This morning was thrilling, productive, bitter sweet and full of milestones all at the same time. I spent the day with two good friends (three… sorry boat dog Miles). We experienced the best Puget Sound shrimping with the fastest limits I’ve seen in my life. Beautiful weather. The very first day of shrimping that we finished out catching some big Lingcod. And the realization that with the short season and a super busy schedule… that this would be my only opportunity to soak shrimp pots this year.
The Puget Sound doesn’t get any calmer than it was today, with a glassy surface, easy cruising and a Spot Shrimp opener that landed on weak tides. A big thank you to the WDFW for postponing the first day of shrimping to land on a day that we get small tides and weak currents, making everyone’s shrimping experience as easy as it gets.
We launched at Shilshole in Seattle and ran north to Edmonds to find our spot. We had company, as expected. But the crowds were more than manageable at Browns Bay. Usually this is as close to combat shellfishing as one can get, but today was easy for everyone.
We had all the pots rigged and baited and ready for deployment. Splashed the first pot the minute we could drop, and had all four pots soaking within fifteen minutes. I was so shocked at the great weather. We bobbed around our pots with no wind or current, waiting eagerly to pull the first pot. I battled Chris about the soak time, I was jumping at the bit to pull after 45 minutes, but we negotiated an hour fifteen. Probably the right call… thanks bud!
Our first pull offered about a limit of 80 big Spot Shrimp. The second the same, and by the time we pulled our fourth and final pot we had over three limits and were throwing back extras. Without any wind, there was no tangled lines, no jockeying around our buoys with other boats, and a stress free operation. But what do we do with the rest of the morning? Go chase Lingcod at Possession!
Luckily, we launched early and caught a bunch of Flounder and Sculpin for live bait. And the catching was easy. While fishing for our live bait, Chris was reeling in a tiny flounder and a Chinook grabbed it at the surface and took him for a real battle… first time I have ever seen that!
We cruised to Possession, and although I don’t have many good spots marked on my chart, we found some great structure on the west side and set up a drift. Several hookups, several lings lost. Then Chris pegged a beauty!
The action completely died and Josh suggested we search for a new spot. We made a few more drifts and I stuck another! Quite the battle, then after a few narrow misses with the net, Chris scooped it and we landed our second keeper! Measured twice and it was 35.5″ both times… just under the 36″ slot limit. The winds and current finally picked up in the early afternoon, and it was the signal to call it a day.
Limits of Puget Sound Spot Shrimp and a couple impressive Lingcod for the opener produced some big smiles and a feeling of accomplishment. I’d call it a good day!
Kingston Chinook Salmon Fishing
