With all the waters around Whidbey Island open for salmon fishing and hunting season underway, it’s getting hard for the outdoors enthusiast to get everything in.

Salmon anglers are starting to catch their limits throughout the region, reeling them in from boats and beaches.

Beaches on either side of Fort Casey are starting to become productive. One reader reported catching a humpy along with a coho, but there was no picture with the report.

Once again a buzz bomb cast from the beach is the lure of choice. Another reader reported catching a limit of coho with some hearing and a bobber. Down at the south end of the island this is a popular technique that can be productive in waters up north as well.

Look for beaches around Deception Pass park to start heating up with salmon bound for the Skagit River.

Speaking of the Skagit, last weekend I headed up the river past Concrete to try the Cascade River out. I heard there were a few dollies being caught there and had to give it a try. If I had gotten there a bit earlier I might have had better luck, but I did see a good number of kings rolling in the waters near the hatchery.

Boat anglers are reporting good numbers of salmon being caught as the head towards the Sammish River. Bouncing darts off the bottom seem to be the most productive.

The Samish River itself is starting to heat up and this early in the season there will be a large percentage of nice bright kings just starting their way up to the hatchery. I happen to love fishing the Samish even if it gets crowded. I’ve met several people there who just love to fish and have a good time, and if the weather keeps up the way it has been for the past couple of weeks, it’s a pleasant place to fish. I will discuss some of the techniques used there in my next article.

Hunting report

Bear season is upon us. It is your first chance of the year to get out in the woods and hunt. When I get the opportunity, I will concentrate on south facing slopes that have open fields of berries for bears to eat. Be sure to look for bear signs. Bears tend to be quite “regular” this time of year and leave droppings everywhere. Last year I hunted around one ridge and the next day there was a nice blue berry surprise right in the middle of my tire tracks from the previous day. Good luck.

Be a safe, be seen and I will meet you in the field. Local clubs can e-mail me with events they would like to announce. Be sure to send pictures, recipes, stories or even a comment or two to whidbey_fff@yahoo.com I look forward to hearing from you.

Because of the heavy amount of outdoor activity going on in August, Ed Oldham’s column will appear weekly in the Whidbey News-Times throughout the month.