There are only a couple more days left in this year’s ling cod season, which ends on June 15, but don’t worry July 1 will give you a several options that I will talk about shortly.
Anglers are still reporting decent lings being caught around the region. Some real monsters have come from the San Juan Islands. A friend reported another 40-plus inch ling. That is a pretty big fish. For those of us who can’t get out today or tomorrow, I guess we will have to wait until next year.
During the off-season you could get involved with one of the fishing clubs on the island to network with other anglers. After awhile you will have friends who you can experience various types of fishing with that you otherwise might not.
The area will soon open to one of Oak Harbor’s favorite seasons, crab. I haven’t seen a lot of commercial boats out there so hopefully the sport angler will have a better go of it this year. Areas like Crescent Harbor, West Beach, and the west side of Camano Island are some of the most popular and will see hundreds of boats July 1-2. After that the season will run Wednesday through Saturday with a five crab limit.
The summer salmon season will kick off on July 1 as well. Salmon anglers will hit their favorite spots all over the sound. My favorite techniques are trolling squid, spoons and cut plug herring. I like to vary the depth I set my rigs up until I either have a hook up or I have marked fish on the fish finder. Also, I like to change up the speed of my troll. Sometimes when the bite is slow all it takes is to take your trolling motor out of gear, let it settle a second or two then kick it back in and it can cause them to strike.
If you can’t decide whether to go crabbing or salmon fishing then do both. You can drop off a few pots out at West Beach on your way out to the San Juan Islands or you can even drop some off in Crescent Harbor or Camano Island and then troll for salmon around Camano.
Freshwater anglers are starting to get out in pursuit of bass. As lake temperatures start to rise bass start biting. Inland lakes like Skagit County’s Big Lake heat up a bit quicker, but Campbell is warming up as well. Try to get out there and toss some plastic and you will see why some anglers love top water action.
Hunting report
Those hunters putting in special hunt permits need to hurry to make the June 28 deadline. For those who have not applied before, you might want to get a copy of this year’s hunting regulations and you could see something of interest. Options range from special hunts to special permits and even those youth permits a lot of parents put their children in for.
Until next time, be sure to plan your trips and I look forward to hearing from you. Please send comments, suggestions, reports and pictures to me at Whidbey_fff@yahoo.com.
Ed Oldham’s Fish, Fur, Fowl column appears every other Wednesday in the Whidbey News-Times.
