Planning a trip in mid July to either Sekiu or Snow Creek with a Hewes 16 footer.... Would appreciate input as to the appropriate location... Looking for both Salmon & bottom fish... Not sure what the time is for the Salmon run(s).. Thanks in advance...

Either of those will work at that time. Not much difference in water conditions or crowd factor. Snow Creek (Area 4) will have more bottomfish and higher bottomfish limits. You might be able to retain wild Chinook in Area 4, although you never know when a new selective fishery is just around the corner. Both will have wild coho release. Just a matter of which you prefer.

The facilities might also matter to you depending on length of stay and whether you're camping or not. More places to eat at Sekiu, etc. Like yelloweye said, you'll have to run a ways from Sekiu to catch bottomfish and you can't drop your lines in Marine Area 5 with a bunch of MA 4 bottomfish onboard. Me and my friends will be fishing Neah Bay for kings and lings at that time. You could do that in your boat if you stay inside Tatoosh Is.

I fished every summer from Snow Creek for the past 4 yrs. Easier access to the bottom fish as someone already said and Chinook retention is a bonus given it's ok. Never fished from Seiku but it seems to me there are a lot more options fishing out of Snow Creek. The owners are great and it's always a good group of people staying there.

Snow creek
Should still be Kings inside and if weather and water allows you can get into ridicules silver fishing just out in the ocean with no Bar to cross. I don't fish Sekiu much but a week later and I would probably suggest it for your size boat and King fishing. If the weather turns out to be unfriendly up at Neah it's only 19 miles back to Sekiu and I think I still may camp at Snow Creek because it's a cool little place with a killer view.
The boat has a windshield and side curtains?
How many people fishing?
Have you been in big water before?
I have run 30 miles out of Snow Creek in a 20 Hewes and have fished a 16 center consul with my son when he was young but I stayed inside and didn't go much past the entrance of Neah yet caught plenty of fish for the two of us.

If you decide to try Snow creek let me know. I should be there more than a few times this summer.

Snow creek.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

Snow Creek

I have never stayed at Snow Creek, so perhaps those who have can tell me? Is there fuel there, a resturant, a good launch, moorage, campsites with full power? Thanks!

Dave,

It's been a couple summers since I've been out there but I seem to remember there is fuel at Neah Bay but it's pricey. We bring all our own fuel (200 gallons to be exact). Which, when I lived in Seattle, caused us to drive all the way around since the ferry wouldn't allow us to board with that kind of firepower

Campsites have full power and there's a pretty decent bathroom set-up with showers. Food you can get at the Neah Bay grocery, but again, we always bring all necessary supplies.

The boat launch is an old lift style lauch on tracks. I'd call there first to make sure of it's capabilities, but I've seen it launch a 28fter without a hitch. Moorage is solid but you'll want a good spot when it gets rough and it's first come, first serve. There are also buoys available to tie to with dingys available to scoot out to your vessel.

Hope that helps!

Sorry, this may get a little long winded since I just went through this last year.

Snow Creek is a great place that will offer a little more options when it comes to bottom fishing.

Having said that it really depends on how you are wanting to stay. If it's camping in a camper or trailer, they are packed in like sardines at snow creek. Sekiu has some better options there. If you stay in the cabins at snow creek (which is what I did with the kids last year) they are clean but minimalistic.

Don't be in a hurry at snow creek. They have this wierd hoist that puts your boat on a trailer that is rolled into the water. If there is a line, you'll be waiting. If you feel like launching your boat in the sand, you can drive right down on the beach and go that route.

Dock space is limited. If you can't find a spot they have mooring bouys. This is great if you have friends capable of picking you up in the dingy that you use to shuttle back and forth (I was with my 8 and 6 year old which meant I needed dock space). Again, if the shuttle boat is in use, you wait....

Docks also had no running water at the cleaning stations. You had to use a buck to reach down and get water to use when cleaning.

If you choose snow creek, make sure you have EVERYTHING you need. They do have a small amount of tackle, ice, etc. But there is no general store you can run into and buy beer and hot dogs.

The guys at snow creek were awesome. Super helpful and super patient with me as I got to learn how they run the launch, cabins, dock, etc.

When you fish out of snow creek, you have a lot more choices when it comes to fishing, esp in a smaller boat. If it's ugly you can stay close and if nothing else bang out some rockfish. Sekiu will not give you that luxury (and add to that a lower retention number).

Damn....a novel.

Sekiu....I've been there way more than Snow Creek. I usually stay at Olsen's (not necessarily the best choice) but I dry camp in the camper out on the breakwater. I'm relatively spaced out, and am sitting right at the water's egdge. Sekiu has gas, food, and a place to eat dinner. Lodging options range from hotel rooms to cabins so there's that route. Launchs are all normal, no wierd sling/rail thing. Most docks that I am aware of have cleaning stations with running water (if that's important to you, just was an added hassle which is why I mentioned it in the first place).

Sekiu at that time may or may not be open for kings, and if it's not, then it will be a run for bottom fishing. Retention is like 1 or 3 rockfish (can't remember now) whereas in area 4 you have a 10 count.

Hope that helps. I guess if I had to sum it up, Sekiu for me because my boat can handle the run, and I have amentities near me in case I need something. And, when I show up at midnight, I can drop my boat, and get the truck situated so I'm ready to go. If I had a week to spend, wasn't in a hurry, had adult support, and a vehicle use to take a drive for supplys with, I'd choose Snow Creek. The guys seemed to care about your business and wanted to help an any way necessary, which is a far cry from the treatment you will get a some Sekiu locations.

Just stay in Neah Bay. Great marina with power/water/head pump out all on the dock. Grocery store, fuel (it's cheaper at the mini-mart dock than at the Big Salmon dock), tackle, bait, etc. As already pointed out there's plenty of bottom fishing close at hand, and during July there should be a decent mix of kings and silvers all the way from right in front of the bay on out to Tatoosh island - all great small-boat fishing. There's a nice grassy and shaded campground behind the Cape motel within a 2 block walk of the marina, waterfront restaurant and grocery store. Water and power hookup RV spaces, tent sites, fire pits, cheap ice and firewood.

There are those that will tell you not to stay on the reservation because of a) Indians that don't play by the same fishing rules, and b) Local riff-raff that mess with your stuff. Make your own judgement on a) but, in regards to b) I've been there multiple times each summer for the past 10 years and never had a problem with the boat at the marina or my stuff at camp. The proprietors at the Cape are nice people and I enjoy giving them my business.

Good luck! See you on the water!

F-stayin @ Neah bay,you can have it.We run a 26' northriver launch @ sekui then run down and stay in cabins @ snow creek,we bring all our food and drinks from home as we get in late from fishin.We stop by neah bay for Ralph to fillet our bottom fish and to get fuel,that's it.Haven't stayed on the rez for 6-7 years now and don't plan on it any time soon.I've seen any where between 10' boats to 30' boats @ snow creek.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

P.S. I'm usually out that way between mid june and late july which @ that time it's hard to get a good nights sleep on the rez with all the fire works going off all night long.

Sometimes we launched at Neah and ran the boat back to Snow Creek.

Bad experience SZ ? Or is it the tribal fishing issue?

If it's tribal fishing I don't really want to start that conversation. But if it's problems, I'd be interested in hearing what happened. Maybe I've just been lucky.

I've a lot of great memories from Neah Bay as a kid and have enjoyed sharing them with my kids now. We've taken to spending a day at the beaches booggie boarding, hiking around etc.

Oceansun,
Both, but mostley the experience.We had a 120qt cooler full of ice for our catch stolen out of the back of the truck.We've had no whitey written on our trucks,I've gotten chit faced and stayed up till midnight and still couldn't get to sleep due to the fireworks blasting all night.The younger kids have zero respect for any one or any thing up that way.The neah bay experience has gone way down hill in the past 10 years,then add in the gammies making fish check's/cooler check's on your way out of town.It's become a joke and if it wasn't for Ralph the fillet guy and the fuel dock @ the south end of town I wouldn't go there @ all.Works out pretty good to drop off the catch and a guy to have them fillet while the others take the boat over to get fueled up for the next day's fishin,other then that you can have it.I'm not the only one who feels this way.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

The guy's @ snow creek treat ya right and it's a fun place to stay.

I have never had a problem on the rez and like the new expresso stand they have right across from the big salmon office. Their fireworks display is awesome, but it is a little loud +/- 2 days around the 4th.

There are also many other lodging options if you just keep going on the road heading out of the backside of Neah Bay. Try it sometime and you will be surprised by the available options and also by the number of non-fisher types who camp and surf back out there.

I'm a long time Sekiu fan myself.
So the gammies set up checkpoints out of NB? I've never seen one out of Sekiu or anywhere else for that matter.

There were a ton of Gamies working out of Sekiu last summer when Brett Lowe and I were there. They told me they had numerous complaints about anglers keeping small chinook thinking they were humpies. I chatted with one Gamie for a 1/2 hour. The next day he and a friend came roaring up to my boat twice, but each time recognized me and just waved and turned off.

Snow Creek.

Sekiu seems to have reinvented itself a few times over the last 50 years. 2009 was a new chapter in the book given the Coho Resort went private and removed a launch, marina, fuel dock and campground from the "mix" (unless you are independetly wealthy and can spring for private membership costs). This created some challenges for those of us who have come to rely on and "fit" our fishing experience around the facilities and the system at the Coho.

But we humans are adaptable. I found out through personal experience that the only marina that allows moorage to those that are not camping or lodging on their property is Olson's. So I used Olson's this year. We made it work and had some mixed results... nothing major, no big deal.

Don't know if there have always been a ton of people at Olson's but man there sure was when we were there in 2009. If you don't like crowds or cramped quarters you will have a rough time. For those of us who exercised patience and tried to relax while waiting for others it wasn't too bad. Those folks who cannot do likewise make it really difficult for the rest of us. Fortunately they seem to be in the minority. Should that change the whole Sekiu thing will not be worth it in my estimation.