size 8 white krystal flash shrimp with shrimp anise oil on a 6ft 6lb florocarbon leader will catch these finicky fish, one of my favorite fish to catch, never any other pressure, abundant everywhere, and very dogged fighters, try it when your bored, caught a 10 lb cabezon yesterday in 30ft of rocky water, one of the hardest fighting fish I have ever caught on a fly rod, take it over a steelhead pound for pound, well maybe a close second. Ben

One question: Why piling perch on a fly rod? Why not fish for gold fish in your neighbors back yard pond?

Serious boredom?

have you ever caught one there about 2-3 lbs apiece and fight like hell

RF,
You should come down to Long Beach for surf perch in the spring...sounds like right up your alley. I think its awesome you are jamming on resources like the pile perch. Used to do it all the time when I lived on Whidbey. Gotta adapt and do what is natural in the area! Keep upthe posts on the "different" species!!!

I just love catching those big guys. My favorite method is to drop a little rock crab, max 1" across, without any weight. They fight hard when you get them on ultralight tackle. I let mine go, so I can get them again. Not very smart fish, cause I caught the same one 4 times in one day, notched a fin.

Can you catch pile perch in the winter? What tide is best? I'm thinking about trying this off of the city pier in Port Angeles.

~ Dr Pepper

All you need to catch piling perch are piling worms. Just tear off a big chunk off of a piling or bottom of a dock and squeeze the little worm out and bammo, fish on!

I think winter time is best, no pogies to mess with, high tide is best but anytime with atleast 8ft is good, you can chum with muscles have have a whole school feeding right i front of you. Ben

Sounds like fun to me! Then again I DID fish for goldfish in my friends pond. We took some crappie jigs and cut the hook off so we wouldn't hook them. We were entertained for quite a while. I'm going to have to try fishing for these perch. Who knows what else you might catch while your after them.

~ Dr Pepper

Rockfish,
You definately have the salt figured out!!I have never thought I would ever think of fly fishing for piling perch but that sounds like a blast!!!Are you wading out and casting to them?I know a couple of spots that are kinda rocky drop offs that the like to congregate,right under the warren ave bridge and off tracyton beach road.Reel good blackmouth spots too actually.I am going to stop at kitsap sports and see about some shrimp patterns.My father in law just gave me an old 5 weight that will probably be more fun than my 8.THANKS!!

you must be deadly on the cast to get it right next to those pilings.
tyler

Rockfish...right on dude! Have you had a chance to get any redfin perch? They're even bigger. Try variation of the San Juan worm with some sandshrimp scent . Goldfish my "tookus"...fishin is fishin! Some people need to maybe check it out before formin an opinion.

gooose

Tyler I think it's easier to cast a fly rod right where I want to than a spinning rod. Then again I started fly fishing first and then went to a spinning rod. Got 2 baitcasters that will be done in the next few days so I'll have to practice with 'em for a while to get accurate.

~ Dr Pepper

dr pepper
are you the owner of steelheader.net? if so congrats on the ranking of #1 in the top 100 fishing sites! i dont remember where i saw it though.
tyler

No Marty is the owner of steelheader.net. I just really like his site and his bulletin board. He's from Port Angeles so he fishes a lot of the rivers near me.

Tyler didn't you mention you were checking out the Grays Harbor college? Was that for fisheries?

~ Dr Pepper