Advice on moving boat from Everett to Sequim or Port Angles (or another suggestion?)

[cmoney16]

I just completed my first year fishing in the Puget Sound. I bought a 22' Seaswirl Striper last Oct with high hopes of slaying the fish. I probably went out fishing 40 times in the last year and never caught more than 2 fish in a day (other than rockfish/flounder). My boat has been in the port of Everett since I bought it. I mainly fished the following areas:

Oct-May- Blackmouth when open I fished hat island area the most, Posession a few times and Double bluff once. I caught probably 5 blackmouth the entire winter. I went out almost every weekend at least one of the days. I have fished a lot on the CA coast so I am not a begginer.

May- I caught a 30lb halibut on opener in Mutiny bay and nothing since..went out another 5 times didn't catch a thing, I did catch a bunch of spot shrimp as well on the opener

May- Ling cod- I caught 5 ling cod in 5 trips 3 keepers 1 too big one too small, Hat, Possession, Double bluff (the best)

Summer- Kings off Possesion and Point no Point and Coho off Skagit and Ship Wreck- 2 King Salmon caght the entire summer
6 Coho caught this Summer/Fall
I expected a LOT better fishing than this for as much as I went out. I also crabbed and caught flounder and rock fish when it was open last year.

I am looking to move my boat to a place with better fishing and I wanted to get advice from people on here. I REALLY want to get to a place I can come home with more than 1 or 2 fish in a day. I was thinking of these two spots:

1) John Wayne Marina in Sequim
2) Boat Haven in Port Angeles

I am thinking I will put my boat in a slip in one of those places for the next year starting around Feb. Do you guys have any advice or input on whether the fishing is better at one or the other? Any other places that would be a good place for me to leave my boat not too far from the Seattle area?

Can I expect to catch a halibut or ling cod evertime out at any of these places? I hear of people in Sekiu catching 10 salmon in a day. Is that the same for any of these other areas? I want a place where the fishing can truly get red HOT at times.

The goal is less time floating around and more time reeling in fish!!!

Thanks for any info

[Anonymous]

So, you want advise on WHERE to move it, not HOW to move it. I know nothing about salt water areas.

On HOW to move it, trailer it there as it isn't that big. If no trailer, then hire a boat mover, or run the boat around the coast/harbor/sound and have someone meet you there and then drive home.

[jbball50]

In Sequim and Port Angeles you won't be catching huge numbers of fish like they do in Sekiu for salmon. There probably are times where it's really good though. Also during the pink seasons I know that off Ediz Hook it can get pretty good. For halibut, I'd say both spots are good areas. Last year seemed like a pretty good year for halibut but we only got out once and my dad caught his fish and I had 3-4 bites off the rockpile but couldn't stick one. You would have a good chance of getting a fish every time out in the Port Angeles area I think more than Sequim. Also helps how the tides are up there while fishing too.

[BARCHASER10]

I'd go with PA. The Halibut fishing can be pretty good in May and June although they cut back the Halibut season over the last few years. When you go for Halbut, try and pick periods with minimal tide change.

This is a link that will show you all the Halibut spots.

http://www.salmonuniversity.com/sjf_port_angeles.html

As for Salmon, I've done well DR trolling out in front of the hook and about 10 miles west, west of Freshwater Bay. No doubt its better than Seattle.

My fav place to go every summer, I usually go there twice each summer, is Ucluelet BC, for 20+years. Lots of Salmon and Halibut and no bar to cross.

[A9]

cmoney16,
I wouldn't give up on your moorage in Everett. Plenty of good fishing in the areas you listed.

I know you say your not a beginner but learning the in's and outs of a marine area in our waters takes a lot longer than a year. It's taken a while for me to really learn how to fish the areas I frequent. When I mean a while I mean years, and I'm still learning things...Nothing beats time on the water, it's the best way to really become a good fisherman.

I've spent many seasons searching out ling holes, but now I have a half dozen or so very productive holes marked on my chartplotter that I can return to any time and find lings. Drifting around Possession, Double Bluff or Hat can produce, but the ones who get limits are targeting a specific hump or dropoff on the bar. Same goes with salmon. Trolling around Possession will get you a king or blackmouth here and there, but the best fisherman are doing a lot more than you think....

I'm not exactly very experimental when it comes to fishing new waters. I've spent the past few years dialing in a few select spots, and even then, I'm still learning how to fish the same spots I've trolled hundreds of times: IE I know how and where to fish a specific area, and know when it produces best in regards to the tides, etc.... I would rather fish an area that I know exactly how to fish than be fishing an area that I'm not really sure how to fish. I know a lot of people view trolling in the sound as a "lower the lines and start trolling until you get a hit" but to me that's wrong. I'm constantly watching my sonar/gps and trolling a very specific line.....

I rarely if ever fish with the masses (ie possession, pnp) but I do notice that most people don't have a clue as to what they are doing. They say that 10% of the fisherman get 90% of the fish and this is absolutely true out there. Many times during the King season this year and I've witnessed more than 1/2 of the boats out off Possession trolling INTO the current. Big no-no. Location is also a big problem for folks out there, trolling out near the masses will get you a fish sometimes, but the ones who were taking limits of kings were focusing on a very specific line relative to a depth or dropoff or ledge where the bait was schooling...

I would also invest in a gps/chartplotter if you haven't so you can see exactly whats under you, not just whats on your sonar. Being able to see fish on a sonar helps, but it is very important to be able to see the dropoffs, reefs, humps, etc., on your charts.... If you spend some time out there and are very very attentive to details you will be able to dial in a certain location. Being a few feet too deep or shallow can make the difference between catching fish or not.. On several occasions I've done very well trolling a very specific bottom contour for kings and other boats just a 100 feet away were getting nothing. There lure/flasher selection was fine, but their location was literally off by just a few feet... My fishfinder was full of bait and fish, they were fishing out off the ledge just aimlessly trolling because that was where the other boats where.... I know this wasn't just pure luck because I knew the area they were fishing and knew that the line I was following was the right one to be on.

I will admit that inner sound Halibut is definitely not a limits game, but lingcod should be and with some good experience you should be able to produce much more than 2 salmon a summer. This years King fishery was off the hook and limits were not uncommon for me... Coho fishery this season was poor, so don't feel bad about not getting into a lot of them.... Theres a learning curve out there and I think with another year or two out there you will be able to figure it out. Everett is close to Kirkland and that should make keeping your boat closer to home a big consideration versus taking it up further North....

Take the best fisherman in the world and put them on a new body of water and odds are the old salt who's fished the same area his hole life will always outfish the newcomer.....

[saltyseadog]

TAKE ME WITH YOU:bounce: :bounce: LOL

cmoney16,
I wouldn't give up on your moorage in Everett. Plenty of good fishing in the areas you listed.

I know you say your not a beginner but learning the in's and outs of a marine area in our waters takes a lot longer than a year. It's taken a while for me to really learn how to fish the areas I frequent. When I mean a while I mean years, and I'm still learning things...Nothing beats time on the water, it's the best way to really become a good fisherman.

I've spent many seasons searching out ling holes, but now I have a half dozen or so very productive holes marked on my chartplotter that I can return to any time and find lings. Drifting around Possession, Double Bluff or Hat can produce, but the ones who get limits are targeting a specific hump or dropoff on the bar. Same goes with salmon. Trolling around Possession will get you a king or blackmouth here and there, but the best fisherman are doing a lot more than you think....

I'm not exactly very experimental when it comes to fishing new waters. I've spent the past few years dialing in a few select spots: IE I know exactly how and where to fish a specific area, and know when it produces best in regards to the tides, etc.... I would rather fish an area that I know exactly how to fish than be fishing an area that I'm not really sure how to fish. I know a lot of people view trolling in the sound as a "lower the lines and start trolling until you get a hit" but to me that's wrong. I'm constantly watching my sonar/gps and trolling a very specific line.....

I rarely if ever fish with the masses (ie possession, pnp) but I do notice that most people don't have a clue as to what they are doing. They say that 10% of the fisherman get 90% of the fish and this is absolutely true out there. Many times during the King season this year and I've witnessed more than 1/2 of the boats out off Possession trolling INTO the current. Big no-no. Location is also a big problem for folks out there, trolling out near the masses will get you a fish sometimes, but the ones who were taking limits of kings were focusing on a very specific line relative to a depth or dropoff or ledge where the bait was schooling...

I would also invest in a gps/chartplotter if you haven't so you can see exactly whats under you, not just whats on your sonar. Being able to see fish on a sonar helps, but it is very important to be able to see the dropoffs, reefs, humps, etc., on your charts.... If you spend some time out there and are very very attentive to details you will be able to dial in a certain location. Being a few feet too deep or shallow can make the difference between catching fish or not.. On several occasions I've done very well trolling a very specific bottom contour for kings and other boats just a 100 feet away were getting nothing. There lure/flasher selection was fine, but their location was literally off by just a few feet... My fishfinder was full of bait and fish, they were fishing out off the ledge just aimlessly trolling because that was where the other boats where.... I know this wasn't just pure luck because I knew the area they were fishing and knew that the line I was following was the right one to be on.

I will admit that inner sound Halibut is definitely not a limits game, but lingcod should be and with some good experience you should be able to produce much more than 2 salmon a summer. This years King fishery was off the hook and limits were not uncommon for me... Coho fishery this season was poor, so don't feel bad about not getting into a lot of them.... Theres a learning curve out there and I think with another year or two out there you will be able to figure it out. Everett is close to Kirkland and that should make keeping your boat closer to home a big consideration versus taking it up further North....

Take the best fisherman in the world and put them on a new body of water and odds are the old salt who's fished the same area his hole life will always outfish the newcomer.....

[wolverine]

If you want to "slay" the fish every time you turn the key you will have to be mobile. No single location is perfect or even decent all year. Particularly if its salmon that you're after. Butts have a distinct short season in WA and you have to be in the spawning migration pathways to be successful. Butts are not year round residents in Puget Sound. Other than springtime they are mainly found west and north of Seiku. Think Swiftsure and west. Ling are extremely territorial and eat any thing that's put in front of them. They migrate around some and I've got spots that they repopulate quickly once the dominant fish is removed. When you think lings you need to think structure first. Wrecks, rock piles, ledges are where you'll find them. Mindless bottom bouncing across the flats on Possession will get a bunch of dabs not ling. In the winter you find salmon where you find bait, and its usually candlefish/sandlance. If I had to pick a moorage spot(S). It would be Edmonds for the late fall coho, and winter blackmouth at possession and jeff head. Then I'd move out to John Wayne for the butt season . If you really want slam dunk butt/ling and large salmon move your boat up to Ucluelet BC for the mid July thru mid September season. It's all about how much time and $ you're willing to invest in the hobby if you really want the numbers of fish and the tonnage.

[scott080379]

keep the boat in Everett....once the warm water hits off the ocast ALBI time.....you said you fish the CA coast, well then you should know about albi season. keep the boat in westport and you will slay some albacore and slamon.

For hali season your boat wil ldo great off shore. Hit up la Push and fish deep water hali and lings. you can hit he same hole for deep water ling and halis from neah but more fuel envolved. Plus some of the best sea bass fishing is jsut outside of La Push.

just my .02

[BARCHASER10]

Dont forget the Columbia system. I was raised in Portland and still have a close friend who lives in Columbia City, Oregon. Two trips to the Willy this year for Springers, brought home 4 Springers each time. Fished mouth of the Cowlitz last week and brought home 4 Silvers. Mostly, Seattle is in the middle, good spots to the north (BC), west (OP) and south (Columbia) but not too hot here.

If you want to "slay" the fish every time you turn the key you will have to be mobile. No single location is perfect or even decent all year. Particularly if its salmon that you're after. Butts have a distinct short season in WA and you have to be in the spawning migration pathways to be successful. Butts are not year round residents in Puget Sound. Other than springtime they are mainly found west and north of Seiku. Think Swiftsure and west. Ling are extremely territorial and eat any thing that's put in front of them. They migrate around some and I've got spots that they repopulate quickly once the dominant fish is removed. When you think lings you need to think structure first. Wrecks, rock piles, ledges are where you'll find them. Mindless bottom bouncing across the flats on Possession will get a bunch of dabs not ling. In the winter you find salmon where you find bait, and its usually candlefish/sandlance. If I had to pick a moorage spot(S). It would be Edmonds for the late fall coho, and winter blackmouth at possession and jeff head. Then I'd move out to John Wayne for the butt season . If you really want slam dunk butt/ling and large salmon move your boat up to Ucluelet BC for the mid July thru mid September season. It's all about how much time and $ you're willing to invest in the hobby if you really want the numbers of fish and the tonnage.