The Marine Area 11 opener was awesome with a side of awesome! From within the walls of our home, it was a long-anticipated event. Preparation started as the NoF process concluded, we both had taken the time off of work and the tent pole was the weather. As it turned the weather was going to be a non-issue. Tuesday after work we hooked up the boat, stopped at Holiday Market for some of Chester’s best and hit the road.

Plan was to launch at Point Defiance, sleep on the boat and then hit the water bright and early. The plan was generally sound but lots of overnight racket made it hard to sleep. That said we were underway before daylight. Based on the various tides I had a plan all mapped out and first stop would be up sound in Clovos Passage.

Gear down and we were immediately into fish. Not just into fish but we were getting doubles and it went on for 3 solid hours. We were getting a mix of wild and hatchery 22-28” fish. Our initial release was a 24” nookie and the wife thought that I was nuts. Well, more so than usual… My reasoning was that we were not going to put all the time and effort to fish MA 11 and go home with a couple just legal fish. “Ya right, a little over confident aren’t you…” After releasing a number of 22-25” fish and thinking that this isn’t going well I see a suspended meter mark and raise one of the downriggers. While heading for the other rigger to do the same the first rod goes off and we have a hot one. A short while later and a bit of teamwork we slide the net under the first keeper of the day. Lots more 22-25” fish and a beautiful wild fish that was pushing 15 pounds it was time for the second part of my plan.

I knew it was early in the season for really big chinook and we left biting fish but the tide was perfect for fishing the big eddy that forms at Clay Banks on the ebb tide. While the wife slept off her general lack of sleep from the night before I got to jigging. If I had been targeting shakers and dogfish I would have been doing awesome. But since I was looking for an early summer fish I sucked. Just before the tide change we moved to the final area to finish up my plan.

The move was sound as we were seeing lots of bait on the meter. Gear down we got to work. I figured that the area would fish well for the first hour of the tide change but it was more 22-25” fish, sanddabs (at almost 3mph) and rockfish. We went through a bait ball so dense the FF defined it as the bottom. I marked it just as a rockfish came out to play. I said one more pass and we would head for the barn. Turn made and we set a course for the bait ball. Shortly after we pass through the bait ball both downriggers go off. Both fish were heading for parts unknown and we settled into the fight. My wife’s fish was at color first so I one handed my rod while I scooped her fish into the net with a one-handed net job. I told her to leave the net in the water until we netted my fish. Using a second net I net the biggest fish of the day and we were done. Boat limit by around 11:30 and off the charts good C&R fishing prior to that made for a fine day on the water.

We were running 11” flashers and 3.5” Kingfisher Lite combos with Cookies and Cream and White Lightning being the hot ticket. To that note; others may have worked but we never changed gear… Our trolling speed varied between 2.4 and 3 MPH. I was targeting either individual fish meter marks or bait balls between 45 and about 105’ No best depth as we caught fish all over the place. My standard setup is 20’ from release clip to an 11” flasher, 42” of 30# leader to a spoon that is slathered up with anchovy or herring goo. Not sure what the science was but the wife was playing sea shanties on her phone all morning and we kicked fish booty. Maybe that will be the new boat music…

Sea shanty bite or not we had an absolutely awesome day on the water. I know that I have said it before but days like Wednesday are and will be the good old days, it doesn’t get any better.

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