Gig Harbor Gathering

[Helen O]

David S

We've got room for you in our boat. Glad to have you along. Now, as far as someone who knows more about salmon fishing... you'll have to talk to Lyle about that. I'll make no such claims. The only thing I'm really certain of with salmon fishing is that sharp hooks = more fish.

We'll work out more of the details as the week progresses. I'm looking forward to meeting you and having a good time fishing.

[Mr. Fisherman]

Have the dates been firmed up yet?
I am thinking about running this by the wife....

Lyle, how is the fishing? The odds are better if I have a hope of bringing back fish....

Maybe I can bring up some of my "special ice"

[colvosview]

Thanks Larry
Should be fun! Are you good at sharpening hooks, or do you have a brand you've found to be best?
Mr. Fisherman, here are a couple of links to local fishing reports, along with the most recent posting:
http://www.salmonuniversity.com/or_fishing_reports.html
"Only two or three boats have been out each day this week but still some fish are being found. Although there's been a couple fishless days in the last week, a fair of amount of the time these few hardy fishermen are finding some nice winter blackmouth at the slagpile and claybanks. Fish are running from just-legal to around six pounds.
For more info, call Tim at the Pt. Defiance Boathouse, 253-591-5325"

Then the Tacoma paper. The fishing report comes out on Wednesday, so this is a week old:
http://www.tribnet.com/sports/outdoors
"Tacoma - When boats have been out, anglers have been having luck around the slag pile or the clay banks area, said staff at Point Defiance Boathouse and Marina. The weather has kept fishing pressure light, but mooching or trolling near the bottom has been productive for those on the water."

David S (not to be confused with Dave S)

[Helen O]

Mr. Fisherman, Colvosview, & all

I'm planning on meeting up with Lyle for fishing on Monday morning Dec. 8th. I'll go earlier if anyone else is going to be there earlier. (Also depends on the weather).

Regarding hook sharpening: An old timer showed me how to sharpen hooks a long time ago. I'll gladly show and tell if you're interested. All hooks can be made sharper than they came from the factory, even the "Laser Sharp" hooks. It only takes a few strokes with the file and you'll only have to watch me sharpen one or two to know how to do it. Then with just a little practice you can make some nasty sharp hooks. Luhr-Jensen thinks it's important enough that they have a whole tech bulletin about it. It more than doubled my catch to loss ratio.

[B~C]

Count me in for the 8th & 9th (weather permitting)..Lary speaks the truth about sharp hooks. Last August the kid and I would spend the evening sharping & snelling hooks. After every fish or two we would change hooks, found that if you left the hooks on for more than two fish, the odds of bringing the next hookup to the boat went way down.

[Helen O]

Hey Ken, the AM-PM/Arco gas station at 38th & Ocean Beach Hwy. has been having a gas war with the new Fred Meyers gas station in Longview. They're both selling gas for around $1.21 per gallon. Time to "fill er up".

[lyle-t]

Hi All,
To start with, Ray there is always a chance to catch salmon by Tacoma. Only thing is "You have to be out there to do it". I have been hearing of some fish being caught around the ferry dock and across by Vashon Island. One of my fishing sources told me he was trolling 5 oz lead with fish flash and cut plug herring out 50 pulls in about 90 feet of water just north of the ferry dock and connected with a nice blackmouth in between the storms last week. He has a 21 foot Aluma craft and said it was a little rough in the morning but calmed down around 10 and then was when he caught it. He saw three other boats with downriggers catch fish out in about 130 to 140 feet but they did not tell him how deep they were letting out the weight. Last thing he told me was " Guess I need to buy a new toy for the boat".
8 High 6:15 AM 12.9 7:44 AM Set 7:49 AM 99
8 Low 11:11 AM 7.7 4:20 PM Rise 4:05 PM
8 High 3:50 PM 11.4
8 Low 11:06 PM -1.1
Tide at Narrows bridge for monday. About 40 minutes later for Tuesday.

[True Story]

I'm just kind of waiting to see when you all are going to go fishing. Weather this time of year is definitly a hit and miss affair so I understand why the date(s) have not been established. However, if the starting place is Gig Harbor and we're going to fish the Point Defiance area, moderate winds shouldn't slow us down.

Without the benefit of NOAA, my vote is for the 7th. I'm probably just a one-day kind of guy at this point in time, and I definitely have room for Colvosview-David-S. should he be brave enough to experience the "True Story". Now, I can't say for sure if I know any more about fishing than David, but I'd like to think I got a pretty good grasp of the whole blackmouth fishing concept thingy. I just need directions to the Gig Harbor launch and which end of the herring to stick the hooks in.

Standing by. Tim

[colvosview]

Thanks for the offer. I'm not generally available on Sunday mornings - I play a little sax in the worship band at Harbor Covenant Church - but I'm set to take some time off on Monday or Tuesday, whatever weather allows, whoever has the most room. Or Sunday afternoon. Is the winter blackmouth bite generally best at dawn, or does it matter so much?
Anyway, you guys let me know when you plan to arrive, and I'll drop by the marina and say hello, and we can come up with a plan.

To get to the boat launch:
After you cross the Narrows bridge on Hwy 16, the Gig Harbor exits come up pretty quick. Take the 2nd Gig Harbor exit. It will say "city center", among other things. At the light, go straight. At the bottom of the hill, turn left onto Harborview. Light House Marine is at that intersection, on your right. (If you turn right at the light after you exit, you'll also wind up on Harborview, about two blocks from Arabella's Landing, but these directions are the most direct to the launch.)
Once you're on Harborview, it winds around following the curve of the harbor. Within a mile you come to an intersection where you can either stop at a stop sign and go straight, or turn right through a yield sign. (There's a little restaurant called Le Bistro on the left.) Take the right turn. This is the continuation of Harborview, becoming N Harborview. You'll see that you're at the end of the harbor, and you want to just keep following the shoreline.
In less than a mile, N Harborview tees into Vernhardsen. (The long low white building on the right is my office.) Turn right, going downhill. At the bottom of the hill you cross a creek which empties into the harbor. Take the first right after the creek. (Sorry I don't remember the street name.) That street turns into the boat launch. Should be pretty quiet this time of year.

Then to get back to the marina:
It's not that easy to spot from the land side, but retrace your way along N Harborview to Harborview, then instead of heading back up the hill at Light House Marine, continue on left, following the Harbor. Start watching for Suzanne's deli on the left, (if you get to the city park with the big flagpole, you're too far) and turn left on the street just beyond it - Dorotich. The gated entry immediately on the right is Arabella's lot, but you might need to park on Harborview until you negotiate the parking rights at the marina office, which is one of the buildings just to the left of the gate. Here's an idea: Leave your tow rig at the launch, and go situate the boat at the marina. (Head straight across the harbor from the launch, and then turn left when you reach the other side. Watch for the little hut office at the end of one of the docks.) Get yourself situated, find out the parking scene, and get Larry of Helen O to ferry you back over to the launch area to bring your rig around. They have signs at the launch area that you can't park overnight, but I don't know how strictly its enforced. Probably best not to gamble.

[B~C]

Any good place to launch and leave a truck in Tacoma?

[Helen O]

I dunno, Ken. I got the impression from talking to Lyle that he thought the rigs might be safer being parked at Gig Harbor than in the Tacoma area. Maybe David S or one of the other locals would know more about it. The closer my truck is to where I'm mooring the better I'll feel. (without being submerged).

[B~C]

I imagine the rigs would be a lot safer in Gig but I don't like the idea of the extra hassel of shuffling rigs. Me thinks there must be other options. Do you have that boat filled up with the cheap gas? The weather man shows some clearing on M & T...looking good .
I'd like to make it up there Sunday and catch some fish with T.S. Tim but I gots a few chores to get done

[DaveS]

Dunno Ken, but the "Hilltop Neighborhood" of Tacoma is always in the news, you could always park your truck there. (Oh, yeah for a moment I forgot...I think that's the home of the Tacoma Gun and Knife Club).

[TyBoo]

Cripe, B~C - you were just in Tacoma. Didn't you look around for parking spots while you were there? Hey - I got and idea. Just park over to CM's house, an stay for the holidays. You can help him arrange the PSBSCMPF&CBGT.

[Helen O]

I'm thinkin about running up there on Saturday... laying around a bit and getting to know the lay of the land..... and maybe hooking up with True Story Tim on Sunday. I'm guessing he might have figured out which end of the herring to put the hook in by then. That's put him way ahead of me.

Got the boat gassed and ready to go. Built me a thick wooden box to put that 12 lb downrigger ball in. Don't want that thing bouncin and rolling around. I wonder if I dropped it on the floor of the boat if it would go all the way through like they do in the Yosemite Sam cartoons?