Nofishcatchinsob Loc: San Juan islands, washington

Any recommendations on king salmon lures in area 7 of the Puget sound?

bapabear Loc: Blaine, Washington

This is a pink year. Use a white flasher followed by a pink squid/hoochy neat the surface. For other salmon I like a UV dodger or flasher followed by a herring color fly or hoochy. The fly or hoochy color and size can be changed until you find something you become confident in. Don't get to excited if you get it zeroed in. It will be different tomorrow. Some locals swear by a spoon rather than a fly behind the flasher. 3 or 4 inch coyote style spoons of varied brands are most popular. If the dog fish are not bad, I use a herring strip rather than a fly. The silvers and kings can be anywhere from 20 to 100 feet. The kings are usually on the deep side. I usually run my king rig off a downrigger at 80 or 100 feet unless the water is not that deep along kelp beds. If you are new to the area, the local tackle chops usually carry fishing maps of the San Juan's. The salmon still migrate through the same passes even though the maps are outdated. If you see several boats in an area, the fish are or were likely there. The word gets out quick.

Nofishcatchinsob Loc: San Juan islands, washington

Thanks bapabear. Although I've fished these islands for 5-6 yrs I still feel like a beginner. We have used coho killers, Brads super bait packed with tuna(landed a 25-30lb King), Old Goat lures with some success. We try to have a 36-40" leader from the flasher to the lure. We have also followed the suggestions from John Martinis book.
I'm always open to suggestions. Where can I find maps of the migration passes?

Terry Wright Loc: Steilacoom, WA

Be careful of the regulations, they just closed some areas up there by emergency regulation, due to exceeding the annual quota.

Nofishcatchinsob Loc: San Juan islands, washington

Yep. Gotta call the hotline.