Outdoor Report: How a Son’s Curiosity Turned Mom Into An Angler

BELLINGHAM, Wash. — There are some folks who were just meant to be anglers. My friend Rebecca Mashhadian is one of those people.

I came to know Rebecca, like so many other folks in the area, through fishing.

A few years ago, while working as the Creative Services Director at what was then known as Cascade Radio Group, I needed to make extra money as a single dad. So I took a second job at Yeager’s Sporting Goods in the fishing department.

Rebecca is a mom with a son who became very interested in fishing, even though their family had never salmon fished on their own. Like any good mother, Rebecca decided to do some research and headed to her local fishing shop to see about getting her son Jonah on some fish.

That’s where I first met Rebecca and Jonah.

Raising a Fisherman

From Chilliwack, B.C. to Whidbey Island, Noah has now caught silvers and kings and a few others in between. Raising a fisherman isn’t easy for all mothers, but it is for Rebecca who became fisherfolk herself.

Whenever I send someone out into the world as a new angler, I want them to catch fish.

New anglers face a bit of a learning curve, from knots and lures to rods, reels and everything in between.

Rebecca wasn’t just going to buy her son a rod and watch him cast, she wanted him to be successful in his efforts. She was willing to do what you have to do to catch salmon: put in time. Time traveling to different areas, time doing homework, time spent casting.

When it comes to salmon fishing, a simple spoon or spinner can catch fish when there are plenty of salmon around.

But when fishing becomes more fishing than catching, that’s when the knowledge of a local fishing shop can make a difference. Salmon can take hundreds, if not thousands, of casts for some anglers.

Sometimes it’s water clarity. Sometimes it’s the wrong tide or the wrong moon phase. Clear water can make salmon skittish.

Often, though, it’s simply the wrong presentation.

Presentation is determined by how you fish a lure.

When Fishing Becomes an Art

That’s where fishing becomes obsession and strategy becomes art.

That’s where some folks become true fishermen, when they make that connection to the outdoors.

Rebecca found that connection almost instantly.

She was never afraid to try a new knot or a new presentation, and dove right into learning to be an artist as she created her presentations.

Once someone discovers that magic, they want to share it.

Rebecca has since been sharing her magic with her female friends, often inviting them down to fish before or after dropping their kids off at school in Bellingham.

For the last couple of years, one such friend has been fellow supermom Robin Sheehy.

While Robin came prepared with all the right gear, her success came a little slower.

Thousands of Casts for One Fish

As the rain began to fall in September, anglers around the region grew giddy with anticipation.

Silvers had been holding in the salt for several weeks, waiting for rain, or at least cooler temperatures, to make the rivers more inviting.

The rain would draw them in.

It was during that push that Robin landed her first real coho, aside from a jack. It took her thousands of casts. But experiencing that magic Rebecca had told her about is different than hearing about it.

There’s an old saying in fishing that 90% of the fish are caught by 10% of the fishermen out on the water. For some, it takes a thousand casts for every salmon. For others, like Rebecca, it may only take one.

Where the Fish Are

For anglers looking to chase coho this fall, knowing where you can fish is just as important as knowing how to fish.

The Nooksack River gives local Whatcom County anglers plenty to work with this fall. From Marine Drive upstream past the bus barn in Deming, anglers can keep up to six salmon measuring at least 12 inches, with no more than two each of Chinook, wild coho and chum. The river has anti-snagging and night-closure rules, and hatchery steelhead remain closed.

On the Skagit and Cascade rivers, October brings some changes to the rules. On the Cascade River from the mouth to the Rockport-Cascade Road Bridge, anglers can keep up to four coho measuring at least 12 inches. Anglers must release all salmon other than coho. The river also has an anti-snagging rule, a night closure and remains closed to all fishing Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays.

On the Skagit River, anglers can keep up to two coho measuring at least 12 inches in several sections. Anglers must release all salmon other than coho, use single-point barbless hooks and leave the bait at home. The section from the mouth to Gilligan Creek follows those rules throughout October. The section from Gilligan Creek to the Baker River has additional temporary closures during the month.

That Gilligan Creek to Baker River section opens Oct. 1-4, closes Oct. 5-7, opens again Oct. 8-12, closes Oct. 13-17, then reopens Oct. 18-31 under the same coho rules. The closures help avoid gear conflicts with scheduled tribal fisheries and reduce encounters with Chinook.

WDFW also reminds anglers to identify their catch before keeping it. Size alone does not reliably distinguish coho from Chinook or pink salmon, and misidentification has occurred during this year’s fishery.

More River Options

The Stillaguamish River also offers anglers an opportunity this fall. From Marine Drive upstream to the forks, the mainstem follows the permanent sport fishing rules from Oct. 1 through Nov. 1. The North Fork from its mouth to the Highway 530 bridge remains closed to fishing.

Recent rain increased river flows and allowed Chinook holding in the lower river to move upstream toward spawning areas. That reduces the chance of anglers encountering Chinook in the open mainstem. WDFW kept the lower North Fork closed to keep Chinook impacts within its management objectives.

The Snohomish River, however, takes a different turn. WDFW closed the river to all fishing from Oct. 3 through Nov. 1 because of concerns about the 2026 coho return.

Marine coho fisheries around the Snohomish area performed better than preseason expectations, but the lower Snohomish River has not shown the same signal. Recent rain has moved some salmon, while low water could affect their migration.

The Snohomish coho population only recently recovered from an overfished designation. A poor 2025 return already fell below the escapement goal, and another poor return could reverse some of that progress.

For anglers, that means knowing the water is just as important as knowing how to fish it.

The rivers are changing. The fish are moving. And for those willing to put in the time, learn the water and make a few thousand casts, October can be a pretty good time to become a fisherfolk.

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