This past weekend, I had the amazing opportunity to go salmon fishing in the San Juan islands.  It was my first experience with salt water fishing, completely different from what I’ve done before!

We started the morning on the water at 5:30am and went to pick up another couple heading out with us.  It was a beautiful morning—calm water, perfect temperature, and beyond stunning surroundings.

We started trolling an area with one other boat, there were three lines in the water.  Three of us were new to salmon fishing so we decided to take turns with who would reel in the lines.  I was standing in the back to watch the lines and take pictures, it was a breathtaking view.

 
I noticed one of the lines starting to bob up and down and mentioned I thought a fish was on the line.  They yelled to grab it, but being totally honest, I froze up a little.  I knew this was expensive fishing gear and I had the worry I’d either mess something up or drop the pole in the water to never be seen again.

The main guy taking us out came back and got the pole then handed it to me while saying, “Reel!!”  Having only reeled in small catfish in a tiny lake, reeling in a bigger fish with a current was a bit harder.  I reeled and eventually got the fish to the surface, several yards behind the boat.

It was a salmon!  I kept reeling as he got the net ready to scoop up the fish.  I was worried the salmon might get off the line as it got near the boat, but it was close enough for him to net it and get it into the boat.

My first pink salmon!

 
We spent the day on the water trolling for more salmon.  One more was caught that day.  A few made it on the line but were lost.  It was an incredibly fun day. 

 
I also caught another first, but I’ll post about that next week.  Here’s a hint, you can only catch it out in salt water!