MA10 Blackmouth / Winter chinook?

Hey everyone,

I was thinking in a few weeks of shoving off at Golden Gardens park. If there isn't too much wind I'm eyeballing the 19th / 20th, and probably black Friday if there isn't too much wind / chop. I have no experience with fishing for blackmouth here, but from research, just off of the West Point lighthouse is supposed to be a decent spot, and it isn't too much of a paddle from the park.

Thoughts / Comments?

I'll be out there today looking for them.  A white Candlefish bar jig 2 to 4 oz is usually a good option.  Look for bait and arcs.  I've gotten them dropping right into a school.  You'll also sometimes pick up squid.

How did you do? I may have to get some heavier jigs if you had good results.

gnom,

I'm leaning toward trying that tomorrow morning.  Want to try dragging a konezone and squid around from shilshole to the buoy off the point as well as some drift jigging.  With a S wind forecast you can jig drifting north past the buoy and then drag a konzone while paddling back south.

If you go out, pay attention to gulls diving along the Shilshole break water.  Lots of boats blast right past and I've dropped jigs on a school of blackmouth within 20-30 feet of the rocks right around the north end several times.  Fun in the shallow water.  Will post up if I go.

Good to hear. I am trying to head down to Hoodsport on Saturday morning, but if weekend activities make me too sleepy to get out at a decent hour I'll likely shove off of Golden Gardens and do a similar run that you're describing.

From talking to some of the guys that fish off of the pier by Alki beach, they said similar about chinook sticking pretty close to shore.

My thinking was trolling from Meadow Point to West point and back. I was going to try coho killer spoon as well as a king kandy candlefish plugs. I do have a squid to try as well.

Good to hear. I am trying to head down to Hoodsport on Saturday morning, but if weekend activities make me too sleepy to get out at a decent hour I'll likely shove off of Golden Gardens and do a similar run that you're describing.
From talking to some of the guys that fish off of the pier by Alki beach, they said similar about chinook sticking pretty close to shore.
My thinking was trolling from Meadow Point to West point and back. I was going to try coho killer spoon as well as a king kandy candlefish plugs. I do have a squid to try as well.

You don't have to go early to get action at Hoodsport.  I drove from Kent thru Shelton in 1.5 hr and hit the water at noon.  You'll see what's going on, and it is a sleigh ride.
I've done best between the shilshole and Meadow point buoy. I've caught fish at West point but not much between there and the Shil-Buoy, and it's a long ways, but there are fish around so you never know.  If I go I'll focus along the rocks early and out to the WP buoy and back later, staying a bit deeper. But, who knows where they might be...good luck either way.

We're doing a Dia De Los Muertos celebration in the evening so I have to be back and cleaned up in time for that, so I'm early or not fishing at all this weekend.

If I do shove off @ Golden Gardens I'm in a blue and black drysuit and an orange thresher 140.

I'll be the half-dead Norwegian in the white-camo trident 13.

Decided to run out to Shilshole early this AM.  Tide was end of the flood and the wind was out of the south, brisk.  Wind picked up and I left after a few hours.  Talked with the fish checker and yesterday 22 boats with 1 fish, and most boats I saw were running to Jefferson head across.  Lots of seals around, so there's food somewhere not far away. 
My suggestion would be to try to have two poles, with a good size jig like brad said earlier and one with a flasher, konezone or other trolling setup.  If the wind is from the south, start jigging as you drift toward the meadow buoy.  I was easily hitting 1.2 mph drifting so jigging as a challenge even while back paddling a bit.  Had to paddle and jig"-0
Be aware of how far past the buoy you go.  Switch to your trolling rig to paddle back toward the shilshole buoy.  If there's wind and you're fighting tide, it's a workout, especially with paddles.
Talked with a guy who soaked crab pots overnight and had one >7 and 2 more just legal.

Good luck.

I think I just missed you actually. I paddled around and found a few nice marks on the sounder but no bites. I was doing basically the exact thing you suggested, a sandlance behind a flasher and deep six diver headed south, jigged on the way north. I ended up bailing early after a ton of motorboats showed up as well as emergency vehicles along the park. Apparently there were three kids in a 2 person canoe and they flipped a ways north of me. I thought it was best to not be a distraction on the water and I spent quite a bit of time already fighting the current and wind. When the wind was down, the conditions were pretty good, but it got pretty gusty from time to time, a deal greater than the weather report suggested. I'll be trying again soon.