August 12, 2012 We left Gowlland Harbor about quarter to 2 to hit slack at Seymour narrows by 2:30 to 3. Used the back eddies and did 10 plus most of the way despite the 3 knot outflow of current. Amazes me how many boaters have no idea how to use a back eddy, they just sit out in the middle and plow along burning fuel while I get a push in close to shore. Thought it might get fairly rough when we turned the corner and the tide changed to ebb against the 20 knot winds but it never really got bad, a bit of spray a few times over the top but otherwise it was a good ride all the way to Nodales Channel where the wind died and the water smoothed out completely. We were right behind Big Sky and anchored in Thurston Bay behind Block Island. This is another fantastic anchorage with spectacular views to the west. Jim and Cheryl and Gary and Lenore are also here. Its so nice were planning on staying a couple days here to do some fishing. Hemming Bay is just across the channel to the North so we will have to go exploring tomorrow after some fishing. Apparently the pinks are in over at Shoal Bay so we will run up their in the dinghy’s tomorrow to see if we can catch a few with a casting rod and reel. Dropped the shrimp pot in 300 feet so we will see in the morning if I have any better luck with them than I have with crab. Forecast is for some rain tomorrow then back to sunshine. Clouds are forming over the hills so maybe it could happen. A bear was sighted on shore this morning; right behind where we are anchored so will keep an eye out for it. Jim took Gary’s dog to shore this evening and honked his horn to scare it off, good plan. Had cocktails on Big Sky this evening, everyone simply enjoying not having to be anywhere in particular and spending a couple days in each location before moving on a few miles. Very relaxing. August 13 2012 Caught 4 20” salmon this morning 3 pinks and one Chinook, in about an hour in the small cove right behind the boat. It was tons of fun. Jim and Gary tried the same spot later and got nothing. I was using an orange Buzz bomb and they just attacked it. Gary got several dozen small prawn in his trap, I had none so moved it over to where he was. Saw the bear this morning while I was fishing, to busy catching fish to pay him any attention though. Rain never came today, clouded up but was still warm and Chris and I paddled the Kayaks over to the small cove on the other side of the bay, very nice anchorage, bombproof in a storm. Not sure why this area does not get more attention in the guide books. Books say entry has only 2 feet at zero tide but I never saw less than 10 feet at half tide and most of the way in it was 15 plus. The book says there is room for only a couple boats but there was room for half a dozen or more with stern ties. Very nice secure anchorage and several small coves within the bay to be secluded. Most everyone seems to use the spot behind block Island but there are several other spots that are just as nice and probably more secure. August 14, 2012 Caught two more salmon this morning same spot. Pulled the shrimp pot and had 16 good sized prawns in it. We moved up to Shoal Bay this afternoon, grabbed a spot on the dock, the winds were very squirrely, one minute blowing hard off the dock the next not at all. Apparently it blew very hard in here last night right out of the north down Phillips Arm. Not a good place to anchor, deep and then shoals very quickly at the head of the bay Caught 3 more salmon right from the boat while at the dock. Whole schools swim right by the boat just a few feet under the surface, drop anything pink in front of them and they grab it. I am catching and releasing as I am limited again today and I have even given away a fish! Go figure, Tom has enough fish to give them away! Salmon again for dinner tonight. Last time we were here was May 9th, 2008 our first night with Glen and Liz on the way to Alaska. It was gray, wet and cold then. We never did see the spectacular view up Phillips arm across from the bay. We were the only boats here then, not so much now. August 15, 2012 We decided to stay at Shoal Bay, just a beautiful spot and friends we met here talked us into staying. Gary and Pam and their daughter Kelly and Fiancé Graham are great people from Orange County California. They keep their boat in Friday Harbor and come up here a couple weeks each year. They told us about the river at the head of Phillips Arm which we went up exploring. Caught another two salmon and Chris caught several and released them in a great little eddy about a mile up stream. We tried to get all the way to Phillips Lake but it swallowed out too soon. The Jet boat from Dent lodge made it up but we were stopped by the threat of rocks vs. propeller. We found out later that Gary, Kelly and Graham were fishing in the same spot, which we told them about, and were on shore casting when the Dent Island jet boat came by and mentioned that a Grizzly was just approaching from the upstream side and they jumped into their boat just before he crashed through the brush onto the same little sandbar they had been fishing from and the same sandbar we had been sitting by just 30 minutes earlier. We were so busy casting we probably would have never seen the dang bear until he was 10 feet from us. By the way Kelly makes a dynamite Margarita! Wow! We are probably coming back with Sherm and Nancy to this spot, it is a great place, crabbing, shrimp, salmon, halibut, lingcod and bears. What more can one ask for. It,s 8 pm, the sun is setting, the salmon are jumping, a continuous show up here, simply amazing to watch and hear. During the day the schools of fish are visible in the clear water and there are thousands of them in huge schools. Pretty cool to watch. Tomorrow we may stay one more day, Need to get fuel for the Dinghy but Gary says Blind Channel 5 miles away has fuel and he knows of a good ling cod spot. A ling cod and a halibut would be great to add to the list of successful fishing.