Eric Vanhofwegen with a chrome Southeast Alaska chinook he caught underneath a flock of diving birds. Bird Activity Weren’t they a band back in the 60’s? And now they eat fish, go figure. Watching bird behavior on the saltwater can be a good indicator of what’s going on below the surface. The most obvious of…
The annual pilgrimage to Southeast Alaska is an event that my friends and I look forward to each and every year. You never know what you're going to get on the fish or weather front and this season held many surprises on both accounts! Our first day was sunny and flat calm. Our 28' Stabicraft…
It's been a whirlwind since I left Washington on May 24th for my annual journey to Southeast Alaska where I run saltwater charters for the summer. The drive north this year was easy and thankfully uneventful. I did run into some wildlife along the way, including this good sized black bear that was grazing in…
I've always heard stories about what the fishing used to be like in Puget Sound. Plenty of salmon to be caught, true cod and rockfish were plentiful, and prized dungeness crab were able to be harvested recreationally all year long. Whatever happened to the good ole days? Well I think I have an answer, continued commercial…
I have been out on the sound, the coast off Oregon and Washington and Mexico twice with Capt. John Keizer of Salt Patrol but I've never actually fished with Capt. John. That all changed this past week when were discussing the area 11 opener. John mentioned that he was going to be fishing on Saturday so…
The first step towards an extensive series of Marine Protected Areas was taken by the Washington State Legislator in March of this year. For now it is being called Marine Spatial Planning which according to SSB 6350 Final Bill Report reads," Marine spatial planning is a process through which compatible human uses are objectively and…
Getting up early on June first is something of a Northwesterners rite of passage and if you're going to launch your boat or get a good spot on the banks of the Sky…. the earlier the better! With a forecast of 15,500 chinook heading for the Snohomish system and the Skykomish's usual complement of summer…
With chinook fisheries opening up in Puget Sound, out on the coast and going strong in British Columbia and Alaska, a technique refresher is definitely in order. Known as the "remote" or "dummy flasher" rig, this downrigger setup is a great way to reap all the fish attraction benefits of a flasher while enjoying the…
I wish I could claim this angling feat as my own…. but alas…. or rather ALASKA! It took a couple of friends of mine in Sitka, Alaska all of 600 seconds to hook and land this dandy load of South East chrome! The word from up north right now is unanimous… We are looking at…
By Jeff Lund. Making lists is the first step in missing the point, because it only increases the chances of looking back, judging based on check marks and failing to realize that life had its own plan and it would have been pretty great if you wouldn’t have been so preoccupied. Same goes for results….