Back to the beach

So I have to say that for about the last year I have been a bit at odds with the Puget Sound fishery. Yes I have had some good outings, but I haven't had any of those days where you feel like the stars had lined up or anything. In fact, the last time that I fished the saltwater I did pick up a few sea-run cutthroat, but thanks to the persistent wind and a bad cast I also picked up a nice inch long slit in my nearly brand new waders... All complements of a wayward Clouser Minnow. I can definitely say that I have needed a good day on the water for far to long.

So between some unusually nice weather and catching a whiff of salty sea air on my way home from a long day at work, I just had to get out. I got a hold of my buddy Colton and we decided to hit the beach for the last bit of an incoming tide before dark. When we got to the beach, the first signs of a beautiful sunset were already underway over the glassy calm water. My mind was set on intercepting one of the 2-5lb adult resident Coho, which frequent the beaches of the South Sound this time of the year. So I started things off with a larger herring pattern, whereas Colton went with a smaller attractor pattern that tends to be deadly for just about anything with fins. For the first 20 minutes or so the only signs of life were a lone seal and some small baitfish breaking the surface, however before long Colton found a nice 12" resident Coho on his attractor pattern.

Colton with a nice resident Coho Salmon

A few casts later he got a second one and since I had yet to see an adult jump yet, my resolve crumbled and I switched over to a prawn pattern. This choice was immediately rewarded with one of the little resident salmon as well. This spunky little fish chased to fly right up to the rod tip, before getting hooked and then going for a few good runs.

A resident Coho Salmon for me

I seemed like a school had moved in and fishing stayed good like this for a while, with enough activity between casts to keep things interesting. However, as the evening wore on the rising tide forced us to leave our a spot and look for somewhere with a more favorable back cast. We relocated to a point that is generally rather productive, but the fish seemed to be much more scattered then our previous spot so we had to work a bit harder for them. However persistence pays off...

Yet another resident Coho Salmon

With the tide slowing down and the last rays of light casting a pink glow to the horizon, it was time to go and while the big fish didn't show this evening, it had been just what I had been looking for!

Twilight over the Puget Sound