WestPort Fishing

Dan McNally · Posted: Tue Aug 15, 2006 8:20 pm Post subject: Westport

Larry, glad to hear there was fish last weekend. I'm strongly considering the idea of coming down Friday night and staying till Sunday afternoon. I will get a slip at the dock if we come. Maybe we could run out together the day you are going out. I have not crossed the bar except as a passenger/ deck hand when I work down there many years ago and would feel better if I ran with someone who has done it before. Do not get me wrong I have had a boat for twenty some years and logged plenty of hours on the big pond with no problems and I just want to keep it that way. If your still going give a shout so we can touch base. Thanks Dan

Larry Q · Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 12:54 am Post subject:

Roger-
I have a full boat on Thursday. But I will send you a PM next time I have a open seat!
I keep hoping the ocean will settle down some. I have not been out on a nice day this year. The guys I'm taking out Thursday are all from the mid-west. If the seas look too big when I check conditions tomorrow I may head to the straights or Port Townsend or maybe Whidbey Island.
The last flatlander I took out wished he could have died, he reminds me of my murder attempt every day at work.
I haven't heard if the fish are coming into the Columbia yet for the buoy 10 frenzy. It's a circus but a lot of fish are caught when things are right.

rogerbum · Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 1:05 am Post subject:

Thanks Larry - I'm getting up tomorrow at 3AM to go hit the Lake washington sockeye so I'd probably be too tired on Thurs to be much good anyway. Friday looks like the best day of the week swell wise 3-4' in the AM. Thurs may be a bit tough 6' or so. For your flat land friends, try bonine - I tried it a week or two ago and like it better than dramamine.

Larry Q · Posted: Wed Aug 16, 2006 8:19 pm Post subject:

Roger-
How did the sockeye pursuit go? I haven't fished for them in lake washington for 8 to 10 years.
My wife and I are both from Bellevue, 33 years ago we escaped!
My mother still lives there so I go up to visit once in a while.......like when she needs something done on her house, ect.
We grew up fishing the sound and lake washington. Great times were had
as a juvenile delinquent catching sockeye. We fished mostly on the west side of poverty rock (mercer Island), what part of the lake do you fish?
I still have not decided where I'm going in the morning. It will be a last minuet thing.

rogerbum · Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 9:39 am Post subject:

Larry,

In a word - poorly. We were in the water by 4:45AM and fished just off of Seward park. 3 guys, 3 rods, 5 hours, 1 fish. Saw a few others caught but things did not appear to be "red hot". I'd rather fish Neah, Sekiu or the ocean where the "catching's" better and more consistent.

gljjr · Posted: Thu Aug 17, 2006 12:30 pm Post subject:

The problem with fishing for Sockeye in Lake Washington is that the best fishing is as soon as the fish hit the lake. It tapers off real fast as they get lockjaw the longer they are in fresh water. I went out on the first sunday it was open and had faster fishing than I have ever had for salmon ANYWHERE. We had fish on every 5 minutes or so until we got our limit. However the second time on the water that next Thursday was quite a different story. It was still better fishing than you would normally get in the sound and probably on a par with what I have seen in years past at Sekiu but nothing like the fishing on the first weekend. From all reports I have read and my own experience with this fishery this is very typical.

Larry Q · Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 12:20 am Post subject:

I should have went somewhere else to day. The first trip of the year that no salmon were caught. We fished the south sound from Olympia to Nisqually. We only saw 2 kings caught....on the bright side my mid west guests were more than happy with a 10 hour boat ride filled with lots of interruptions all caused by dog fish. There has to be millions of those pesky critters. The damn things will hit a grim reefer jig just as fast as a herring. At least I didn't take them to the ocean on a rough day....maybe next time they visit.
I will be going to Westport this weekend. As soon as I hear from my son what day he has clear, sat. or sun.

rogerbum · Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 12:32 am Post subject:

For your and his sake, I hope he has Sun off as Sat swell predictions look a lot worse. Mon or Tues would be ideal though.

Dan McNally · Posted: Fri Aug 18, 2006 9:23 pm Post subject: Westport

Anybody going out of westport this weekend? Larry are going? I will be there at about 6:00 or 7:00 am. Hope to see you. Dan McNally.

Larry Q · Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 12:10 am Post subject:

Dan-
I will be down at the launch around 7am. We leave home at 5am and by the time we get bait at the Hungry whale, we should be right on time.

Roger-
It looks like I've got an open spot if you are interested in going along on Sunday.

Dan McNally · Posted: Sat Aug 19, 2006 1:39 am Post subject: Westport

Larry, We will see you there we will be in a red 22 c- dory. If miss you we will be on channel 3 just call for that new dory. Dan

Mr. Fisherman · Posted: Mon Aug 21, 2006 7:45 am Post subject:

well I am back from my Westport adventure...
170 Tuna and 110 of those on the last stop, increadible.
Pics and stories to follow later...

Dan McNally · Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 12:19 am Post subject: Westport

Larry,
sorry we did not see you this weekend but did talk to another c-dory owner from Olympia, he had an 1984 angler that he brought from the eastcoast when he moved here. He was on float 8 and we were on float 6 and they will be staying the entire month of Augest. The fishing could have been better but we put a nice fish in the cooler and had several other chance. We came in early on Saturday as my son found the rail rubbing and sea sickness hard to contend with. It was a little lumpy out there to say the least. Just wondered how you faired? Any good fish to report? Being a new dory owner we found the boat impressive and not burdened by the water conditions, glad we have her. Dan

rogerbum · Posted: Tue Aug 22, 2006 1:36 am Post subject:

Well - Larry was kind enough to take me out with him on Sun. I got up at 2:45AM to meet him in Rochester a little after 5AM. I had planned on taking my dramamine early in the AM but decided to not take it until after I finished my drive down - I only had 4 hours of sleep and driving on dramamine didn't sound like a good idea.

Met Larry, his son and a friend of theirs at 5:10AM at the Rochester middle school, loaded my stuff into his boat (C-Ya a nice new 22'CD cruiser) and climbed into the truck. About 1/2 way to Westport, I realized I hadn't taken my dramamine. Rather than asking him to stop so I could, I kept my mouth shut until we got to the Hungry Whale for bait. I took some then but that was only 20 mins prior to being on the water. Unfortunately, that was too late. The water going out was just a little rough, 4-5 swells and got better as the day went on but I was "gone" by the time we got out. So "Roger the human chum machine" spent most of the AM alternately throwing up, trying to tough it out and laying down. Around 12, I got another dramamine in me and a little liquid. By about 1:30 I was human again. NOTE to self - ALWAYS take the dramamine early enough!!!!

Anyway - as to the fishing - fair at best. We trolled from around 8AM to 3PM with 4 rods out. All total, we got three keepers. One nice 8-9# coho that I caught on a delta-diver/fish flash/hootchie/herring filet combo, one 5-6# coho that Larry's son caught on a diver/cut plug and one 8-10# king that Larry got on a diver/cut plug. Two native coho and one small king were released. The fish that we did find were mostly still out fairly deep for Westport - e.g. about 8 miles out in roughly 200' of water. That's where the greatest congregation of charters was at. The coho (including those we released) were for the most part nice size football shaped fish. So when they do get in, they will be big.