Nisqually Delta and San Juan Islands

Well this is like the tenth time trying to get this to post. Just got back from a weekend of fishing Northern Washington's waters. First time in a kayak since the spring (I worked in Alaska all summer). Great weather and great fishing all around.

Started off fishing the Nisqually Delta on the first day. Beautiful weather, only a fair number of boats out, and good fishing. Wasn't lights out but in the few hours i had to fish there I caught a handful of sanddabs and sole. Fishing was good at slack but when the tide turned it started to RIP and I couldn't even get 8oz of lead to hit bottom. I saw a boat catch a few kings on jigs close to where I was fishing and that's something I'd definitely like to try next week when I'm planning on returning.

After that we went up to the San Juans, San Juan Island specifically. Fished for three days in the Eagle Point area and further north on the west side of the island. Did really well on the bottomfish. Caught lots of Greenling, cabbies, lings that would have been keepers had they been in season, and a ton of rockfish. Each year I come up I see more and more rockfish, especially more small ones and pelagics. This year I caught lots of yellowtails, a species I hadn't caught here before. This is a great sign and hopefully WDFW will allow retention of rockfish once again. However I think a few more years of closure would do the fishery good. All rockfish were safely released; I was fishing in shallow water and had only one fish show signs of barotrauma. I had forgotten my release device but was able to improvise one out of a barbless hook and some sturgeon sinkers and sent him back down.

I also did pretty good on the crab, with about ten keepers in the pot. Kept only two bevause I didn't need anymore for that evening's dinner. However, when I reset the pot it disappeared overnight. I'm not sure if the current took it, or some lowlife thieves, or a hungry sea lion dragged it out into deeper water, but I was pretty angry and will keep a closer eye on the pots in the future.

I did try for salmon a little bit, but the 50+ boats circling the same pass at eagle point kind of turned me off. Especially considering I only saw a few nets come out. I also saw that nearly every boat was fishing with downriggers while I only had deep six divers and banana sinkers. While I'm sure it would have still been possible to catch fish, the lack of confidence that I had in my methods and the very few fish I saw being caught comparative to the number of boats  made me want to stick to bottomfishing for that weekend. I would like to try targeting salmon more heavily on the next trip though.

All in all it was an excellent weekend and I hope to return again in future years!

Sounds like a good trip.  Last weekend I put in at Anacortes and dropped a pot by Guemes Island.  Tide was moving but it was in a slacker area and it was weighted.  There was another pot a ways off.  Came back and no float, mine or the other.  Sat at the restaurant at the Guemes ferry landing (good burger, slow service) through slack tide wondering if the float was under.   First pot I've lost in 30 years.  On that trip I caught 3 decent rockfish in 60 fow on a DR set at 30 feet with a coyote spoon.  Quite surprised at the mid-depth although there were in bait balls with round stomachs.  Had almost the same luck as you the next day at Nisqually.  Heading for Ilwaco this AM to try for salmon casting off the jetty and some surf perch.  Had a surprise with the last bunch while filleting a large one.  Was surprised that I read the rec's right.  Salmon limit there is 2, 1 King, and the king can be hatchery or wild.  Coho have to be hatchery.  Got it straight from the WFG callin for the area.