I made my first trip to the south sound on Sunday and was able to get three kings to the boat in short order. Started off at the clay banks about 0530 and hit all three fish in the first hour. Fished until 0900 and called it a day.

There were plenty of boats out there, but most folks seemed to be catching a fish or two. I'd estimate that about 75% of the boats had a fish in the box. Most looked to be in the 12 - 15 pound range.

Mooching was the ticket, and seemed to be the standard method off the clay banks. However, there were a few trollers who were trying to troll through the pack of moochers which lead to many fouled lines and angry fishermen. I don't understand how people can figure they can troll right through these concentrations for jiggers and moochers! Seems very arrogant to me.


SA

Way to go with the fish...

Good fishing like that brings out the idiot in most people... I avoid PD all together and opt for the far end of the Slag Pile (if desparate) or the Gig Harbor side.

I'm on the way home... 30 hours or so I should have a line wet!

Home all summer!

I'll second that...It's not arrogance, it's stupidity...Lots of new fisherman with new toys can make for a frustrating day.

DOGOFF!

I was caught by one of the troller's and watched another guy loose a nice fish to one. I had one guy troll probably 5 feet off the bow of my boat and smile as he went by , it get's really frustrating out there sometime's.

I had some dude cut in front of me while trolling then get mad when my riggers tangle him up ,then I blew a fuse on the down rigger with the ball down another joefisherman cut in real close and hooked the ball then give me the evil eye (PLEASE) so I stayed off of the point and went to the slag pile and did my biz :p

I have fished PD for many years, and every year more and more knuckleheads are out in full force... It is to the point that I was only fish the Slag Pile for a few days out of the whole year, and if there's knuckleheads, I find other spots.

First and foremost- folks need to read the "Rules of the Road." These apply to everyone floating on something out there...

Standard protocol for PD - Owens Beach to the light house is reserved for moochers. If you must troll, troll on the outside in the deeper water. This is a natural migration route for the returners. Take a look at the old timers meatlining... they are on the outside working the lee side of the rip on the ebb. On the flood, most are working the Slag Pile.

Plenty of fish all over that are to the north, south, east and west... Less lines in the water means more fish for you... take away your competition and you'll be rewarded!

Save yourselves the headache, one fingered saluted, or physical altercation...

I can't imagine a fish or two being this important, but it is to some...

I cringe everytime I hear about this...

Done ranting

hi there..... im buying my first boat this week, gettin kinda excited about the upcoming king season, so is this pd area ok for a newbie to try? i really would like to learn that area, but i havent a clue yet.. hopefully this saturday, i will be out with easy limits, maybe sunday to another spot, where would you recommend a new boater going and learning how to fish the sound.. and another question, if you dont mind.. is there any books on tides, i hear about the ebb, and whatever tides you guys are talking about, but i havent a clue.. all i know, is the fish bite better on a tide change.. and btw, a 16 footer should be big enough for pd right? thanks for any response

BB75,

Congrats!

Your 16'r is just fine for the entire sound- even Sekiu. However, weather conditions dictate common sense. I fish out of a 16'r year around.

As enticing as PD can be, I would recommend trying other areas until you feel comfortable with the operation of the boat and DRs (if you plan on getting them). The weekend brings well over 200 boats trying to catch a couple handfuls of fish. So.. QMHabor would be a good bet, as well as the Gig Harbor area. Don't worry, there's a ton of fish over there too. Plus a lot less traffic. People just don't realize they are there! Too many chase the lore...

If you plan on mooching or jigging, you should do just fine. Just get in and mingle with the rest... Make sure at the end of your drift, you travel back to your spot on the outside of the boats- not through them. The common drift is from out in front of Owens down to the cut (which is the rip line depending where you are at in the drift- 100-140 feet is perfect)

If you haven't .... practice backing.. patience runs very thin at the PD launch.

Try: Saltwater Tides

Hope this helps!