Anyone heard if they are going to close Neah Bay this week? I heard something about it but wanted to know if anyone had something more definite. I hope they hold off until after the weekend, what a great fishery!

neah bay is still open and with the quota still remaining will more than likely remain open until the end of the season (sept. 30th).

big salmon is now closed, so you must go to washburns to get tackle and/or bait and deal with the makah marina if you want to moor your boat.

no pressure, and still lots of coho. it's worth the extra drive.

c.

Topwater-
Can you still launch at Big Salmon, or do i need to go elsewhere? You're right about the extra drive being worth it! I've never had such fun as the last few weekends!

yes, the ramp is still there and the east dock alongside the ramp is there so it's usable . i know i'm going to use it when i return to town. there's another ramp just west of makah fuel, but it is really crappy, and if you have a deep draft vessel i wouldn't launch or take out there.

cb

I have a smaller 15' boat with a 25 horse engine. Do you guys thing that this is enough to fish Neah Bay for the silvers? I am confident in the boat, but do not want to go out to far. Also can anyone give me some hints for fishing for the silvers out there? Both trolling and flyfishing? Thanks in advance for any info you can provide.

Searun, If you hit the weather or the fish are in by Waadah Island a 15 ft boat will work. Those are two big "ifs" for Neah Bay. I used to fish that area with a 17 ft boat. The water can change very fast becuase of the tidal currents. If you get the wind blowing against a big tide you can quickly get a very exiting boat ride. One nice thing about Neah Bay is there is no bar to cross. If you get out by Tatoosh Island and it gets snoty, you can duck into the Hole in the Wall. It's a little bay on the tip of Cape Flattery just in from Tatoosh. I've spent some miserable nights in there.
For gear, when coho are on the bite I like dragging a coho fly in the wake of a fast troll or jigging buzzbombs right under the boat. For scratch fishing I always resort to the deadly spinner cut herring either trolled by itself or behind a hotspot flasher. Be careful ,15ft is as small a boat as I would use out there.

[This message has been edited by Neanderthal (edited 09-18-2000).]

searun2,

neanderthal is right on about the boat size worries. for flyfishing look for rips and bait balls on the surface (birds will be a dead on clue for the bait balls). i've been having the best luck from widway from waadah is. to tatoosh is. out to the whistle buoy from 1-3 miles offshore. fish 7-9 weight rods with a 200-400 grain shooting head (teeny type lines work great). cast baitfish patterns into the rips, let sink, and strip back. lots of shakers around now, but you'll just have to weed through a few of them to get the bigger fish. for the bait balls, cast around the edges (kill your engine when approaching bait balls, the bait will remain up top longer without the engine noise, especially if you end up drifting over the bait.)

good luck,

cb

Just wanted to say thanks for the responses. If I can ever offer any sea run cutt advice dont hesitate to ask.

SR2