Haven't been able to get out much this month, after the Coho. Wife's early afternoon doctor's appointment gave me the morning to fish, so I headed to Lighthouse Park in Mukilteo to do some casting off the beach. Tide was low at about 5:00 AM, so I would be fishing the in-coming all morning long. I figured my best opportunity would come about 10:00, as I find the best bite to occur 2 hours before and after the high tide. Arrived at about 6:45, fishing by 7:00 with my "go-to" chartreuse Rotator and pink hootchie. First hour, nada... biggest challenge was pulling the eel grass off the hook on every retrieve. Watching a couple of Cormorants scarffing down herring on every dive let me know that there was plenty of bait in the area. About 8:15, had my first hit... wham, bam, and gone... fifteen minutes later, on my retrieve, I caught the sudden appearance of a dark shadow behind the Rotator... I've learned to quit reeling when that happens... a split second for the Rotator to fall 6"... the water exploded ten feet off the end of my rod and a silver bullet was headed for Clinton with the Mukilteo ferry. Three or four aerial displays and numerous bulldog runs... this fish did not like the beach! Finally able to bring ashore a beautiful hatchery hen of 4# 8oz, dressed, on my digital scale. Rested a bit, lit my pipe and back to fishing ten minutes later... first cast and a salmon surfaced while chasing my Rotator, twenty feet out... missed! Next cast... to the same spot, and big hit... fish wrapped the hook around and above the Rotator... Several more casts with nothing, then another big hit... I love the feel that these fish give when they slam the Rotator... sometimes wrenches your arm, even when you are prepared for the hit... This fish hit almost immediately after the Rotator hit the water... a couple of runs and three leaps out of the water and another beautiful Coho lay on the beach... this a wild hen of 3# 6oz. A quick check of my watch, and it was 8:50 AM, time to go home.
I had figured that the bite wouldn't be on until later in the morning... gotta love the Coho... about the only thing you can expect from them is the unexpected! I lingered on the beach for a while after the last fish, just taking in the beauty and the joy of the morning.
I was the only fisherman on the beach until about 8:30 when another fisherman showed up, casting herring under a float... saw him catch one just before I left. Another arrived just as I was leaving. Great place to fish, and a wonderful morning with the beautiful Coho Salmon! PTL!

---