The season had been quiet, the kind where the logbook has little worth writing about. But all that changed today.
Met up with the crew at 6:00 AM, and we were pushing off from the marina by 6:30. We made our way out to Sandhead, arriving around 7:20—perfect timing to catch the high slack and the first light bite. The weather report was spot-on; it was flat calm, and unsurprisingly, a fleet of at least 30 boats had the same idea.
We set up in 260-300 feet of water. I started with a green hootchie on one side, while my buddies ran bait on the other. Our downriggers were set at 78 and 108 feet.
Just ten minutes in, my rod slammed down. After a good fight, I landed a beautiful high-teen white spring. That kicked off a steady, productive bite for the next two hours. My buddies quickly switched to hootchies after some feisty, wild cohos kept stealing their bait!
We pulled the lines at 10:00 AM with an incredible haul in the box: a massive 35-pounder, a 28, a 21, a 19, and a 13 lb spring—a mix of white and marble. It was, without a doubt, the best two hours of fishing I've experienced in a long, long time.
Back at the marina by 10:45, we iced and cleaned our prize catch. Grabbed a well-earned lunch, and now I'm heading to work with memories that will last a lifetime.
The fish are out there, folks. Get after them