Easter Sunday ended up being a day of firsts for me.

1. This was my first fishing outing of 2015.

2. We targeted blackmouth between Pilot Point and Point No Point which was the first time I've fished these popular areas.

It wasn't long before pole #2 started bouncing on the downrigger but it didn't pop off of the clip. This fish ended up being a small flounder. Over the next couple of hours we hooked and released 4 shakers which were caught on Coho Killers and Ace Hi Fly Mini's.

3. My third "first" of the day came around noon when pole #2 popped off of the clip and the rod tip was buried in the water. After three or four head shakes there was nothing but dead weight on the line so I thought the fish must have spit the hook and that I had picked up some seaweed on the line. Another round of head shakes let me know that the fish was still on but it sure wasn't fighting like a salmon. Imagine our surprise when this halibut appeared at the end of my line. Best guess was somewhere between 12 & 15 pounds. My first Puget Sound Halibut! Fortunately for him, that fishery is currently closed so after snapping a couple of pictures, he was kind enough to "self release" with another shake of his head.

Over the next couple of hours we hooked and released 3 more shakers and then called it a day.

Although we didn't catch any keepers, I got to spend a nice day on the water fishing with my big brother, which is always a joy in and of itself. When we got back to the dock the local "fish checkers" were also disappointed that we didn't have any fish to show for our efforts. Maybe next time, guys!

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