Hi there,

I have some out of state relatives getting together in early August. We'd like to rent a house on the water. Given there will be a handful of kids from 5 to 10 years old (and more kids at heart), and it being a pink year, we were thinking we should pick a good beach for casting.

Any tips on some ideal spots? It'll be the first week of August.

Whidbey? Or one of the San Juans? Any specific stretches that are good for pinks? I know some of the beaches on Whidbey are better than others for pinks.

Thanks!

Renting a house on the water that is also a good fishing spot would be very challenging. I think you would be best off finding a place that suits your needs for a rental, and be prepared to drive to a spot to fish, like bush point, Ft casey, etc on Whidbey.

Early August might be a little bit early for inside the sound.

Can't go wrong with Bush Pt or Lagoon. Note that access has been restricted at Lagoon, so you kinda have to stake out a spot. Good luck,

Jumping on what SG said, you can camp at the State park right there. Camping is more fun anyways....

All good points. A few years back we were in a similar situation (non pink year) and found a nice house on the west side of Whidbey in late August. It was pretty sweet - especially with a baby at the time - to wake up pre-dawn, stumble a few feet, and start casting. Hooked up with some cohos and the wifey even caught a big king.

I remember a neighbor saying it wasn't much of a pink spot though.

My kids will be 3 and 5 this summer. Being able to cast a few feet from where you are staying exponentially increases fishing time and lets kids fish when they feel up for it or see a fish jumping.

We'll get a lot of camping in this summer, too, but looking for a house this time around.

Just curious if the San Juans or even Lummi offer anything for beach casting in early August.

Also, the east side of Whidbey get any pinks passing by? I assumed mostly the west side...

Personally I've caught more pinks on beaches I don't consider great coho beaches.
They prefer slower moving water then coho do, but you can catch them on the beaches mentioned.
The first week of August is a bit early, but there should be some around.

If you commit to a rental, I'd ask about their cancellation policies.
I had friends rent a house last year really for the sole purpose of beach fishing.
When the coho season got shut down, they were allowed to move their rental deposit to this summer.
With the low pink forecast, who knows if we'll get to fish. There are certainly enough coho in the forecast to fish in my opinion.
We'll just have to see if NOF becomes another goat show this year.
SF

Good point SF. If Coho are open, just go fish the same beaches and use the same tackle. Neither fish cares and will gladly climb on the typical buzzbomb / zinger setup. Good luck...

True, always an issue if there are fish and seasons these days.

Does Mutiny Bay get coho/pinks moving through?

Yup - I believe so. But I never go that far up the island to fish.

The "If coho are open" qualifier is a big concern for some areas. Apparently Stilly coho are way, way down and may impact seasons in all or parts of 8-2 and 8-1. NOF underway. Stand by....