Northwest Reel Life January - February 2024 Volume 3 Issue 4 - Flipbook - Page 7
boat, and read on.
But first, no boat? While
most of our winter
blackmouth fishing will be
from a boat, there is also
an opportunity for a limited
shore-based fishery. More
on that later, if you do have
a boat here is a breakdown
of the 2023/2024 Puget
Sound winter blackmouth
fishery.
MA 6, 7, 8-1, 8-2, 9 and both
North/South MA 12 will be
closed for the 2023/2024
winter blackmouth fishery.
The information to the left
was extracted from the
2023 North of Falcon data
and may be subject to
additional closures. Consult
the WDFW App. or website
for the current regulations
and emergency closures.
With the limited
blackmouth opportunity
for the 2023/2024 winter
season, the open areas will
likely be busy. Instead of
detailing each area, I’ll try
to break down the different
Marine Areas into a few
general options for starting
your adventure.
Reduced opportunity, well
maybe, but there are still
a few areas that will host
a blackmouth fishery this
winter.
That said; chip the ice out
of your bilge, gas up the
12 | NWFISHING.net
Before that though; think
of points, banks, and flats.
Look for areas where the
currents will collect bait.
Keep a constant eye on
your fishfinder and look for
schools of bait. Although
forage fish populations
change from year to year,
candle fish and herring are
the primary forage fish for
Puget Sound blackmouth.
That said, because of a
general crash in the Puget
Sound herring populations,
candlefish are currently the
major blackmouth food
source.
Candlefish show as a cloud
of bait right on the bottom.
Find candlefish and you
significantly improve your
odds, find arches and
candlefish on the deck
and it will be hammer
time! Candlefish spawn in
the gravel and are rarely
found above that. I have
caught many blackmouth
where their gill plates and
bellies were all scraped up.
I have even cleaned fish
and found gravel in their
stomachs. So, where does
one target gravel filled
salmon?
Marine Area 5 or basically the
Sekiu/Pillar Point area has
a few notable blackmouth
areas to target. The Caves,
Clallam Bay, and then Slip
Point to Pillar Point can all
be awesome blackmouth
fisheries. All can be very
exposed to winter weather
so know your limitations.
Help is a longways off if you
get in trouble so always err
on the cautious side.
Marine Area 10 is the Seattle/
Bremerton area and
includes a number of well
known, semi-protected
blackmouth fisheries.
Kingston, Jeff Head, West
Point, Elliot Bay, Alki Point,
Point Monroe, Skiff Point,
Manchester, and different
banks or points around
Blake Island consistently
produce blackmouth. Look
at the weather, choose a
launch and learn a given
area to feed your winter
addiction.
Marine Area 11 or the Tacoma
area is one of the best
small-boat blackmouth
fisheries on Puget Sound.
The Slag Pile, Owens Beach,
and Clay Banks are all easily
accessible and just minutes
from the Point Defiance
launch. With the proper
boat for the conditions,
Dalco Point, the Beach just
north of Gig Harbor, Point
Robinson, Browns Point
and Dash Point all offer
solid blackmouth fishing as
well.
Marine Area 13 is an
interesting fishery. It is
the area south of The
Tacoma Narrows Bridge.
The whole area is fairly
protected from winter
weather but the better
fishing areas are a bit of a
run from any of the all-tide
metropolitan ramps. With
that said, MA 13 is kind of a
local’s fishery, with smaller
boats launching into open
water from a handful of
unimproved county ramps.
A few areas stand out;
including Point Fosdick,
various areas around Fox
Island, Lyle Point, Oro Bay,
and Johnson Point all
hold fishable numbers of
blackmouth. Depending on
the tide there are many less
known points that disrupt
the tidal flow and hold bait.
Be that guy, maybe more
so than any other area in
Puget Sound, MA 13 has
many 1 fish spots. Review
both your charts and tidal
information and know
where to fish during the
different tidal phases.
Blackmouth fishing is a
planning and patience
game. Choose a ramp,
select a handful of areas
you want to fish, and
understand how the
tide will impact them.
Independent from the
tide often the best fishing
will be at first light. From
there follow your plan, if
you make a pass on your
initial stop and there are
no signs of life move on to
plan B and C as required.
Depending on the tidal
conditions don’t be afraid
to revisit plan B! I know
that I mentioned patience
but if you’re not seeing bait
on the meter move on.
Typically boat limits will be
hard to come by, but put a
couple of nice blackmouth
on ice and you’ve had a
good day.
My general blackmouth
drill includes trolling with
the downriggers or motor
mooching cut plug herring.
If dogfish are in the area,
skip the cut plug plan and
stick to trolling. Run 11”
flashers ahead of spoons,
trolling flies, or hoochies.
Spice up the trolling flies
and hoochies with salted
herring strips.
Target schools of bait along
the bottom in 90-140’ of
JAN - FEB 2024 | 13