SFR Fishing in the San Juan Islands
- Thread starter DFG
- Start date
Sorta fishing-related
Make sure you know the regs. Some fish have a very short season, some, not at all.
It used to be much easier in the "old" days.....
It used to be much easier in the "old" days.....
As Scott mentioned, check the reg’s, but if it’s open for them casting off the transom or bow for “humpies” up there in August can be a hoot.
When you are cruising in a big boat, it’s not the time to start learning how to gear fish for salmon. You are very likely to be disappointed. Throwing flies at pink schools that you see is likely to be the most fun and the most productive.
I have done some cruising in the San Juans and BC. The boat we used had a tender with an outboard, and I brought a portable fish finder. The fishing gear stayed below decks until we were safely anchored for the night. After that I could take the tender out and fish reasonably effectively. Fishing from the big boat would have been a total waste of time.
Six weight rod, type 3 line (just my preference), a chunk of 12 lb Maxima and small, pink, jiggy flies. Cast at jumpers/finners and try to stay ahead of them. Super fun fishing IMO, and extremely effective.
If fly fishing isn't an option I've always done well with tiny buzz bombs cast from light spinning rods. Personally I think smaller stuff fishes way better than the giant hardware many folks are tossing. Cast towards signs of fish and don't get super aggressive with how you work it. Subtle jigging with lots of pauses and drops is deadly.
But definitely check the regs, I can't say I'm familiar with the area 7 seasons this year but in recent years the salmon fishing seasons have been dwindling drastically up there.
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One other thing since you don’t fish the salt regularly. If you catch pinks and decide to keep some for dinner….bleed, clean and then ice them down immediately to keep them firm. You want to eat salmon, not mash potatoes. 
SF
SF
Flounder would definitely be an option. And don't quote me on this as I haven't looked recently, but typically Cabezon fishing is open until sometime in Novemeber I believe.
Of course you're not likely to target cabbies without encountering a bunch of lings, which will be closed, and that may or may not approach some sort of ethical grey area for you, but if it's open it would definitely be an option to at least wet a line.
If you are in a shallow bay, go for it. I would hesitate to do it in the rockier, deeper water. You could run into a lot of incidental rock fish which may not survive coming up from depth. In areas 6-13, all rock fish must be released immediately.
And make sure to check out the regs regarding descending devices. Can't recall if it's required for flounder but anytime you are targeting bottomfish a descender device is required to not only be onboard but also rigged and ready for deployment. (Funny enough it's not specified that you actually have to use it, just that it be rigged and ready).
