Hood Canal?

I posted before about moving out west and asked for good places for a fishaholic to put down roots in the O.P. area.

My wife has been doing all the "leg work" on line and has been having trouble finding a place in the P.A., Sequim, Port Townsend area that we can afford.

She says now that she found a lot of land and affordable housing around Hood Canal.  Is that a good place to fish?  Far from good areas?

I noticed that the Canal was closed to fishing?  Could someone tell me again why?   Is this a common occurrence?

In looking at a map it looks like the water in the canal would be pristene since it comes from the upper sound and doesn't come past Seattle or Tacoma.

Thanks again. I Don't mean to be a pest but this is real important to us and the only fisherpeople we know to ask are you folks.

We've sold our land in Alaska and are using that money to get our house ready for sale etc.  Hope to be on our way by September.

Hood canal is closed for the most part because the fisheries are depressed.  There are some limited salmon seasons.  There is also a decent population of sea run cutthroat but it is catch and release only.

The Hood Canal has an interesting topology.  There is a shelf that prevents a lot of water from flushing into or out of Hood Canal.  There is a lot of documented cases of oxygen deprivation fish kills in the Canal as well.  Lots of reasons for this, but one theory is that the pollution runoff builds up due to the lack of flushing and this in turn causes algae blooms which use up the oxygen in the water.

There are some great clam and oyster beds.  And you're still within striking distance of more productive fishing waters.

-Allen

BTW, the pollution that polepole mentions is NOT industrial pollution, but rather non-point source excess nitrogen. There are many sources for excess nitrogen- leaky septic systems, large concentrations of marine mammals, farm runoff, and poor fish harvest/processing practices. While finfish have been suffering, shellfish are fat.

It is a gorgeous area, and I've still seen some decent prices, too. If you are on the west side of the canal, you'll have better fishing options. On the east side of the canal, you'll be closer to Bremerton, Seattle and pdxs.

Brads, another option might be to look west of PA, in the Joyce or forks area. Prices also seem to go down as you head in that direction mostly due to the rain and low unemployment factor. good access for fishing though.
Have you contacted the P.A. chamber of commerce for info. They can send you real estate mags. (heck I can send you real estate Mags if you like) I can also put you in contact with a realtor here that I know if you like.
I know it is always nice to have someone in the area that can give you heads up on things. Let me know if there is somthing I can do for you.
Matt

Thank you much for the great info., please keep it coming.

Matt, I just sent you a p.m.

Life is good.