Saturday Halibut trip anyone?

I have the makings of a plan, weather permitting we might be able to launch early AM at the Dungy spit and drift along the spit then head West with the tide to the Green Point area, this is where they've been nailing them lately.  Not the most accessible spot but this would optimize the fishing time.  We would then paddle to the closest PA access and my wife could pick us up.  If Westerly wind kills us we just head back to Cline Spit for Pt. Williams.  Pretty heavy tide exchange that day so it could be an adventure if we have to paddle back plenty of places to beach the boat though if needed.   Any interest?

OhB,

Those tides are looking SO big that I'm not planning to come over to the O.P. to fight them this weekend.  For me, I think that those big minus tides might be better spent going for sturgeon.

On the OTHER hand... I see the very BEST daytime tide of the entire area 6 halibut season on the Sat of the M-Day weekend and a really good one again on Sun.  Any chance that you'll be available to launch from the Ediz Hook on either or both of THOSE days?  That's my halibut plan for now and I'm also trying to twist Fishnut's arm and get him to come out there with me again too.  Er, like yourself, weather permitting.


Fishin-T

I hear ya, they are ripping tides I dunno is it possible to fish with that much water moving?  I'm not to worried about the paddle as I don't plan to fight the current but drift with it.

Following weekend is maybe go, we will actually be camping a little further west, near Pillar Point and I'd planned to fish right out from our sight and Pillar Point but If you guys are here I'll do my best to hook up.

Bryan

OhB,

All that I have for reading the bottom with any accuracy are my "Fish-n-map" maps but I don't have one that shows any of the area near Pillar Pt.  How about you?  Do you know the gps coordinates of any likely halibut humps within say 2 miles from shore that are near Pillar Pt.?  I could easily be talked into joining you over there if I was confident in our fishing location.  I just don't want to drift aimlessly and hope for the best when we have such a kayak halibut angler friendly tide exchange that weekend.


Fishin-T

Have you ever checked out the shallow water butt fishery in Freshwater Bay?  At like 60 feet, I think it would be more than doable in the big tides.

-Allen

Yo, I'll be on the wetside for M-day weekend. I'm practically giddy about the opportunity!

If there are big tides this weekend, I would suggest sticking close to shore near kelp and targeting lings/rockfish. MA 4 would be the best bet.  Going a mile or two out is going to put you at the mercy of the 3 knot ebb.

The shore from Pillar Pt. west to Clallam Bay (Slip Pt,.) is mostly rocky with kelp beds. It drops off pretty quickly and the Fish-in-Map claims halibut can be caught from 200-240FOW. Suppose to be excellent for 'buts in Clallam Bay near Slip Pt., same depths.

I'm with Polepole in that I've caught halibut in 100FOW, and would bet that it could be done shallower, too. I'd use a huge curly tail jig that both lings and 'buts like, and after I drifted off the structure bounce and drag the bottom for the halibut.

Ok thanks a bunch guys, I'm pretty green when it comes to halibut, but I'm well aquainted with the tidal push.  I think I'll take your advice.  Fishin-t I don't have co-ords but will try to get them, The Physt river dumps into the Strait right at the point and the water is shallow most of the way out then dives deep  You can pull up a NOAH Marine chart and get a good look, but yeah my wife's uncle caught his first butt there on a lead head and the fisherman are always there chasing them.  Fishing pressure is lower there but there might be a reason, I'll ask around a little more.  I could be persauded to head back into town if it looks better.  Hope to get to fish with some of you guys.  So what is that thing Sicko, not a yak 

Ohbryant, that "thing" is a 14' rowboat, the Pygmy "Wineglass Wherry"- http://www.pygmyboats.com/mall/WGWSPECS.asp

I bought the kit about 12 years ago, long before I had heard of NCKA or NWKA. I'd used SINKs for fishing, before, but wanted something that I could build and would be a little more fishing friendly than a SINK. I also wanted something I could portage and launch without needing a ramp. It is seaworthy in open water and can carry too much gear  but since it is an open boat and not self-bailing it's pretty much useless for breaking surf. The halibut in the avatar is the first fish I caught in it, a 40#er that I found just east of Neah Bay.

OhB,

So what's up with camping accommodations at Pillar Point?  Can I make reservations, or how does that work?  I think I'd prefer to camp over there even if we wind up launching off of the Ediz Hook.

As to the fishing over at P. Pt., I'll keep looking around to see if I can find more info on the bottom contours over there.  With these REALLY favorable halibut-from-a-kayak tides, I think we should definitely be focussing on a hump of some sort.  This will be the chance for some nice slow drifts over the top of one.

Without any further input on the P. Pt area, I'm focussed on the Three Humps area which is about 2 miles from shore and mayb 3.5 miles N.W. from a potential launch point on the north side of Ediz Hook.  I don't know if Cooper also told you the story of his 40# halibut, but that's where he caught that one... also from his kayak.  I'm convinced that it's a really good spot, but it'll be nearly impossible to hone in on it without benefit of gps.

Fishin-T

Camping in Salt Creek is great, there are 1st-come 1st served like #74 and 75 that are roomy.  I have nailed big hali in 60-90 FOW out in front of the Twin Rivers, but that's farther west, almost to Pillar Point. 

Yo guys, if you're still talking about this weekend, MA 5 doesn't open for halibut until the 26th. That's the area from Low Pt. west to Sekiu R., including Pillar Pt. and the Twin Rivers area. Crescent Bay/Salt Creek is in MA 6, so that would be safe.

For Memorial weekend, I'm thinking to head out to Neah Bay. I'll probably also fish the west end of MA 5 for halibut. Some decent ling and cabbie action, too. I like the western areas for the more liberal rockfish limits. If it blows out, I'm thinking Lake Ozette or Snow Creek for my backup. If I'm driving all the way from Twisp, I don't mind driving a little farther to be able to keep more fish. (this may be my only trip out there, this year.) I've got my trailer that can haul up to 4 yaks and I'm open to car pooling.

Camping in Salt Creek is great, there are 1st-come 1st served like #74 and 75 that are roomy.  I have nailed big hali in 60-90 FOW out in front of the Twin Rivers, but that's farther west, almost to Pillar Point.

Kali,

Hey, thanks for the input.  I have been looking at the NOAH maps online and I see a pretty promissing underwater hump just off shore from the West Twin River mouth.  A couple more nice humps just a little further west from the Twin Rivers and only a little further from shore.  So do you know of any launch sites that we can use that are kayak distance from either of those?

Fishin-T

Spoiler alert!!

I heard on my way home this evening that one of the two Kingston ferries is down.  No idea if that will still be the case this coming weekend.  You'll want to have that exact info before you go over to get into line since it will mean that the ferry will sail once every TWO hours instead of the usuall one hour.  If the line happens to be long enough that you miss the next ferry to sail (and how could the lines be any shorter than that with only one ferry operating) then that means that you will likely be waiting in line for FOUR hours before your own bording and sailing.

Ah, but we do have a WORK AROUND!  The drive down to the Tacoma Narrows bridge is maybe 1.5 hours from Edmonds and then maybe one hour back north to approx. Kingston once you get to the west side of the bridge.  If we are down to just the one ferry when your departure time gets here, I'd HIGHLY suggest this alternative route.

One more suggestion would be to cross over to Port Townsend from Whidbey Island if you're coming in from further north, such as maybe Hwy 20.  Might also work even if you have to get to Clinton from Mukilteo.

Fishin-T

The drive around Tacoma Narrows is easy and almost as fast unless you hit the ferry perfectly. Sunday I cam home from Neah Bay to Seattle in about 4:15 mins ...

I used to do a similar commute (Sammamish to Silverdale) and that, for the most part holds true.  If there is anything going in Seattle or at the T-dome you might be better off just waiting it out in the ferry line    I could do my commute in <1:15 on the road w/o traffic or 2-2.5 hours on the ferry.  With traffic... let's just say I've sat on that god-forsaken freeway for over 4 hours (Seattle sporting event, concert at T-dome, Rainiers game, and two accidents.)