by Rob Holman, July 30, 2015

Ilwaco, Wa is part of a cluster of “beach” communities that cover the Long Beach Peninsula. Located about as far southwest as you can get and stay in Washington, its very near to the confluence of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean. Its geography has shaped its identity – as much as its history of great fishing. Long a commercial fishing mainstay, it’s popularity as sport fishing mecca has ebbed and flowed over the years, but is still etched into the community.

What makes Washington coastal saltwater fishing so compelling? I wrestled with this question on the long drive from Spokane to Ilwaco. Over 400 miles passing through every type of scenery Washington has to offer. And as we got closer my anticipation grew, but an answer to my question evaded me. Maybe it’s something primal, an echo of some past ancestor. Or maybe it’s the sheer magnitude of, well, everything and of course there is the breathtaking scenery.

For me, fishing the big blue water is as good as it gets. When I lived near Seattle, every year I’d look forward to that trip out of LaPush or at Neah Bay. I would anxiously pour over the articles about Westport, Ilwaco, and the legendary Buoy 10. It’s been too long since I’ve had that opportunity and heeded the call of the big blue.

Earlier this month, I along with the Northwest Fishing Reports team, was invited to fish with Seabreeze Charters and Captain Pat Schenk. The plan was to try for Tuna – one of his first tuna trips this year. An awesome opportunity that had me fired up. As I came over Snoqualmie Pass, five hours into my drive and lots of miles, my voicemail went off. It was Pat. The weather had turned and he needed to call the trip.
I called him right back. “Uh Pat, we’re on our way and we got reservations.” Pat explained the weather was rough offshore but if we wanted to try for salmon he’d love to have us. “How’s it been?” I asked.
“We’ve been getting limits every day,” he said.

A big grin crossed over my face. “I think that’ll work.”

Driving through Olympia, than Grays Harbor, I really noticed how green everything is on the coast. Connecting with 101, and driving south, I reveled in the natural beauty of our State. The week before I fished Brewster for sockeye and enjoyed the desert scenery. Now I was driving through the foothills of a rainforest.

We came into Ilwaco pretty late. I had booked a two bedroom room with Anchorage Cottages, located about 15 minutes from the Seabreeze docks in the fun little town of Long Beach. Long Beach is home of “Jake the Alligator Man”. Don’t ask, just Google it.

The office was closed when we pulled in, but they had left a note, “Holman party: your room is ready. Be sure to check in by 11 tomorrow and sweet dreams!” The room was great and affordable, with a full kitchen, living room, fireplace, and two bedrooms. My brother and wife were along so it was perfect.

The next morning we met arrived the dock at 5 A.M. and met Mike Carey and the rest of the team. Seabreeze Charter’s is located right on the bay. One of only two remaining charter companies in Ilwaco, their motto is “the friendliest catch”. The office and dock were hopping with folks making their way to one of the seven boats operating out of their office.

Captain Pat Schenk has been fishing from Ilwaco for over 50 years. It’s a family operation and today he was taking us out on the Four Sea’sons with his son Pat Jr, and grandson Josh. The Four Sea’sons was named for; you guessed it – four sea sons.

The Four Sea’sons can accommodate up to 16 comfortably. Our party had 9. The boat was clean and spacious. And the Schenk Clan held true to their motto. We had different skill levels of anglers in our party and I think everyone felt comfortable and had fun.

So how was the fishing you ask? In a word (well, two), it was pretty great. We motor mooched shallow sardines just a couple miles out of the harbor and three miles offshore of Long Beach. There were other boats around but we were by far the largest. And, of interest, Pat kept us away from the fleet, off on our own. “I wanted to try a spot that I think will be holding fish”, he explained.

It didn’t take long until we were into some salmon. The first one was a native Coho. “Not a keeper,” Pat Jr. told me as he released it back into the water.

The regs stated we could keep a total of 2 salmon, only one of which could be a Chinook, and no native Coho.

Soon we heard the deckhand Josh calling out “Keeper!!” And so it would go, the dance of anglers working fish to the back of the boat, line peeling off, drags screaming, cheers of delight from our group of fortunate anglers. The action never let up, as we landed an assortment of coho and beautiful chinook. All chrome bright fresh out of the ocean; these fish had more energy than any salmon you’ll catch in the rivers. The whole ambience of fishing on a large charter boat is a different dynamic than a river sled. Fishing in a party boat has an energy all it’s own. More like a party on the water. Being able to walk around the boat, stretch your legs, and visit with a group of like-minded anglers is a truly social and enjoyable experience, quite unique on to itself.

I found it very compelling that while Seabreeze Charters can accommodate big groups, they also make room for solo guests to join other parties. In fact, one guy on our trip, “Gary”, had hooked an amazing king. We had a great time making him part of our “film crew” and he certainly was proud of that big Chinook!

Another thing that is very different in a large charter boat, compared to a smaller river sled is the price. For a little more than half what you’d pay to fish on a sled, you can fish on a larger charter boat. Fish are shared equally among the guests, so no one is left out. We all caught and brought home limits of salmon.

Feeling the salt, and the pure spirit of the fish when we hooked up, was really exhilarating. Something about the whole environment got my blood pumping. And it wasn’t the usual adrenaline of a chrome bright salmon. I really feel fishing with people that love what they do, like the Schenk’s; make the experience of doing what I love – even better!
“Keeper!” was called across the deck one last time, and then Pat turned the boat for home. All told we had 18 salmon on board, fourteen Silvers and four nice Kings.

Mike and I got to chat with Pat a bit on the way back and he told us the fishing will be pretty much like this for the coming month. Early in the season your ratio of kings to coho will be higher, but as the chinook numbers go down, the bigger coho start to appear. The fish are putting on the feedbag in anticipation of their migration up the rivers, so the call of “hook up!” will be heard, again and again, from Pat and his crew.

If you’d like to go fishing with Pat, give him a call at Sea Breeze Charters, (800) 204-9125. And check out their web site at Sea Breeze Charters.