Here Fishy Fishy...

One of the greatest things about living here in the Pacific Northwest is the plentiful fishing opportunities. And it just so happens to be a hobby that both my husband and I love to do with the family, and just ourselves. Sometimes the bug is so strong that the kids play hookie from school to go fishing at our local lake with us. Some nights in the summer we end up staying out so late that we forget what time it is and the skeeters start to have a feast on us as we hike out of our fishing holes in the dark.

We've been blessed with finding some pretty awesome places to get to. Around Father's Day the "Silvers" run through the lake and up the river system towards the Dam. They're a tasty salmon about the size of a large 'pan sized' fish. They love to feast on cooked salad shrimp, or chartreuse powerbait eggs. Sometimes you can get lucky with just worms too.

There's a long bridge that a lot of the locals stand on that spans across the lake as it narrows into a river going up stream and you'll find TONS of people there during the summer fishing off of it. The boats will pass under the bridge in the boat lane and you'll see people of all ages reeling in fish the 50' (give or take) up to the side of the bridge.

Young, old, man or woman- you'll find them there. Seeing people smiling and making memories just like we do as a family. We drive by and admire the fish hanging from the lines as they pull them up into their buckets and cast for the next. When the bridge is full we head up stream and will hike down along the banks and settle on one of the curved corners of the stream fishing away the day.

Outdoor recreation is rich here with many opportunities to get out and do something. Kayaking, swimming, camping, fishing, trail riding, moto biking and so much more. If you're an adventurous person you will literally never be bored. A great place to bring your furry friends and log some miles on that fitness app.

One of my most favorite trips in the early years of being together happened behind a kayaking access gate. Public fishing, but you had to hike down to where they would pull their boats out onto the bank and load them onto their rigs to either leave, or dip in and explore there. We had hiked up a bit from that location and noticed huge salmon just swimming and jumping around. We threw our lines in and waited, hoping that we'd get a chunk of the action. Constantly pulling that line up thinking we had bites or something was hooked.... to find out that the salmon weren't eating anything and in fact we were snagging the bottom of the lake. So excited that we might catch something we kept saying "5 more minutes" two hours later. We walked out in the dark that night covered in skeeter bites. We still giggle over this.

On another unrelated time in that same location, I also watched my husband get frustrated and snap a fishing pole to pieces... (he's one that takes fishing seriously. And it is quite humorous at times.) Fishing is a great way to spend time with those you love and enjoy the great outdoors. I am sure when I'm 70 years old and crippled- Bud will still wheel my ass down to the waters edge just so we can throw our lines in. 💗