FISHING REPORT AND BLOG
We are starting to see the hatchery chinook! Looking forward to the 7/14 opener!
Lots of resident coho in the fish box the last half of June. Recently we are starting to see the hatchery chinook salmon enter the sound. Should be a great year!
Salmon Season is now open!
Salmon opened on Puget Sound this month and the action started slow but recently the bite has really picked up with the calmer winds! We are catching resident coho salmon which are much smaller than the ocean run coho we see at the end of summer but are excellent size for the bbq. We are catching and releasing a few ocean run chinook and look forward to the July 1st opener!
Short winter king fishery this year was decent now it's time for annual maintenance!
The state stopped, started, changed days of the week fishing is allowed and then opened the final two weeks to seven days a week and a bonus salmon. All of these erratic and last-minute changes to the season made it very difficult to plan trips. We managed to get out quite a bit in March and the chinook were there.
April is a closed month for area 10 and we take this time to complete the annual maintenance on the boats. This year is a bottom paint year in addition to the standard oil, filters and lower unit service.
We are excited for the six-week Lingcod season kicking off May 1st!
Good times on the sound the last few weeks!
August has been good for hatchery chinook salmon! We are also seeing more and more Pink salmon and even a few early hatchery coho salmon.
We do have a few open spots before the chinook season closes 9/1/21. Lots of September availability to get some coho!
It hasn't rained in 42 days!
This Chinook season started hot, paused and recently has heated up! Pink Salmon return in odd calendar years and the Puget Sound is quickly filling with these fun fighters.
Hatchery Chinook Season is underway!
Decent start to the season but it is not red hot yet. We have managed a few fish each day and expect the fishing to get better and better over the coming weeks! Beautiful weather has made for great sunrises!
Great Fourth of July Weekend!
Resident coho salmon continue to provide decent action but we are more excited about the chinook salmon we are starting to see! The chinook retention opens on the 16th. Until then we are leaving them in the water!
June resident Coho action
The June Coho salmon fishery has been very good on some days and so so on other days. We had a significant algae bloom that lasted 4-5 days which decreased visibility to less than 2 feet and put the bite on ice. The ultra hot 107 days of 6/26-6/28 were very nice on the water with temps around 80 on the water. We were fortunate to see the transient Orca Whales (Killer Whales) on several trips! While we have been targeting coho, we have hooked and lost or hooked and released several adult chinook salmon! Let’s hope for a good King year!
Glad we have moved into 2021!
Fishing was closed November-April so we were very excited for the May opening. May is Lingcod and Prawn (shrimp) season. Its a fun time of year on the sound with very low angling pressure in Central Puget sound. Its nice to have the place to ourselves and the sailboats until salmon season launches on the 16th
Chinook Season is here!
Chinook opened on the 15th and the first week or so was very tough! Its getting better each day and I suspect the fish are 10 days behind a normal year. The best news is the fish we have been catching appear to be on the larger size! I’ve heard valid reports of 25-30 lb fish being harvested. Might be the year to get the personal record for the Puget Sound. If your looking for something to do during this upside down summer getting out on the water and hunting Chinook is a great option.
Great Month on the water!
June salmon fishing was excellent on the Puget Sound. Great to be out of lock down and chasing fish!
The retention consisted of resident Silvers/Coho. Lots of them. They are the perfect size for the bbq. We released many Chinook/King salmon. They seem to be larger this year.
King retention begins on the 16th and we are excited to catch these beasts!
Finally Back on the water!
Well the late winter and early spring salmon fishing season was shutdown by the State to prevent the spread of Covid 19. March, April and May seemed to drag on forever but all of that is in the rear view mirror. We are now back on the water running fishing charters. Extra cleaning and wearing masks is the new norm this summer.
The salmon season opened in Puget Sound area 10 on the first of June. The June fishery is focused on resident coho salmon. These are feisty salmon on the smaller end of the scale. Most are 3-6 lbs. The chinook salmon are starting to enter the Puget Sound but these large salmon must be released until July 16th.
This large King was caught and released today. We had a great day on the water releasing several fish and long distance release a few others. Fishing only gets better and better each day for the rest of the summer!
This mother and daughter team came all the way from Orange Beach Alabama and released this large Chinook Salmon
Summary of the fall season!
October and November featured some great catches while the weather ranged from beautiful clear and crisp days to torrential wind and rain! The enclosed cabin of the Grady-White provided a much needed break from the elements. The weather cooperated and we were able to host a photo shoot with drone footage!
The coho salmon were consistent through mid October with slightly smaller average size. The Chum salmon proved a challenge to catch but we managed to get our share. The fall crab season is producing limits as well.
October is steelhead primetime in Northern British Columbia and we managed a few weeks vacation on the Kispiox and the Bulkley. Such a wild and special place!
The Puget sound is closed for salmon until January 1st and if the recent catches of winter chinook are an indication the winter king (blackmouth) fishery should be excellent. Winter days on the sound are my favorite as we often have the entire sound to ourselves!
Coho fishing has been excellent!
Lots of Coho the past few weeks….we tried to avoid the pinks and get the coho salmon! Lots of late chinook released too!
The next few weeks should be special as the Coho hits the peak of the run!
Very busy two weeks of catching!
The best Chinook season in many years came to a close with lots of limits and outstanding action. The sound is now full of Pinks but we have been focusing on Coho Salmon and releasing the Chinook.
This week we were graced with a pod of transient ORCA!
Sundays high tide seemed to push a large number of Coho into the system! Great action yesterday with most Coho showing off their acrobatic jumping ability!
Another stunning week on Puget Sound!
We had a lot of action the past week! Wind storm, 85 degree days, heavy rainfall and lots of Hatchery Chinook salmon!
We saw a few pink salmon and even a couple of early ocean Coho salmon!
Great week of catching!
Chinook salmon catching week! Great bites with several trips in the double digits which is not normal. There seem to be more fish around this year. I hope it stays this hot for a few more weeks!
Sunday Afternoon Fun
Saturday brought in rain and clouds and some tougher fishing. We lost a couple at the boat and released a few black mouth. Sunday I slept in after a good friends wedding Saturday night. Hit the dock about noon with a group and had a great afternoon! Kept two kings and release too other!
