide ever since I was seven years old, right before my dad passed away, took me on a trip to Alaska and I remember just kind of being a Pretty active kid, bouncing around the boat. As a little seven-year-old, I thought, man, that's awesome, that's what I want to do. This guy right here knows how to put fish in the boat. We got Deckhand, I got a special guest, Hunter's on the boat, and we got Tommy, Teddy's son. So today's a father-son fun trip out on the ocean, smacking whatever we can get, however we can get it. And we've got some shenanigans planned too. I may or may not have brought a Viking helmet and a Viking horn just to, you know, sound the bell and get everybody woke up and ready to fish. But this is going to be a fun one. Stay tuned. So we just dropped crab pots, one of those things you can do on the Pacific Ocean that is super fun, and going to bring us a killer meal later. Now what we're doing is we're going to go get a killer meal for another one of our killer meals. And we're going to drop down, and we're going to get some sand dabs to do some live bait fishing for ling cod. So when you're catching bait to catch dinner, that's a pretty fun day. Here we go. First drop coming in hot. I have three boats. I guide duck hunts. I do winter steelhead, bottom fishing, tuna, halibut, salmon. Pretty much anything you can do in the northwest, I'm after it. I'm gonna just follow it up and down so I can keep your line tight. There you go. Good. When you're feeling tap-tap, you gotta just set the hook. Keep your line tight. There you go. Oh, there he is! Oh yeah! Oh, we got the first one! Pretty sure she smacked that one right in the jaw, folks. Right in the jock. First sand dab, she's caught about 27 different species in the last couple of weeks. This will be another one to add to the list. Yep, come here. Oh, that's a perfect one. There we go. That's what we're looking for folks, right there. A little sand dab, AKA lingcod dinner, AKA future fish taco. Go see them, they look like a little halibut. Aren't they cool little critters? Oh, look it, I got one too. Hey, there you go. Look at this, folks, sand dab professionals. For those of you who are curious, this is AJ. She's going to be fishing with us today, having a lot of fun. You'll see her smile and probably giggle quite a bit. Not only do you bring your kids fishing, you should bring your girlfriend or wife fishing, because it's fun. You've got to get people outdoors. Sell fun. And she, right now, is the sand dab queen of the Pacific Ocean. She's got more than any woman I know on the Pacific today. Come here when it comes up. Back up, and we'll give it a look. Yeah. There you go. Nice. Lingcod bait. Oh, she's got another one, son. Oh, yeah. That's perfect. I got one finally. I hate to say this to you, buddy, but you're going to get fed to someone. I'm good. That's a big sculpin'. Tiny little guy. But it's going to be a good bait. All right, we got our live bait. Teddy's satisfied with what we pulled up from the depths, and we are going to go catch some bottom fish, some lean cod, and some salmon. Here we go, folks. We made it, we're at Jurassic Park here in Oregon. We're about ready to heat drop for some lingcods and sea bass. Have some fun with Matty Tupel from Delibus right here. So we're gonna catch some sea bass, if I can find them on here. Some lingcod, just a nice rocky spot. All sorts of stuff in here, some nice cabazon. See what we get. That's a big one! Wow, hi buddy! One of the coolest things you'll ever see, about a 60-70 foot whale just come up right behind the boat, blue, just like, hey, how you doing? Welcome to my house. That was awesome. You gotta love it out here. Oh, this guy's got it on! Let's go! What we're looking for right there, that's a dandy fish taco. More fish tacos, nice football. Oh yeah. We got tacos, we got tacos, we got the tacos, we got the tacos. Hunter's a lingcod slaying machine. When I heard fish on, I turned over and he had the big rod, I figured that he got tired of the sea bass thing and was looking for something a little bit bigger. Got him. Oh look, he's a red lingcod now. It wasn't blue, now it's red. It's a beautiful fish, though. First one of the day, got the skunk off the boat. Decided to stand dabs, but I don't know if those count. We're not counting bait, we're not counting bait. Those don't count. Atta girl. Go, go, go, go, go! It's double time on the two-fold! Oh, nice fat one. Oh, you lost my fish! That's a blueie. It's a lingcod, if you see it's a lingcod, try to put its head back down in the water and keep it underwater because they'll take it like that. That's okay though. Hey! That happens. You know, you're not into them and now we're into them. We went from zero fish to three on in about 30 seconds and that's the ocean, right? You just drift over these spots and these cool little crevices and nooks and crannies where these fish lie and you knock on their front door and they come out raging. Get the gap, Hunter. Gap it, Hunter. Where is that? Oh, yeah. There it is. 23. Yeah, he makes it. Almost 24. He's tacos. So, they've got to be 22 inches. We like them a little bit over that, and most of the time, we like them when we don't have to measure them, but that one's beautiful. Good tacos. Just a little hula hand up. Kill him. Look. Get to him. The big dutch guy. Doggy dutch. Hop, hop, dash. Hey. Hey. Hey. Hey. Oh yeah, bringing them in. Hey. All I can see is some tortillas, some cilantro, a little onion, and some lemon. And oh, that's a big lingcod bait there. That's a big lingcod bait. That's called a kelpie. Keep them right in there in the drink. Oh, thank god. Oh my god, look at the size of this thing. Yeah! Looks like fish taco season is in full effect. So what am I going to do today, Tommy, if we catch a 30-pound chinook? What am I going to do? Jump in the water. Jump off the boat, that's right. I will dive off this boat, if we catch a 30-pound shadook today on this boat, I will dive off of it in the Pacific Ocean, and I will swim in harmony with great white sharks. We're gonna head out a little deeper and try a different spot for some lingcod and sea bass. Cool spot in here, but they're just kind of picking away at them, and I need some more tacos. What about you, Jared? Do you need some tacos? Hey, man, moss tacos is moss better where I come from. You know, why I became a guide was just being up in that trip that my dad took me on before he passed away. I knew it was what I wanted to do since I was young. It's a lot more work than I thought it would be, but, I mean, it's what I live for, so I would say I'm living the dream. Okay, we're going to test your guys' ability here. It's going to be a little snaggy. The most rewarding part of my job is definitely getting kids or people that have not caught fish into their first. Salmon, halibut, tuna, anything, just watching the pure excitement of someone that's never experienced that. Oh, there he is. See him eating it? See him eating it? Eat it. Eat it, little guy. Oh, he's pulling. Oh, there he is. There he is. There he is. Big guy hook set. Did it pay off? Oh, I think so. It paid off. Rabindo. Rabindo. For those of you just catching up. Tommy had to take a nap. Remember, when you take your kids fishing, if they're tired, let them sleep. They'll be happier children. Oh yeah. Great. Perfect eater size. Oh whoa, he got doubled right there. I got slapped and crapped twice. Ow. Be careful of those lingcod folks. They're dirty fighters. Ouch. Reel, reel, reel, reel. Electric, go, go. Oh yeah, oh yeah. Slow it down a little bit. Back it off a little bit. There you go. That's on the reel end. He's still got it. Yeah, he's still got it. Tacos coming up. Tacos in the water. You want to see us turn water into tacos? Yeah. That's a big ass. That's a giant one. Oh, God. Here, try this one. Here we go. Whoa, whoa. Get him, Tommy. Got him, boy. Tommy. Oh, God. There you go. Nice yellowtail. You know what this is? This is a yellowtail rockfish. See how yellow its fins are? Nice one. That's a goodie. It almost brings tears to my eyes, honestly, to have my son out here with me. Before I even got married, I told my wife we were going to name him Thomas after my dad and so it's super special to me. I was glad that we got to put this together and film it. We did an episode a few years ago with him and he loves turning it on and watching it and so I'm excited to have him a part of this so we can look back at it. Watch his growth, and he can relate, and watch it when I'm gone. Rumor has it if you blow the secret horn, they will come. Blow hard. You've got to kind of whistle in it. No? I don't know if I can either. Nope. Riley. It's got to be Jared. I'm going to have you call Mom in a little bit and say, Mom! Will you please make me and dad and giant Jared and everybody some fish tacos? She never tells you no. I don't know how some of these guys do it without a good woman behind them. My wife is my everything. She makes the world spin for me. I have it easy. I feel like I get up and leave and fish all day. Make sure everything in the home front's good. I definitely could not do it without her. We've had a smash-up time catching leans, bottom fish, having all creatures that live on the deck. Now we're gonna stuff some spin fish, put on some blades, and we're gonna go trolling for the chromies, some salmon. And I'm gonna take off this Viking helmet, because if you ride through the water in a real Viking helmet that weighs 12 pounds, it hurts your neck. Plus, I can't get in the wheelhouse with the horns. Stay tuned. And we're just gonna put a little... Chunk of bait with this little Mulkey 3.5, a little chunk of herring, and we're gonna deploy that and see what we can catch. Fish, fish! It's a salmon. It's a big king. It's a big king. There it goes. Oh, yeah. There it goes. Oh, baby! Oh! Bye-bye! Now he knows he's hooked. Man, I made a bet with Tommy. If the king's over 22 pounds, 7 ounces, I will dive off this boat in the Pacific Ocean. And I ain't scared. I will do it. Oh my gosh. It got me a little shaky. I haven't landed a king in a while, actually. Oh, look at this. It's a fat king. It is a fat king. Oh, nuts. I'm swimming. I am 100% swimming. Oh my god! Oh, Gary! Oh, Gary! That's a big fish right there folks, I believe that I'm going to have to honor my bet and jump in. At first it was 30, then I opened my big mouth and I said 22.7, look at Teddy he's over here shaking. That's a big one, that's a 30 pounder. Walkie Blade, 3.5. Bent the hook out. Bent the hook out. Oh, my gosh. That was... Wow, dude. Oh, Teddy! Yeah! Dude, that's nice, bro. I don't even need to wave it. I know it's over 42,000. Dude, that's a solid chin hook there. Holy cow. That's a solid chin hook there. Holy cow. That's a solid chin hook there. Holy cow. That's a solid chin hook there. Twenty-six. Twenty-six? Yeah. When that is your first salmon coming in the boat right here, when this is the first one that comes in the boat, sun is shining baby, God's looking down on us. That's a good one, Teddy. That's a good one. Let's get another. Woo! Hunter! Get the rod, Hunter. Did he knock it off? He knocked it off. Knocked it off our camera. That's going to be in your DMs. That's going to be in your DMs. That's going to be in your DMs. That's going to be in your DMs. That's going to be in your DMs. That's going to be in your DMs. That's going to be in your DMs. That's going to be in your DMs. That's where it is. Yeah, get him, Hunter. Hey! And you completely redid yourself, boys. Finally got a coho. First one we got landed. We hooked a lot, but finally got this one down. Hunter, get it. Ooh, it's in another rod. No, it's in the other rod. It's in the other rod. Got it out. Nice. Whoa. This is my second fish. Now I'm looming it out for the day. Probably not going to see any much more. That one just smoked the rod. That's a big one. That coho just pulled a magic trick. And for all of you that have fished out in the ocean, you've had them pull a magic trick where you're like, oh, it's hatchery, it's a smooth back, we can kill it. And as soon as you lift it out of the water, you see the big adipose fin, which is no issue. We have a bunch of cohos in the box, so we're gonna let this guy go, go do his thing, and put it back in the water. Oh, nice one. I see it. I see it. It's a ho. Yeah, coho. So I got one on one of our three and a half bulky blades. This happened to be a custom blade. But this color today has been absolute fire. And you can see how we match the blade up with the hoochie and the skirt on this, the tinsel skirt, kind of matching the hats. And these co-hosts love this color combination today. So we're going to put a little chunk of bait on this baby, drop it back out, and see if we can't add some more fish to the box. Is that the hook? Wild one? No. No? There you go. Yes. Here, here, here, here, here. No, it's just . On the surface behind Sean, I heard it click, so I was about to go out of the boat, and so I just grabbed it. Oh, he just got off. Ha ha ha! Chaos on the Pacific, folks. Oh, wow, I've got to go back. Oh, give it to him, Tom. Sean, you've got a fish. I've got a fish. I've got to go back, though. Go, go, go, go, go, go. Somebody come here. You've got to get it, Sean. Keep pulling back. There you go. Dead fish. Sean's got one on right here. Nice. Sean, you're the wild one. Keep catching wild. Flipped out on my limit which is wild. Nice hatchery ocean coho. Within a couple minutes, got it done. There he is. Finally did it. Finally got hatchery coho. That's gonna jump off this boat and dive in the water. That's right, I made a bet with Tommy that if we caught a fish over 22.7 pounds of salmon that I would dive out in the Pacific Ocean. So, I'm a man of my word. So here we are beautiful Pacific Ocean off the Oregon coast. Here you go. Here we go. That's cold. Feels good though. We are all like over six inches. It's like bigger than the whole measure. Over six inches here. Pretty full. Pins your back legs. They're a little soft but that's nice crap. Now we're filling the top of the box with yummy yummy Dungeness crab. You gotta love days like this on the ocean. It's been a beautiful day out here. We're gonna go fill our bellies here in a bit with some of the best the Pacific Northwest has to offer. All the stuff we do, all the time spent outside. All this sharing, laughter and love and fun with friends, this is what brings it all together. Food brings people together one way or another. And this is an amazing dinner cooked by an amazing human, one of my favorite people, Miss Jamie Tufel. We can all thank her right here. You can thank her for this beautiful meal we're about to eat. And just one of those special days. Teddy harvested the elk. We got crab in a bucket out on the deck, we got fish cleaned that we're going to have tomorrow night. So surf and turf, what a great way to end the day on the pond with one of my good buddies and my son, my draw friend, his kid, Riley, and finish it off and she joins us all together with some food. So thanks for watching. It's been a great trip. If you want to come and do something amazing, fill your freezer, fill your cooler, hook up my buddy Teddy Tufel, Pro Fish Guide Service, and you'll come out here and crush it and have a great night. We're about to go out here and watch. Second to none, folks. Thanks for watching. Thanks for joining me. Marlon, thanks for letting me steal your cameraman for the day. I hope you all had a great, great, great addicted episode and had some fun laughing at me doing my thing. Thanks for watching.