Can anyone offer any insight on a good place to try on the west side of San Juan island for silvers? Most of my previous efforts of either throwing a fly or slinging a buzz bomb off the beach have resulted in marginal results. I'm hoping that a fish or two should be around now though. Thanks. -Old Chum

If you mean from the beach, I can't help you. I've had no experience beach fishing there. If you have a boat, try the area off of lime kiln. It's on the SW side. A very good area.

John

I've spent alot of time over the years on San Juan scouting out the beaches for fishing access and fishability. South Beach State Park (next to American Camp, on the South end of the Island) offers the best beach fishing. This scenery on this beach is amazing, definately in my book it's the most beautiful in all of Puget Sound!

I've really only fished off of this beach in late July or early August so my success has been marginal. I've never fished it during the prime time we are in now, so it could be a real sleeper. Try floating a herring 2-3' under a slip float (pull up my post on "Chinookies and ho's off of the beach" if you want detail rigging notes)

As far as beach salmon fishing spots on the rest of the Island there aren't any that are fishable because of the kelp/bullwhips prevent any shore casting. All the boat hot spots like Lime Kiln, Eagle, and Pile Points are loaded with kelp.

Sometimes the seaweed can get a little thick on the incoming high so be warned. Give me a report on your success when you return. Keep your hooks sharp...good luck!

Bobber Down,
Thanks for the reply. As it turned out I spent most of my fishing time out at South Beach this last weekend. Like you say it's a beautiful place to fish. Everything looked good, a few seals cruising (I convinced myself at the time that they were out there feeding on all those silvers), herring balls, incoming tide, even some whales from time to time (again I convinced myself that they were feeding on schools of salmon)... but no hook-ups. I threw flies and buzz bombs both. Ironically the evening at South Beach ended with a great sunset and a BBQ salmon that was caught 10 min from home in Everett the day before. Also tried County Park on the west side for the first time but didn't see anything except seals. Oh, did have one brief exciting moment as my line started to peel-off as I looked up to see a sea gull that had managed to get my line. Fortunately that one got off. -Old Chum

Hooked 5 silvers off the N. shore of Orcas early this month--a pod of fish pushed through just off my back yard and I was lucky enough to be there with a buzz bomb those few days. But since then, nothing rolling, no biters, nada. I think it's a hit-or-miss proposition along the shore--mostly miss. On the other hand, there seem to be quite a few folks lining the beach there at Deception Pass...