Just about every day is a GREAT day! But some days, ---- some days, are EVEN BETTER! Still in the marina as we are leaving a harbor seal bids us goodbye. Next stop is some old pilings to fish for our bait as a Bald Eagle hangs out with us on a nearby piling. Then we head to the fishing grounds near the south tip of Whidbey Island and a pair of large Gray Whales escort us for the first couple hours of fishing as we drift on calm waters and warm temperatures. Later a group of Dall's porpoises swings by to say hello.
OH- and we landed 4 Quill Back Rock Fish (protected so we quickly returned them to the sea) and 3 Ling Cod. One was too small and had to go back, one was well above minimum legal size and the other was the largest Ling Cod anyone can keep in Puget Sound. We started with the yard stick so if he was too big we could get him back in the water quickly. He looked extremely close and likely legal. So we hoisted him on the table to get an exact measurement. Having to check his tail and lip at least 3 times, HE"S OURS! legal by an 1/8 of an inch, just under the top limit of 36 inches.