Halibut opens Thursday, but don(39)t expect much action.-gctid806950

[CptCrunchie]

This is an article by John Beath, an Alaskan halibut fishing guide, gear manufacturer, local PNW fishing guru, and an active member of our club, the North Olympic Peninsula - Puget Sound Anglers. He explains the current conditions we should expect for our season opener on Thursday, and the reasons for the much of the issues recreational fishers are having with the regulations. It's a mess, and if you plan on coming up to join in, don't expect to catch any.

What's even crazier, is that the second halibut day is this Saturday, and it is also the season opener for Discovery Bay shrimp, which is the first of 4 days, the 6th, 10th, 17th, and 20th. John Wayne Marina boat ramp is going to be a nightmare on Saturday!

[JThiessen]

Indeed. Hopefully, the weather will hold out better this year.

BTW, isnt your "Discovery Bay Shrimp" the same as eveyone else's Spotted?

I'm stayin in for the shrimp this year.

[CptCrunchie]

"JThiessen" post=806951 wrote:
......isnt your "Discovery Bay Shrimp" the same as eveyone else's Spotted?

Discovery Bay Shrimp District is an area where the biggest Spotted shrimp are found. It's a heavily restricted area that they only open for 4 days a year. It's the darker blue area.

[attachment]35769 wrote:
DiscoveryBayShrimpDistrict.jpg[/attachment]

BTW, I won't be fishing for WA halibut. Instead, I'll be heading across the border to fish where there is a better chance of catching one, and I can go when others won't be out there. No angry, belligerent boat owners taking their time at the ramp, yada, yada, yada. I go fishing to relax, and fishing 4 one day openers with 200 boats all heading out of a 2 ramp marina is not a fun time.

Did I mention I HATE the new format???? *places hands on hips and taps foot, ...while giving the 'powers that be' the evil eye*

[aluxury1]

We went to Discovery Bay last year for the first time for shrimp. We saw everyone getting skunked. Never would have thought it. Not going back.

[CptCrunchie]

"aluxury1" post=807021 wrote:
We went to Discovery Bay last year for the first time for shrimp. We saw everyone getting skunked. Never would have thought it. Not going back.

I'm surprised. In fact, WDFW increased the limit from 80 to 160 because there were so many. I did well.

[tdickenson]

I'll be fishing for halibut out of Port Townsend (normally keep my boat in Edmonds) on Thursday May 4th and Sat May 6th. I'll either be fishing Dallas, Partridge, or Eastern - I'm not interested in running any further than that. Any recommendations on which of the three banks your would recommend for me?

Feel free to PM me or call/text my cell (206-261-2360) if you want to exchange info. I'll be in Port Hudson Slip #19 tonight and Friday night. I've got a 1985 2850 Command Bridge called "TRYGG" with a blue bimini.

Good luck, everyone.

Tim Dickenson

Seattle, WA

[CptCrunchie]

"tdickenson" post=807070 wrote:
I'll be fishing for halibut out of Port Townsend (normally keep my boat in Edmonds) on Thursday May 4th and Sat May 6th. I'll either be fishing Dallas, Partridge, or Eastern - I'm not interested in running any further than that. Any recommendations on which of the three banks your would recommend for me?

Feel free to PM me or call/text my cell (206-261-2360) if you want to exchange info. I'll be in Port Hudson Slip #19 tonight and Friday night. I've got a 1985 2850 Command Bridge called "TRYGG" with a blue bimini.

Good luck, everyone.

Tim Dickenson

Seattle, WA

IMHO, with everything that has happened with the tribes, it'll be a crap shoot. You've got a high-low to low-high to high low, so you should be able to anchor and create a scent trail.

Guess I should ask, have you fished for halibut before? How'd you do?

[tdickenson]

Got one nice on on Partridge Bank this morning using a spreader with big hoochie and some salmon belly in about 190 feet of water. Heading back out on Saturday. Heard of plenty of boats without fish but a few other nice ones were caught (the biggest one I saw in a photo was from Dallas Bank). First halibut I've ever put in my own boat, so very satisfying. Good luck everyone!

[fishaman]

Photos or it did not happen

[green650]

Something you see every few miles in the keys, fleets of sport fishing boats. Why, because they embrace sport fisherman there and the money it brings to the economy.

Washington? WDFW iseems to be bought out by someone.

[tdickenson]

Challenge accepted! (That's not me, it's one of two members of my fishing club, the Seattle Poggies, who was out with me on Thursday. Happy he got the fish... happy to put the first halibut in my boat... and happy we had agreed up front to split any fish three ways!


Attached files

[tdickenson]

No halibut on Saturday May 6th, 2017... in large part to the fact that I couldn't get out of Admiralty Inlet to the banks after leaving Port Townsend around 6 am (and trying later around 10 am). I've only had my 2850 for a year and haven't spent that much time in the Straits, so I'm still learning my limits. I'd describe the waves as 4' at about 2 seconds with a few cresting. We decided to turn back twice and ended up fishing Admiralty Bay all day where it was protected, but we never had a bite.

If anyone was in the Straits on Saturday, I'd really like to know what the conditions were like further out and throughout the day. If you were heading out in the morning, I'm also curious how you would describe the waves (I'd like to have a sense of what was happening so that I'll better be able to interpret future weather reports).

Thanks!

[CptCrunchie]

Wind and waves reeked havoc Saturday throughout Area 6. The fish checked at John Wayne Marina logged 8 fish from 200 boats. "Most came in early very frustrated." However, our club president dropped shrimp pots in the Dungeness Shrimp District east of Protection Island, then spent a few hours fishing for halibut. He caught an 80lber, then hauled in his quota of shrimp.

While I did limit out on shrimp today (Sunday), to say I'm envious about his halibut luck yesterday is an huge understatement. Way to go, Bob!

[fishaman]

This fish is absolutely great! I believe in beginner's luck as I caught my first halibut on a boat that we bought two weeks before. Everything we did was wrong, our hooks were too small, our bait was a tiny herring, and our drifting guide was a general info map sold at all fishing stores, but on our very first trip we still caught one about the same size on Eastern bank. Way to go!

[CptCrunchie]

"fishaman" post=807866 wrote:
This fish is absolutely great! I believe in beginner's luck as I caught my first halibut on a boat that we bought two weeks before. Everything we did was wrong, our hooks were too small, our bait was a tiny herring, and our drifting guide was a general info map sold at all fishing stores, but on our very first trip we still caught one about the same size on Eastern bank. Way to go!

Good on ya! Sounds like my first halibut experience.