Greetings,

Fishing was excellent on the last set of am high tides in WIllapa Bay. I haven't been too impressed with the oversized fresh herring being sold locally that is shaped like a triploid trout (fat in the middle).

We did just as well with frozen herring anyway, so I 'd like to find the cheapest place to buy. Some folks we went out with also did particularly well using fresh anchovies they got in Chinook using a helmet set-up.

There are heaps of Anchovies within the bay so just buying a small seine might work to provide all the bait needed if anybody has any info on obtaining it that way?

Thanks and take care

Yeah the huge purple sized fresh bait this year down in Ilwaco was a pain to cut plug.................However it worked over and over again. I was wishing I had brought my own green label to brine up.....all good. Good luck,

SZ

No seines allowed!

See the Statewide General Rules/Gear: You may not "Use a net, except a dip net to land legally hooked fish, a forage fish dip net, or in Marine Areas 1-4, a forage fish cast net for SARDINE and ANCHOVY only."

Glad to hear fishing was good!

Barbless sabiki rig to load up on 'chovies, rig 'em Old Harbor style and watch the salmon glom on to the gear.

I found the HUGE male spawner fresh baits at B-10 to be a PITA to plug cut as they had a big wobbly spin when rigged std W'port style. Then a buddy came on board and hooked 'em up HARD cross body with the tow hook and they spoon like a champ.

They were big down at b10 this year but the fish didn't seem to mind. As a buddy said, "just cut 'em and feed them to fishes."