“Selective” Summer (So far…)

August 9, 2011

One of my favorite regional salmon fishing opportunities is our local summer chinook season. The Marine Area 9 & 10 selective harvest opportunity dates back to 2007 when, after several years of closures, the north central Sound again got to fish for summer kings. “I hope anglers remember how we got here”  states Tony Floor, […]

“Hawg Questing” the San Juan Islands!

July 13, 2011

It's been said by wiser men that I that "Luck is when preparation meets opportunity". Well, the Marine Area 7/ San Juan Island opener is surely an opportunity and all the fishing we've been doing up north definitely counts as preparation. Bolstered by our experience in southeast Alaska and the reports coming from Nootka and points south, the […]

Sitka 2011: Lots of flat water…and flat fish!

June 19, 2011

If there is a constant to our annual Sitka, Alaska adventure, it’s that every year has it’s own personality and pace. It seems that each year the fish are found in different locations & depths and it’s our job to decipher the puzzle. In stark contrast to last year, 2011 was marked by a flat […]

June One Skykomish Opener!

June 1, 2011

The June first river opener on several area streams has been marked on many an anglers schedule for many a day. Why??? Most Puget Sound rivers closed on February 28th -if not earlier- so to the opportunistic angler paying close attention might observe that the salmon and steelhead have been unmolested for at least three […]

Cool Spring, Hot Springers!

May 22, 2011

This year's much anticipated Columbia River spring chinook run has been a mirror image of our "spring" weather: underwhelming at best. April was a near bust for both the sun and the springers as low water temperatures slowed the early running chinook's accent up the Columbia to a mere crawl. In fact, the sport anglers […]

(Not too far) North to Nootka!

May 2, 2011

It's not too often that a fishing fanatic like myself gets the opportunity to see the birth of a destination fishing resort. Add the fact that this destination is designed to be affordable, accessible, available to anglers with or without their own boats and it becomes a once-in-a-lifetime event! When I heard that a group of […]

Expiration Date:

April 10, 2011

To the winter-weary Northwesterner, the first of May signals the opening of many long awaited opportunities. Shrimp, lingcod and halibut seasons are all on tap and the warming inland waters offer the first genuine shot at bass, kokanee and trout as well. While these traditional spring pursuits beckon, some of the best local action comes […]

Deep fry done easy!

April 4, 2011

Spring is upon us and with it lingcod, rockfish and halibut seasons. So,  if you've still got fish in the freezer…  You, my friend have a problem that is probably starting to look more like Styrofoam than fresh fish. Fortunately, there is a much better solution than deeming the contents of your freezer "Crab bait". […]

Billfish Bonanza (Part dos)

March 28, 2011

Well, the first ever Outdoor Line Billfish Bonanza is in the books and without exception, a great time was had by all who attended! After the three days of fishing the TOL crew sets up for the awards banquet. Here, Kathy Nelson readies the raffle prizes and Robbie Tobeck surveys the banner in La Iguana, the […]

Billfish Bonanza (Part uno)

March 23, 2011

Greetings from Costa Rica! We arrived in San Jose Sunday evening and hit the first snag of the trip as Costa Rica Customs wanted to know what we were doing with two 50lb boxes of T-shirts and duffel bags full of tackle and fishing swag! It was "Gringo Grande" to the rescue as Robbo Endsley persuaded the customs […]