Anglers have just a few more days to get out and try to put another ling cod on the table. The up and down season will close on June 15 and then we will have to wait another year.

Reports are still coming in that suggest the bite has only recently taken off and some good reports have come from the east and north sides of Orcas Island.

This season, most anglers have had to travel a little farther to get their limits.

With all the reports of numerous sub-legal lings being caught on almost every trip, Whidbey anglers have a lot to look forward to next year.

Halibut closes as well the following day, June 16, and this year is one to remember. I really can’t tell whether the season was better than last year or there were more anglers going after the big flatsides. Either way it was a great year.

There are still a few out there to be caught, you just have to put in the time. Most of the anglers I have talked to that are routinely successful all say the same thing — cover lots of area.

With the close of the ling cod and halibut seasons, we have the July salmon opener to look forward to if for nothing else than to get out on the water. Preliminary return reports do not look good and the sport angler will certainly feel it if the reports are correct.

Opening day, weather permitting, anglers from all over the area will flock out to their favorite honey holes. I have said it before, if this is your first time fishing for salmon, I would suggest going out with someone who has experience and learn what you can. Fishing guides are a great way to learn a new area.

Once you think you have the basics down, then head out on your own. You can even keep a log that shows where you have marked bait, caught fish, what time you had a strike, tide conditions and, of course, weather conditions.

Areas like the Lopez flats fish a lot differently than the west side of San Juan Island.

I hope some of you took advantage of the extremely low tides to go get some clams. On these colder than normal days we’ve been having, nothing is nicer than a warm bowl of clam chowder and some crackers.

If you haven’t gotten any clams yet, the tides are still low enough to get out on the beach and dig’em up.

Lake temperatures have started to rise and many bass anglers are out taking advantage of it. Campbell Lake is by far the most popular and tossing a spinner or swim bait into the lily pads could produce a nice largemouth bass.