Puget Sound Sojourn
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Kayak angling for cutts off a typical Puget Sound beach
Although fishing has been lights out good here in SW Montana, I found myself spending several days in Tacoma, Washington with the wife’s relatives. I was obligated to be present for only one day at an engagement party for a long-unmarried niece. That left me three days to fish anywhere I wanted too. I spent a great day with Blake Merwin of the Gig Harbor Fly Shop and two other Seattle area anglers chasing sea-run cutthroats off the beaches of Olalla, Washington from kayaks. Despite the wind, the fishing was good for 10-14” cutts holding tight to the beach structure. The Gig Harbor Fly Shop is a great alternative for visiting solo anglers because Blake will generally try and find other solo anglers to share the trip. Believe me, it’s a bargain to pay only $166 for a full day, guided kayak trip with lunch and all the flies and high-end gear provided. Since each angler gets their own Native Slayer Propel or Hobie Mirage kayak, it really doesn’t matter how many of you there are. Sea-run cutthroats are making a great comeback in the Puget Sound, especially the south Sound region where there’s a lot of public beaches available to the shore bound angler.
Pretty typical gear and flies for Puget Sound Cutthroat and Salmon
Day two of my fishing focused on the large runs of coho and pink salmon entering the Puget Sound this late July. In odd numbered years, millions of 3-5 pound Pink Salmon (Oncorhynchus gorbuscha) leave the northern Pacific Ocean to enter tributary rivers of the Alaska, British Columbia, and Washington and Oregon coastline. The last three seasonal runs into the Pacific Northwest have set records for abundance of returning Pinks. Pink Salmon have a strict two year life cycle and for some quirk of nature, odd numbered years see runs magnitudes larger that in even numbered years. There’s no better place for the shore-bound angler to target Pink Salmon than the Puget Sound for several reasons. One, Pinks are not difficult to catch as they hold close to the shoreline in waters less than 40 feet deep foraging as they move into and through the Puget Sound heading for their native rivers. Two, they willing attack just about any lure or fly that is pink. Three, the Puget Sound, although it can be treacherous in severe weather, is a rather docile inland sea providing a lot of sheltered water and almost unlimited access to 100s of miles of shorelines via local, county and state parks and Washington Department of Fish and Game access points.
For 2015, the Pinks arrived early in July into the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife were predicting a run of 6.8 million Pink Salmon heading for the major rivers of the Puget Sound. They made the same prediction in 2013 but they were wrong. Over 8 million pinks came into the sound in 2013. In late July they will be concentrated along the shorelines and points of the Straits of Juan de Fuca and northern parts of the Puget Sound around Seattle, Port Townsend and Whidbey Island headed for rivers in impressive numbers like the Snohomish (1.6M), Skagit (6K), Nooksack (2.8K) Stillaguamish (2.1K) and Green (6.2K). Into August, the pinks will continue to move south into the South Sound around Tacoma and Gig Harbor headed for the Puyallup (8.3K) and Nisqually Rivers (9.7K). Like most inshore saltwater angling, tides play an important role in when and where to fish. The Puget Sound is no exception and can experience tidal changes as much as 15 feet in 6 hours. Gearing up for Pink Salmon is easy as can be seen in this WDFW video https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=275&v=qOp0EplIGUw. A six-eight weight fly rods with a sink tips is a typical setup. Lures and flies can be obtained at most sporting goods stores in the region. The Puget Sound is barbless hook fishing only and to my understanding, strictly enforced. In mid-Summer the weather is usually fair around the Puget Sound, but wind and rain can cool things off. The Sound is cold saltwater so most wading anglers use waders, even in summer. Of course there’s the matter of fishing licenses. Washington State has both freshwater and saltwater licenses, as well as combination licenses. Non-residents can purchase 1 or 2 day licenses for saltwater as well as a season license. Anglers also need a Sport Catch Record Card to record and report any salmon kept. In 2015, the daily limit for Pink Salmon in most areas was four but anglers should always be aware of changes in limits and seasons in different management areas in the Puget Sound.
Waiting for the salmon to show at Fort Flagler
I made an early morning 90 minute drive up the Olympic Peninsula to Fort Flagler State Park, which sits on a point right at the entrance to Admiralty Inlet, the main entrance into the Sound from the Strait of San Juan de Fuca. Catching a waning out-going tide, less than a dozen anglers lined the point and beach. Most were throwing lures but several anglers were fishing with flies. While the bite lasted a fair number of coho and pinks were landed. While on the point, I met Vic Cutler formerly with Fenwick, now with PacBay who lives and works out of Sequim, Wa. We talked a lot about the salmon and cutthroat fishery in the Sound for shore-bound anglers and he provided some insights as to when and where to go as the season moved on.
On my last day of fishing, I ventured over on the ferry to Vashon Island to fish the beaches at Maury Island Marine Park and Point Robinson Light. At Maury Island I found complete solitude along a mile long isolated beach while I caught a few cutthroat from shore. It was a marvelous day away from the relatives.
Puget Sound Cutthroat, Coho and Pink Salmon are a great angling opportunity for shore-bound anglers that isn’t taken advantage of all that often. Normal lightweight saltwater gear and flies are all that’s needed along with a little adventurous spirit to explore the many 100s of miles of public beach access in the Puget Sound.Strategy without Tactics is a Slow Route to Victory, Tactics without Strategy is the Noise Before Defeat - Sun Tzu
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