YOU FEEL SMALL surrounded by the size and strength of the Pacific Ocean.
But now I know what all the fuss is about.
After striking out on attempts to fish the halibut opener and a later halibut weekend at Neah Bay, I finally connected last Saturday for a trip skippered by Ben Maxson of WindSong Charters of Neah Bay (360-640-8728).
I’d only been deep-sea fishing twice in my life: an easy rockfish trip off the Oregon coast in 2010 and a beer-blurred 2005 trip for marlin, tarpon and grouper off the island of Bali in Indonesia.
This trip exceeded my expectations, and at times my physical capacity.
I was worn out in body and mind by the time we returned to the dock Saturday afternoon.
But it was a good kind of exhaustion. The type of hard work that came with a well-earned payoff: an industrial-strength garbage bag full of lingcod and halibut filets.
The day started with a 2:30 a.m. alarm in Port Angeles in order to navigate serpentine state Highway 112 to the Neah Bay Marina by 4:45 a.m.
My first surprise upon rounding that final curve into Neah Bay was seeing the long line to launch boats, administered by a member of the Makah Tribal Police.
The gray gloom of early dawn interspersed with the honking of resident California sea lions along the docks greeted me as I reached the boat.
After a safety talk in which Maxson explained that he “hadn’t had anybody go swimming yet,” we set out for Blue Dot in WindSong’s second boat, the K’oo, which Maxson explained means hooked in Makah.
In an earlier phone call, Maxson told me we would be fishing far offshore, and he wasn’t kidding. Blue Dot is about 30 miles off the coast, a trip of about two to three hours in the choppy early morning surf.
The K’oo is a smaller boat, with two downrigger mounts and space for about six or seven anglers.
I thought we would take turns using the downriggers to try for halibut and lingcod.
But that idea went out the wayside when Ben Greene, Maxson’s first mate, began rigging up large Shimano reels and attaching them to spreader bars and 32-ounce weights with variously colored squid hoochies and larger herring as bait.
My thought that halibut fishing would be similar to salmon fishing was quickly disabused.
This was the reel deal — pun fully intended.
There were countless sets and reel-ups at a depth ranging around 400 feet.
Having skipped breakfast in my haste to make the boat on time and fighting the early stages of a nasty cold, I was sapped of strength after about 45 minutes of fishing.
Taking a break for some sports drink and protein in the form of beef jerky followed by two sea sickness pills was a smart move.
I never felt dizzy, but I’ll admit to being a tad bit nauseous before the sea smoothed out a bit.
Bolstered by the belly ballast, I was back to man my reel, and after a quick lesson on keeping in touch with the bottom from Maxson, I was fast on a fish.
The 30-inch lingcod I eventually reeled in buoyed my spirits and made for a tasty dinner Tuesday evening.
It didn’t provide quite the fight of a king or coho salmon, but the lingcod did try some crafty thrashing at the water line before being netted and brought aboard.
While on the K’oo, Maxson shared one of his favorite ways to prepare lingcod.
He said to purchase a bag of your favorite potato chip and crunch up the chips either by hand in the bag or in a food processor.
Dip the lingcod into an egg wash then cover with potato chips and bake in the oven.
I found a covering of Tim’s Cascade Sea Salt and Vinegar chips cooked for 20 minutes at 400 degrees produced a perfect result — similar to but slightly more healthy than deep frying the fish.
Then after a rest period, it was back to keeping in close contact with the sea floor in search of a halibut.
A small kelp greenling, and a couple of rockfish came later when we switched to lighter gear and fished around Tattoosh Island, but a halibut with my name on it never materialized.
This was angler error on my part; we were right in the thick of a good patch of fish.
Thankfully, the boat met the limit for each angler, so I wasn’t deprived of a halibut.
Fishing the lighter lines in 70 feet of water was much more my style, especially after I somehow ripped a good chunk out of my right pointer finger and my left thumb began to spasm.
Another highlight: scoping out all the marine life, whether it was seals and sea otters off the stinky side of Tattoosh Island, racing with porpoises on the return trip, getting a look at many different sea birds, including a rhinoceros auklet.
Maxson also pointed out schools of chinook on multiple occasions and made the point that if it were salmon season we would have had quickly filled our limits.
The weather cleared up and the sun came out as we fished the final hole: a tranquil patch of emerald green water so close to the end of the Cape Flattery trail we could wave at tourists.
Back at the dock I met Tom Burlingame of Excel Fishing Charters (360-374-2225). His boat occupies the slip next to the K’oo and he told me about his boat’s success on the day.
Burlingame was able to limit out both a morning and afternoon group of anglers, making for lots of happy anglers.
He also provided me with a bag of ice, perfect to keep the catch chilled in my cooler on the ride back home.
And it was a beautiful return trip, with lupine in various shades of purple carpeting former stands of timber and waving gently in the slight westerly breeze.
Anglers meet tonight
Walt Blenderman will present techniques for catching chinook in Marine Areas 5 (Sekiu) and 6 (East Strait of Juan de Fuca) at tonight’s meeting of the North Olympic Peninsula Chapter of Puget Sound Anglers.
The meeting will be held in Sequim at Trinity United Methodist Church, 100 S. Blake Ave.
A chance to tell fish stories and view raffle prizes will begin at 6:30 p.m.
Then a short club business meeting at 7 p.m. followed by Blenderman’s presentation.
A $50 membership drawing also will be held.
Archery shoot in PA
The Wapiti Bowmen will host a Father’s Day 3D Shoot featuring more than 30 targets at the club headquarters, 374 E. Arnette Road, in Port Angeles, on Saturday and Sunday.
Registration will open at 7:30 a.m. both days.
Shooting fees are $12 for one day or $20 for both days for archers ages 18 and older; $8 or $10 for youth ages 12-17; $4 or $5 for cubs ages 6-11 and free for ages 5 and younger.
Breakfast and lunch will be available for $5 per meal.
A silent auction is planned.
Camping also is available.
For more information, phone Nick Roberts at 360-582-7686 or Steve Morgan at 360-460-9132.
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Outdoors columnist Michael Carman appears here Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 57050 or at mcarman@peninsuladailynews.com.
