Kayak Fishing the San Juans
Memorial Day. A day of remembering the sacrifices our soldiers have made for our country. It's also a four day weekend, and the unofficial "kick off" of summer. Fisherman across the country hit lakes, rivers, and the open ocean in search of the summer's first fish. And for this fisherman, the place was the west coast of San Juan Island, one of my favorite places on earth to fish. Not only a secluded and beautiful location, it has incredibly underrated fishing for salmon and bottom fish, especially from a kayak. Unlike the dangerous and suicide-invoking Oregon Coast the waters around the San Juan Islands tend to be a lot calmer and more relaxing. I have fished here for years, and always caught an assortment of interesting fish. Since I don't like the combat aspect of salmon fishing and the complex regulations and danger of halibut fishing are also unappealing, I do most of my fishing for bottomfish in shallow water with light tackle out of a kayak. It'