Back on the water, Mother’s Day 2020. While we usually do an event, this year we planned a Mother’s Day ling cod trip followed by a feed on the beach and beach combing. Knowing our mothers enjoy their beauty sleep and had little ones to get up, I left for Coronet early with a plan that they would join me later. I hit Holiday to top off the boat with non-ethanol and was on my way a short while later. I love my 4-stroke Yammi 150, we had made one Eastern Bank trip and two lake trips and still took less than 20 gallons of go juice. I did a solo launch in the dark and motored over to the moorage float, tied up and caught some snooze time while I waited for my wife, daughter and grand kids.

The gang arrived with grins on their faces and ready for an adventure. We pushed away from the dock and were cruising through Deception Pass just as the tide started to ebb so the ride through the pass was way cool. As we cleared the pass and were heading north past Deception Island, I spotted a huge pod of porpoise so I pulled the throttle back and we were surrounded by porpoise as they fed in a tide rip. Shortly afterwards, as we were passing the Cypress Flats/Reef Point area I pulled the throttle back again as a humpback whale made a brief appearance. So far, a pretty cool Mother’s Day adventure.

We arrived at my first stop of the day, an area that is my big ling go to stop but the tide was running so hard it was tough to set up on it and get the right drift. Generally, we were fishing lighter gear, darts, curly tails on 1 ½ -2 ounce jig heads so setup was really important. Despite the conditions we were able to catch some smaller lings and a rockfish but no keepers. Unfortunately, as the morning progressed we hit a number of my never fail honey holes with the same results. Everyone was having the time of their lives, as the skipper I was running two steps a head and stressing that we didn’t have anything in the box. In that I had a Mother’s Day shore lunch to set up and make I finally decided to call it a day. Well almost anyway…

Before heading back to Coronet I had one last rabbit in my hat. Even though the current was ripping I set on small rock, told the girls that we would have a very short drift before we slid off into deeper water. I was running the boat trying to keep it in the little back eddy while they dropped their gear. First drift and a couple bites but no fish. I tell them that I would do one more drift but we had to get going. I get set up on the spot, gear down and Haley yells fish on! I let the boat drift off the spot and after a tug-fest we slide the net under a huge copper rockfish. Not quite a state record but a very respectable fish and Hey was way excited. Our fishing trip over we headed back to the dock, tied the boat up and set up for lunch. I did a stir-fry with onions, potatoes, shrimp, scallops and chicken with garlic bread.

Mother’s Day 2020 was in the books. No fish for the box but we caught a few fish on every stop. The boys are still talking about their fishing trip. Our adventure was enjoyed by all and the weather was spectacular.

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