By Jason Brooks Winter steelhead is one of the most popular fisheries in the northwest, mostly because we start catching them around Thanksgiving and continue clear into springtime. It is the longest run timing of any or our anadromous fisheries and gives anglers the most opportunity at catching fish. With just about every type of…
Today I had the pleasure of taking northwest outdoor writer Jason Brooks and his son Ryan steelhead fishing on a local river. It’s February here in Washington and we are in the middle of the wettest winter in history. Today it would clear up just long enough for us to think it was a good…
By Jason Brooks With longer days and warmer weather the winter steelheader knows this is the time of year for big fish to arrive in our rivers. Those that might have not caught a truly large steelhead will learn a few lessons as soon as they hook the fish. Unfortunately this is not the time…
by Jason Brooks Bank bound anglers often feel they are at a hindrance to those floating buy in drift boats or having the wake of a jet sled slap the shores as they zoom by. But just because one is on foot doesn’t mean they are at a disadvantage as long as the bank angler…
By Jason Brooks The cold days of January creates clear waters on the drop and for the steelhead angler it is time to hit the rivers. This time of year brings in fresh fish that are nickel sided and black backed ready to bite. Mixed in the bag are hatchery brats and wild fish, both…
Last season was a tough one for big coho in local waters but hot on the heels of a large pink salmon run is a very solid showing of chunky coho salmon! With the Edmonds and Everett Coho Derby looming in the coming weeks, let’s brush up on some silver slaying strategies! The name of…
One of the most underrated aspects of life in the Great Northwest is harvesting and enjoying Dungeness crab with friends and family. This wonderful tasty privilege comes with a responsibility to fish your crab pots in a way that prevents gear loss and a wastage of this valuable aquatic resource. Many pots that folks assume…
I cannot really recall the first time I heard of the magnificent fishing in the Queen Charlotte Islands (Haida Gwaii) but I’m certain that I was a very young angler that was quite impressionable. However, the reverent tones that this incredible location inspired among the anglers that I deeply respected left a mark, a lifetime…
If there is a more popular fishing “rite of passage” than the lowland lakes trout opener, I sure don’t know what it is! The Nelson Clan at Perrygin Lake in Okanogan County a few seasons ago… I would venture to guess that more “first fish” are caught on this final weekend of April than at…
Here in Washington state we have a huge problem with scum sucking varmints stealing boats, outboard motors, and marine electronics. Washington regularly ranks in the top 3 nationwide for property crimes and as much as we like to think our boats and cherished marine equipment are safe while they’re on our property they simply aren’t….