By Kevin Klein
Well, that’s a wrap for summer and fall fishing in Marine Area 7 in the San Juan Islands. October 31 was the last day for salmon, but crabbing is still open.
We had some bursts of catching, but overall, this fishing season was not as good as in recent years. Most of the fish, especially from the Fraser River, went east around Vancouver Island, coming down from Alaska.
When that happens, we just won’t get a bunch of fish through the islands. There were a lot of late coho around until the end, however.
In the photo Vicki Telford of Friday Harbor displays an early winter Chinook from 2014. A fish like this might have you thinkin’ ’bout runnin’ for the scales! Derby scales, that is.
Blackmouth season starts December 1 in Marine Area 7, and the 5th Annual Resurrection Derby isn’t far behind. Get your tickets for the December 5th and 6th event by going to resurrectionderby.com.
With a $10,000 first prize, this has traditionally been one of the headliner tournaments of the Northwest Salmon Derby Series. More than 100 teams of top saltwater anglers from the Northwest, Canada, and Alaska will show up in Friday Harbor to throw down. It’s truly the best of the best.
Step right up if you and your crew think you’ve got what it takes to take home the money and braggin’ rights. All proceeds from this Puget Sound Anglers, Fidalgo-San Juan Islands Chapter event go to Salmon enhancement and recovery projects in the San Juan’s.
Now, it is time to haul the boat out for maintenance and get ready for the upcoming winter Chinook season. Are you ready?
Bio for Kevin Klein – Fishing Columnist
Born and raised in Washington, Kevin Klein has been fishing since childhood. From the rivers and lakes of Washington, Idaho and Oregon to Alaska and Mexico, you will find Kevin chasing everything from salmon, trout and steelhead to halibut, lingcod, and sturgeon.
A writer for many media outlets around the Northwest, Kevin loves to share his lifelong passion with everyone from novice to expert anglers in hopes of drawing more people into this great outdoor pastime.
Since 2004, Kevin has made his home in Friday Harbor in the beautiful San Juan Islands. When he is not busy with his daily job of barging propane gas to the islands, you’ll find him advocating for salmon enhancement and sport fishing issues around the Northwest.
Kevin is a regular salmon fishing competitor, who founded the popular Resurrection Salmon Derby in the San Juans. Most weekends he can be found on his boat with friends and family, looking for a big king salmon and a good story to tell about it…with pictures of course!
