Westport July 4,5

Your experience sort of dovetails into a debate I've been having with others about artificial reefs.  Jetties are just that ... artificial reefs.

-Allen

Debate?  Certainly someone isn't saying that Jetties aren't an artificial reef?  

Naw, they are just overstating the importance of them.  I maintain they are nothing more than Fish Aggregation Devices (FADs) and do little to nothing to improve the overall fishery.  Would love your guys' thoughts on this, but let's not threadjack here, k?  

If you're really curious ... http://www.bloodydecks.com/forums/marine-life-protection-act-initiative-mlpa/243493-ships-reefs-dfg-doesnt-know.html

-Allen

Nice to see fish on the east CD jetty.  How late were you fishing it?  I forgot to mention the sunset/nighttime bite along the jetties.  I don't know what it is, but some times we'd fish all afternoon only to have the black rockfish bite mysteriously turn on at sunset.  Note: getting off the jetties in the black of night is an experience in itself!

I was on the east jetty from about 3-4:30pm.  I coulda stayed out longer but the reef was starting to boil and I was totally outta gas.  Interesting about the nite-bite.  When I was in high school me and my friends used to love to go out catfishing all night long.  The big ones come out at night.

ZEE! You're back!

Nice report TTM and cool adventure. That cab and black are fat. Did you get a measure on them?

Naw, I need to be better about doing that.  I'll join up AOTY next year and that'll incentivize me to get the details.

Nice to see fish on the east CD jetty.  How late were you fishing it?  I forgot to mention the sunset/nighttime bite along the jetties.  I don't know what it is, but some times we'd fish all afternoon only to have the black rockfish bite mysteriously turn on at sunset.  Note: getting off the jetties in the black of night is an experience in itself!

I was on the east jetty from about 3-4:30pm.  I coulda stayed out longer but the reef was starting to boil and I was totally outta gas.  Interesting about the nite-bite.  When I was in high school me and my friends used to love to go out catfishing all night long.  The big ones come out at night.

Oh that's too early.  It used to literally be a sunset thing.  And they used to start boiling on the surface.  When it would get dark, we'd cast to the sound of splashes.  Small black curleytails on light jig heads.

-Allen

ZEE! You're back!

Yes I am. That was a tough one. Glad to see you're putting the gear to good use. You're having a hell of a rookie year so far.

Z

TTM, that is one helluva comprehensive report! Thanks for all that!
Yes, the S Jetty here at the entrance to Grays Harbor gets fished heavily and steadily all Spring and Summer. I think the fishing used to hold up better than it has in recent years. Maybe the heavy pressure is taking its toll. Not unusual to see 50 anglers or more out there on the rocks and a boat or two every weekend after Ling Cod season opens. I see at least one boat out there working it any time the conditions are good. There's a bunch of locals who fish it year-round, too.

So it stands to reason that the fishing is going to be better in areas out there that don't get hammered so hard. Early in the season, I see lots of fish taken from there. Mainly Black Rockfish, Kelp Greenling, Ling Cod, Red Tail Surf Perch, Striped Sea Perch, and the occasional nice Cabezon.
The Kelp Greenling population seems to be way down from what it was only ten years ago, at least along the closer in part of the Jetty. They are relatively slow growers.

The "bite" does go on and off with the rockfish, though. Quite often they are feeding in the rip that is nearest to the jetty. I seem to do better with them on the incoming, or the high tide change than I do on the falling tide. I don't even fish out there during the falling tide once the ebb picks up, until it gets near low. The low tide change can be good fishing. The bite can go on and off during the incoming tide, too.
Those black rockfish feed at various depths, too. I usually cast right up to the jetty rocks and retrieve my jig bouncing down the "steps" of the jetty all the way to the bottom of the trough and then back along the bottom to my position, trying not to lose my jig in the rocks.
Sometimes they hit right away, next to the rocks. Other times they don't hit until after your jig hits the bottom of the trough.

We should start seeing schools of anchovies in the Harbor pretty soon. If I were going to fly fish for the black rockfish, maybe a 3" or 4" anchovy imitation might be a good fly right now, getting longer to 4" to 5" as the season progresses and the baitfish grow. I dunno. I seem to remember schools of 4"ers around late July and early Aug back up in the estuaries.

Wind forecast for this Sunday still looks do-able at 6 - 8 mph from the West during the mid-day incoming tide, before picking up and swinging from the N.
Light West wind can be good for vertical jigging on the incoming tide, as its all moving in the same direction then and your line goes straight down.

It would be nice to have light winds and small swell for heading out to the sunken jetty. I think hitting out there for the low tide change when there was little or no swell at all would be pretty fun fishing and exploring! TTM already beat me out there on a yak. Dang intrepid rookies! I've only fished it from a Zodiac after salmon fishing, and we got Lings using herring on salmon mooching rigs then.

I'm not sure what kind of trouble I'm going to get wrapped up in today...maybe even heading to the beach with an old 7'2"  "funboard" that I made. All bets are off!  

The "bite" does go on and off with the rockfish, though. Quite often they are feeding in the rip that is nearest to the jetty. I seem to do better with them on the incoming, or the high tide change than I do on the falling tide. I don't even fish out there during the falling tide once the ebb picks up, until it gets near low. The low tide change can be good fishing. The bite can go on and off during the incoming tide, too.

Ah ... the magic tides!!!  Consistent with what I've experienced.

-Allen

At approx 7am, the low tide's a minus 1.9' at Westport on this Sunday 7/11.
I was originally thinking of launching after the tide change, but maybe getting out there for it wouldn't be a bad idea, if I can get the ol' carcass revved up and in gear early enuff to make it out there that early.
It may be foggy early.
I had been thinking of a 9 - 9:30am launch.

Thanks for the info CHM, you are a great resource about fishing the wesport area!  Post back a report about how you do next time you go out, I'll be curious to see how you do.  Also, have you ever fished the jetty/rocks in Ocean Shores?  I wonder if that might have less pressure than the wesport one.

Cheers,
Rory

TTM, I haven't fished the N Jetty, but I've heard a few reports. I've seen a few guys out toward the end on the N side the few times I have gone over there to surf, in the distant past.
One guy told me he went out with a friend in a PB and they cast jigs (and also some Clousers on the bug stick) for the Black Rockfish with decent success and had a lot of fun. They fished around both sides of the tip of it on a calm day.
The N Jetty doesn't extend very far from the beach on the N side of it, and the Harbor side (south side) gets a pretty good rip on the outgoing tide.

What an awesome day just hangin' at the beach here yesterday! It got at least 92 F here (I didn't believe the digital bank thermometer reading 102, since it always reads way high due to being in the direct sun. Off shore winds most of the day.
Many hotties in bikinis, including temporarily abandoned GFs of surfer dudes taking advantage of their guy's absence to do a little "just-in-case" advertising.... but the main draw was the excellent small snappy shorebreak most of the day until the wind switched to onshore just after 4 pm, not long after I finally got suited up and paddled out. I still had fun.
Got a MAJOR workout thrashing my way out thru the shorebreak and doing all the paddling. Best of all, I didn't maim myself! I had a lot of belly rides, but managed to get to my feet 3 or 4 times before wiping out or bailing.
 I made some distance on one wave and got in a couple of carving bottom turns. Toward the end of my session, I was fighting off a charley horse that was trying to knot up in my calf, so I bellied in. Doesn't sound like much of a session, but it was the best one I've had out of three in nearly 9 years.
I looked at the red tail fin on my 7'2" and realized that it is a "Red-Tailed Surf Perch!" Bad pun, I know!
Water temp was a tolerable 57 F.
I'm pretty sore all over this morning...to be expected with this nearly 60 yr old carcass.
There is fog here along the coastal strip this morning, and its nice and cool out!

The wind forecast for Sunday is changing. Looks like we won't have any southerly in the wind, more W to WNW and NW. But still light at 6 - 8 mph.

but the main draw was the excellent small snappy shorebreak most of the day until the wind switched to onshore just after 4 pm, not long after I finally got suited up and paddled out. I still had fun.
Got a MAJOR workout thrashing my way out thru the shorebreak and doing all the paddling. Best of all, I didn't maim myself! I had a lot of belly rides, but managed to get to my feet 3 or 4 times before wiping out or bailing.
 I made some distance on one wave and got in a couple of carving bottom turns.

I'm pretty sore all over this morning...to be expected with this nearly 60 yr old carcass.
There is fog here along the coastal strip this morning, and its nice and cool out!

NICE!  Thanks for sharing the stoke!  I need to get me some of that action.....

-Spot-

"Stoke" can even overcome some of the wreckage caused by too much backsliding, but there will be "back dues" to pay for sure. I don't remember my rib cage being this sore!

Fog is hanging around all morning in the harbor entrance. It lifts and then we have a nice overcast right along the beach. Yesterday afternoon it got sunny only a mile or so inland after I paddled back up into the northern arm of the Elk R estuary. I returned late, paddling back into overcast, and as I finally paddled back under the Elk River bridge at about 8pm, I could see over the tree tops that fog was pressing up against the beach.

Well, the wind forecast has turned for the worse. I'm not sure if "stoke" will overcome the forecast 8-10mph+ NW winds and fog for our planned yakfishing go-out along the jetty on Sunday. Those aren't ideal conditions, by any means!
I'll be checking it out in the morning, though.

Of course I have a few alternative paddling plans, but those aren't that good for any AOTY type fishing. More like "estuary backwater and river tours."  The searun cutts aren't in around here yet, so there's only small resident cutts and some peamouth chubs to be soremouthed in the tidal creeks right now.

If I am smart enough to figure it out I will add some pics from the Jetty from 4th of July weekend.

I was there (ON the jetty) while Tall Man was out in his Yak... Tried sand shrimp with no love, then went to a Gulp shrimp that nailed several Black Rockfish.

WOW that took about two hours to figure out how to resize then change the format to post.... Whew!

I am heading out to test out the new fishing rod.

By the way if you are in Bellingham Yeagers Sporting Goods is having their yearly clearance. Good time to pick up goodies.