Summer in Whatcom County is a special time; not only because the rain subsides long enough for us to dry out a bit and dust off the moss and mold. Along with the dryer weather come some unique fishing opportunities that shouldn’t be missed.
Alpine lakes
First, as dry warm weather continues to melt snow alpine lakes begin to emerge from under the snowpack and bug and fish life begin in earnest. That are a ton of alpine lakes in the Mt. Baker Snoqualmie wilderness that have fish – mainly cutthroat and brook trout. Check the regs before fishing anything, and even use the reg book as a guide to find what waters are open and have fish.
Check the Whatcom lakes section for a list of some of the lakes available to fish.
Bass
Bass are warm water creatures, so with warm temperatures they begin to feed and the opportunity for blasting topwater takes steps up a notch. Check out Terrell and Fazon in Whatcom County and Clear and Big Lake in Skagit for opportunities. More information is available here http://www.fishwhatcom.com/lakesrivers/
Crabbing
Summer crabbing season is open in Marine Area 7 south and lower marine areas. 7 North doesn’t open until mid August, but expect good crabbing when it does. There have been good reports of crab this year so get some while it’s open.
Sockeye
Baker Lake should be winding down by now, and the river opener is long past. The Fraser river is expecting record returns so this year might be a good time to look north. Licenses are more expensive for non-residents, but the fishing can make the cost well worth it.
For more opportunities explore the archives of the forum as a lot of good information is available from years past. Access the Forum by clicking here.