PNW BestLife – Page 17 of 18 – A site dedicated to promoting sustainable outdoor harvest recreation in the PNW: Fishing, Hunting and Foraging

History of Puget Sound Salmon Runs

March 25, 2024March 12, 2019 by Kyle

Anyone who has fished for Puget Sound salmon has no doubt heard of (or experienced) the “good old days”. We’ve all heard the many theories about what has happened to the great abundance of fish.

I just recently finished reading a fantastic book on the history of Puget Sound salmon runs that is a must read for anyone interested in what has happened to these great runs of fish that once made Puget Sound the center of all salmon fishing and more importantly to glean insights about where we are going.

North of Falcon and 2019 Salmon Forecasts

March 25, 2024March 10, 2019 by Kyle

NWSportsmanmag.com covered the North of Falcon Salmon forecast reveal with a great article outlining what to expect. You never know exactly what to expect, but based on some of the macro trends we’ve been following, the forecast isn’t a huge surprise. I’m personally excited about a few of these forecasts

Salmon Poke Recipe

November 5, 2024March 6, 2019 by Kyle

Salmon poke bowl — One of the many delicious uses of Salmon stocked in our freezers!

Some of us have way too much salmon in the freezer (what my wife tells me), turning it into Salmon Poke is one of my favorite of the many preparation styles out there.

2018 Salmon for Soldiers fishing event

March 25, 2024March 2, 2019 by Kyle

The Salmon for Soldiers fishing event is a can’t miss event on the fishing calendar for me. As boat owners we are so blessed, why not take this opportunity to give back to the service men and women who have put it all on the line?

As they say at SFS: Thank you for your service and welcome home!

Hiking Sylvester Lake in February 2019

March 25, 2024February 27, 2019 by hikingislife

One of my favorite methods for finding hidden hikes is to use Google Maps terrain view. You can scour all over the state finding lakes and peaks or even waterfalls (although they don’t show up on the map as well). Last summer, I was doing exactly that and came across a lake called Sylvester Lake.

Successful winter Razor Clam outing 2019

March 25, 2024February 19, 2019 by Kyle

Sometimes, conditions come together to make a perfect outing as was the case with our trip to the coast for Razor Clams in the middle of February in 2019.

Pursuing MA13 and MA11 Winter Salmon in marginal conditions

March 25, 2024February 16, 2019 by Kyle

Navionics app, a must for anyone fishing in Puget Sound or larger bodies of water.

Chasing salmon in the winter time in Marine Area (MA) 13 and 11 required navigating some windy conditions, but ultimately yielded the rewarding experience of hooking into winter blackmouth on light tackle.

Fishing for birds at 100 ft down?

March 25, 2024January 26, 2019 by Kyle

I got the opportunity to fish aboard my friends boat up in the San Juan’s and I was happy to drive the 2.5 hours to make it happen. I’ve only been able to make it out up there a few times, but the scenery and experience never lets me down. The fishing for fish can be pretty awesome at times as well.

Watching a steelhead inhale my spinner in front of me!

March 25, 2024December 27, 2018 by Kyle

While any steelhead encounter while steelhead fishing is a memorable experience, this one will go down for me as one of my favorite and most surprising.

Winter crabbing and going deep

March 25, 2024December 22, 2018 by Kyle

My brother-in-law was in town and I wanted to give him a taste of the PNW Best Life, so why not go crabbing in December, right? The weather was an enjoyable 42 degrees, and the commercial pots had been out of the water for a few days which means there should be plenty of keeper Dungeness Crab to be had.