It’s May, Get Outside! 2

Even though mother nature may not realize it, the calendar does say May and for me, May is when it really gets fun living here in the NW.  Gone are the dark and rainy days of winter spent out on the water in less than desirable conditions. May for me, represents spring time, long days, and opportunity on the water.  Some of the best tasting critters in the water can be harvested in May and I make plans to take full advantage of it every year.  Shrimp, lingcod, and halibut are on every saltwater fisherman's menu this month.  For the freshwater guys, trout, bass, walleye, and flyfishing opportunities heat up. 

Around the Tobeck house, May marks the time when we can walk outside the house and target bass in shallow water.  Unfortunately, this year the weather has been less than stellar and the water hasn't quite warmed enough on the south end of Lake Wa. for the bass to move up shallow in any numbers.  It took me until last night (12th) to catch the first bass of the year from shore. My neighbors must think I am crazy after I let out a yell over that one pounder but around our house that first bass of the year really means something, bragging rights until next year.

Madden with a Lake Wa. smallie caught from the beach.

Another opportunity that I never miss is the shrimp opener in Puget Sound.  I have had years where the boys had baseball games and I had to drop pots, drive to Puyallup for the game and get back just in time to pull my pots before time was up.  It was work, but it was fun work and the rewards for all that work are in my opinion the tastiest morsels God put in the ocean. This year took some planning as well.  Nelly and I had talked about hitting the opener together but wanted to have our pots in the water soaking while we were still on the air.  Problem was, who does Nelly trust to run his boat without him on it?  The answer was Ray Gombiski.  He and his wife Kelly dropped the pots off Camano and met us back at the dock after the show.  We quickly hurried out and starting working our pots.  The shrimp were some of the biggest I had seen come out of Puget Sound and we limited the boat by 1 that afternoon. 

A limit in one pull is cause for celebration.

Bottomfishing is something that I guess was bred into me.  Growing up, my dad always loved to bottomfish and when we went fishing, that's what we did.  Here in the NW, there is no better time to bottomfish than right now.  With limited halibut opportunity to start with, you have to get out while the getting is good and the getting is good right now.  From close to home spots such as Mutiny Bay or the banks off Port Townsend, all the way out to the coast, halibut are being caught and the last few years have been really productive for halibut anglers in all marine areas.  I like to spend my time halibut fishing on the coast.  The richness of life off the coast of Wa. always amazes me.  Not only are the halibut plentiful but the opportunities to catch lincod, rockfish, and other bottomfish are there as well and really make the trip out to the coast pay off.

Ryan Dent with his first Halibut out of Westport.

After flying 40 miles out in the ocean, this bird decided to hitch a ride home.

We took all day to land our halibut but the lings came in a flurry.

If your looking for opportunities to get out and enjoy the outdoors, there is no better time than from right now on through September. Don't let this summer pass you by, get out and enjoy it, cold, windy, and rainy winter will be here before you know it.