August! How did that happen? Sure seems as the summer screams by, a time which many of us wait for all year, and as quick as it comes, it’s gone. And each year, as I set my summer fishing schedule, I try to relive great fishing memories while continuing to find new special places.
I continue to firmly believe that following the chinook and coho salmon forecasts will, at a high percentage rate, produce the highest quality fishing experiences. As reported in this space during the last two reports, this is the year of the king. Kings, lots of kings coming home to the Pacific Northwest. King salmon lit up like the 4th of July from mid-May to mid-June in southeast Alaska, as most stocks congregated, preparing for a strong push down the Alaska and Canadian coasts. In fact, king salmon seemed to be everywhere, between Westport and all points north. When July rolled around, especially in ocean waters, the king salmon seemed to be in pockets along our coast. Find the bait, and you usually found the kings. However, finding a day when the wind didn’t blow has been a challenge.
Inside Puget Sound, the king salmon season took off July 1st in the San Juans and the reports were moderate, continuing at that catch level even at this writing. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not a biological desert in the Islands and possibly, the incredible king salmon fishing that region enjoyed a year ago may have pickled a few angler’s minds.
The Puget Sound region from the north end of Vashon Island to Pt. Wilson, Port Townsend opened on July 16th and Mid-Channel Bank was so hot, it melted all the way to Tokyo. So don’t be alarmed at all the Asian restaurants in Port Townsend. It is the result of the meltdown. King salmon fishing comes and goes on Mid-Channel Bank, like the tide and wind, but it’s still a good bet, again, even at this writing.
So, what to do in August? Are there still plenty of king salmon around? The answer is a big YES! My counsel is to get to the ocean, quick, preferably Wesport in the next couple of weeks. Strong numbers of kings, bound for the Columbia River at a modern day record forecast are currently woofing baitfish in every direction. The table is set.
Beginning in the middle of August, thousands of king salmon will be moving into the lower Columbia River, between Ilwaco and Astoria daily. Trainloads, dude, of king salmon should produce some of the best king salmon fishing many of us have witnessed in years. I am so there.
August offers some other great fishing shows in Washington like the annual migration of albacore tuna which occurs along our coast around Ilwaco and Westport in peak numbers during mid and late August. If you haven’t done a tuna trip, do it. Good sized sport boats in the mid-20 foot range and larger will be making the run to intercept these great fighting fish, usually found in ocean water temperatures ranging from 59-62 degrees. That’s prime albacore water. The key is picking the right days, as the wind blows, especially offshore during the warm days of summer. Charterboats also run daily out of Westport and Ilwaco when the albacore are in the neighborhood. Get on a boat, any boat, and go!
August is also a time of the year when the coho salmon, mixed with king salmon begin showing in good numbers off the coast and the western Strait of Juan de Fuca. I’ve done a zillion coho salmon fishing trips out of Neah Bay in my fishing career during late August and early September. Many anglers consider this area as world class coho fishing on light tackle and it represents one of the few areas in Washington where a coho salmon will absolutely maul a surface fly.
In the meantime, it’s time to get very thirsty my friend, for the peak of salmon fishing in Washington. So many options, so little time. Go fishing! Okay, that’s exactly what I am going to do when I hit the send button on this column. See you on the water.
I continue to firmly believe that following the chinook and coho salmon forecasts will, at a high percentage rate, produce the highest quality fishing experiences. As reported in this space during the last two reports, this is the year of the king. Kings, lots of kings coming home to the Pacific Northwest. King salmon lit up like the 4th of July from mid-May to mid-June in southeast Alaska, as most stocks congregated, preparing for a strong push down the Alaska and Canadian coasts. In fact, king salmon seemed to be everywhere, between Westport and all points north. When July rolled around, especially in ocean waters, the king salmon seemed to be in pockets along our coast. Find the bait, and you usually found the kings. However, finding a day when the wind didn’t blow has been a challenge.
Inside Puget Sound, the king salmon season took off July 1st in the San Juans and the reports were moderate, continuing at that catch level even at this writing. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not a biological desert in the Islands and possibly, the incredible king salmon fishing that region enjoyed a year ago may have pickled a few angler’s minds.
The Puget Sound region from the north end of Vashon Island to Pt. Wilson, Port Townsend opened on July 16th and Mid-Channel Bank was so hot, it melted all the way to Tokyo. So don’t be alarmed at all the Asian restaurants in Port Townsend. It is the result of the meltdown. King salmon fishing comes and goes on Mid-Channel Bank, like the tide and wind, but it’s still a good bet, again, even at this writing.
So, what to do in August? Are there still plenty of king salmon around? The answer is a big YES! My counsel is to get to the ocean, quick, preferably Wesport in the next couple of weeks. Strong numbers of kings, bound for the Columbia River at a modern day record forecast are currently woofing baitfish in every direction. The table is set.
Beginning in the middle of August, thousands of king salmon will be moving into the lower Columbia River, between Ilwaco and Astoria daily. Trainloads, dude, of king salmon should produce some of the best king salmon fishing many of us have witnessed in years. I am so there.
August offers some other great fishing shows in Washington like the annual migration of albacore tuna which occurs along our coast around Ilwaco and Westport in peak numbers during mid and late August. If you haven’t done a tuna trip, do it. Good sized sport boats in the mid-20 foot range and larger will be making the run to intercept these great fighting fish, usually found in ocean water temperatures ranging from 59-62 degrees. That’s prime albacore water. The key is picking the right days, as the wind blows, especially offshore during the warm days of summer. Charterboats also run daily out of Westport and Ilwaco when the albacore are in the neighborhood. Get on a boat, any boat, and go!
August is also a time of the year when the coho salmon, mixed with king salmon begin showing in good numbers off the coast and the western Strait of Juan de Fuca. I’ve done a zillion coho salmon fishing trips out of Neah Bay in my fishing career during late August and early September. Many anglers consider this area as world class coho fishing on light tackle and it represents one of the few areas in Washington where a coho salmon will absolutely maul a surface fly.
In the meantime, it’s time to get very thirsty my friend, for the peak of salmon fishing in Washington. So many options, so little time. Go fishing! Okay, that’s exactly what I am going to do when I hit the send button on this column. See you on the water.
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