Rock Sole in Pueget Sound

Say, has anyone else out there ever targeted rock sole?  No, come on, really.  We’re talking about table fare in white linen tablecloth restaurants.  How bad could they be?

I’ve heard that the floor of the sound is littered with them and I’ve seen ospreys and eagles carrying them around or munching on them on the top of light poles, so I know that they really are in there.  The thing is that it would give me a species to play with on these winter and early spring days when you catch one of those sudden onset, solitary sunny days and you probably have less than a 24 hour window to work with.  Almost any other saltwater species requires me to go over to the O.Pen. or even further… too much time to invest on most of my weekends at this time of the year.

So anybody, where should I look for them at this time of year?  What do you catch them on?  I’m thinking about trying a tiny little spreader bar with a 2” anchovy.  Nah, but really I’m thinking of bouncing some sort of bait along a sandy bottom.  Or maybe about a 3” needlefish looking dart when I’m fishing water over about 90’.  Am I close?

Fishin-T

Hey Tom, if you are talking about flukes and flounder like the stary flounder, I was doing a little research too. From what I read they are shallow water, bay and inlet areas with sandy and muddy bottoms. They target other little fish and sand/ghost shrimp. If you find a small bay with a river coming into it they should be found in that area hanging out feeding. Spring time is a good time for those when the water in the bays warm up alittle.(shallow being like 30' or less) When I lived on the Russian river in NorCal I would go down to the rivers end and catch stary flounder by accident when fishing for steelies. I am gona play with that one too when I get to P.A.
Matt

I use to catch the heck out of them when I was a kid. I use to fish the shorelines for searun cutts, using small spoons and spinners, and I would catch more starrys and sole, than trout. They're like a mini-halibut; very aggressive towards anything in their range. You could use pretty light tackle for them, 6-8lb line and a rod that can handle an ounce or two. Walleye gear and techniques would probably translate well. I'd even give fly gear a shot.

My concern these days would be about eating much quantity of bottomfish from Puget Sound. Probably, the farther west and north, the better. Useless Bay has public access, Bush Pt., Lagoon Pt., and Pt. No Point, Admiralty Bay, at the west end of the Hood Canal Floating Bridge and to the north is a nice flat.

Last fall, when I fished off of Bush Pt. (west side of Whidbey), I caught a couple of flounder while mooching a small anchovy near the bottom. One was impressive, close to 5lbs., but ugly with parasites. I'm guessing they were some kind of roundworm, though I don't know, definitively. In any case, I would make sure I cooked them well, and not try ceviche.

Pisco what do you think about the area right there in P.A. or or sequim. Ediz spit or dungeness spit at the end of the dungeness river area. I thought I would give that area a try for some when I have a an evening or early on a morning.

Matt,

I'd definitely fish Dungeness Bay. There's a bunch of access points in that neighborhood.

I'd be leery of PA harbor, because of the long history of industrial activity.

How was your PA visit, this weekend/ How much closer are you to being over there? I've heard that April 8th will be the opener for Puget halibut, if that helps.

Should be there by the end of March and the begining of April. If all goes as planned. Want to help me move?

Hohoho,  you never know, I'll be dropping some kids off in Seattle on March 30, and then picking them back up on April 8. On the weekends, I and my  little sidekick will probably be kicked out of the house, so that mom can do her school work. I need to find her (the little one) some kids sized protective gear. This weekend, she was asking me if I had my boat on top, while we were driving by lakes. I know NRS sells a little bit of kids gear, do you know of anyone else? I'll have to google it.

Pisco you might try L.L. bean for some kid stuff

Tom just read up a little on the rock sole and they come in to the sandy bottom area Feb thru April to spawn. The Stary flounders, the book says, can get up to 3' feet. They feed on clam siphions, small crabs, brittle stars, and small fish. I bet its one of those fisherys that is relatively un touched. And I saw a good recipe for wholed grilled flounder. Looks delish. It is actualy sold at a seafood place in Tulsa OK called the white river seafood market. Do you know it?
Matt

Floatin,

So how did you guess that I know about the White River fish market in T. town?  I used to live there for a while... my first 32 years in fact.  More to the point, how in the world do YOU know about the fish market?  And yeah, I think I'd really like to try a recipe for whole flounder (rock sole or whatever).

Fishin-T

So have you ever been there? it sounds kind of cool. Pick out you fish and tell-em how you like it. When I was at Ft. Sill I use to go to a place called Daffys catfish cabin. They had great fried catfish, hush puppys, but what I liked the most was the dirty rice.
So was it one of your hang outs. Makes me want to fish for flounder.Its funny had a dream last night about catching flounder. Saw some pictures from CKA website of guys catching flounder down in the gulf.
Matt

Matt,

Did I ever go there?  The first house I ever bought in my life was one block north (across the railroad tracks) and two blocks west from the White River fish market.  I think I lived there for maybe 5 years or so.  And I worked at Crane Carrier Co. which is one block north and across the street (Sheridan street).  The really funny thing is that I probably only ate there one time ever!  I can even remember it now… a nice fried fish basket, some kind of white fish and fries.  For the life of me, I don’t know why I never went there more than that.  I guess I just didn’t appreciate fish in general in my previous life time; that is to say my life as an Okie.

But my question is still unanswered.  How the heck do you know about the White River restaurant?  And how about you?  Did you ever go there?

And we could make your dream come true easy enough if you have the time some weekend soon.  My plan for spring fishing, for the most part, is to watch the weather forecasts (probably on Yahoo extended forecast) and grab a few quick Saturdays or Sundays for maybe a total of eight big hours out on the water.  I plan to launch from the boat ramp at the Everett marina, and then it’s right about ˝ mile to the north tip of Jetty Island, ˝ mile across open water to the breakwater, ˝ mile along the breakwater, and then one more half mile to the spot that looks good on the south tip of Priest Point.  I could send you a scan of the part of the “Fish-n-Map” that shows you right where to try for “flounders” and how it’s about 12 to 20’ deep and sandy there.

I’ve done that run by myself before (no joy that time, it was my VERY first kayak fishing trip ever) but I’d ALWAYS rather go with another kayaker for safety.  I’d just about bet you money that we can load you up with some sole or flounders to take home.  I’ll post it in the “Hookups” forum any time that I think I’m gonna go, even if I don’t think anybody else is going.  Give it some thought and then watch the weather forecast like I do.  I don’t even mind if it rains some, but that piece of water can get nasty rough when the wind comes down the straight and over the top of Whidbey.

Fishin-T

I used to fish for flounders in the sound quite a bit in my youth.

Chunk herring on each of the 2 hooks of a mooching rig and you're ready to go.  That's what we used to do after the salmon bite slowed down.  You'll find them from shore to 100' or more.

BTW, right now, the starry flounders should be on the spawn in the estuaries.

-Allen

Polepole,

So are those starry flounders as good to eat as the rock sole?  Apparently they can be every bit as big or even bigger.

Fishin-T

The National Audubon guide for north america fish says that "stary flounder, like all flat fish, are edible".
I guess really only one way to find out eh Tom.
As for the white river fish market, hey thats the circle I travel in, I make a habbit of knowing these little joints, bla bla bla bla....... Oh there was an article in Gourmet magazine, march edition. With a picture of the whole broiled flounder Yummmmmmmy!

Oh i am depressed, we got more snow last nite, after the drive wasy was just about cleared, it snows another 3-4". Hope its all gone by the end of March.
Matt

Polepole,

So are those starry flounders as good to eat as the rock sole?  Apparently they can be every bit as big or even bigger.

Fishin-T

While I recall them being quite tasty, IMO they are not as good as other flounders.  They do get quite large.  I once caught one that went 7-8 pounds off the jetty at Fort Canby, Ilwaco.

Careful ... would you really eat a flounder that came from the Everett area?

-Allen