Hi All,
Well a week can sure change things up! Sometimes the emotional roller coaster of the fishing season reminds me of my teenage years at a school dance. You want to ask her to dance so badly but will she say yes or shoot you down in flames…A week ago I was as frustrated as ever. It was hard work scratching up a fish. This week? They are here and in force!
We had a massive rain storm last Thursday and Friday. Perhaps that was the catalyst, the proverbial calling card that brought them in. Regardless, come Friday morning and afternoon things started to light up.
We started at the wall as the winds were howling in the morning and anywhere else would have been awful tough to hold a tack. We were into 4 decent fish within the first couple of hours but couldn’t seal the deal. The weather started to break and in the early afternoon we braved the rolling twisting seas at Little Beale. Trolling bloody nose chrome and bloody nose glow teaser heads behind black and lime green uv flashers at 36 and 33 feet respectively the bite was on. We were into 7 springs at the afternoon tide change and 6 gorgeous wild coho. Keeping 4 springs and two coho for my guests rounded out the afternoon. There were a small number of boats braving the seas with us and they all hooked up as well.
We fished the next morning at Little Beale with the same success. We had to call it early as my guests were due to leave at noon. I had the afternoon off and of course I went fishing. My partner Makiko was able to spend the last 10 days with me and we don’t often get the chance to get out on the boat together. She loves jigging with MacDeeps and was excited about a ling cod trip down to Seabird Island. How could I refuse.
It was sunny skies and sparkling seas as we rounded Cape Beale. Still a bit of a roll from the last remnants of the previous storm but manageable. We were fortunate enough to boat two lovely lings while we played with the sea lions and all the other wildlife at Seabird. This is such a special place. So much life.
On the way back we were treated to an amazing orca show. Breaches, tail slaps, spy hops. It was stunning. To be able to share that with my girl was the highlight of my summer so far.
So…yes the fishing is still good two days later. The Wall all the way down to Danvers has been very good. Little Beale and Whittlestone have been outstanding. Bait is still the go to but I know skinny gs and glow white hootchies have been producing as well.
Swale will be a good bet this week especially if it blows northwest. Keep your gear between 28 and 40 feet and troll at 2.5 to 2.8 mph. Great to see coho numbers improving as well!
Hali fishing is still good providing the seas are calm enough to get out. Salmon bellies and extra large herring are your best bets. Anywhere on the bank all the way out to the Rat’s Nose has been productive. Humps that come up on the Bank to 200 feet are money. Anchoring is still the best way to go but folks are hooking up drifting as well.
August is flying by. It’s time to get out here and experience this amazing resource.
Go spend some time on the boat with someone you love. Nothing better…
Until then,
Coach….