Weather looks good for the opener. We'll be out of Port Angeles with the rest of the throng fishing the humps. First time I've fished there, any pointers for a rookie? Who else is going out?

Neah Bay, heading south and west from there.

Two pound pipe jigs at 525 feet for the win!

Fish on...

Todd

Good luck, Just watched the tribes head out today to mop up the few halibut they missed the first time.

Todd- I just fished out of NB on the SW corner of the closure in water that deep with 2# pipe jigs for big lingers with Jambo last week. Did well and managed 2 chickens that got returned. My boat's too small for that far out but go get `em!

I'm planning on going out of PA on Thursday. New water for me as I usually fish out of John Wayne Marina - Sequim. Weather and tides for Thursday looks good.

Don't forget your descender device.

RF, nice! We have a spot a little closer in for the halibut, but will be ling fishing pretty much exactly where you were last week...Then heading in for rockfish on the way back!

Fish on...

Todd

This thread is making me hungry....hands down my favorite fish, especially the cheeks. Good luck out there.

This thread makes me sad. Work blows.

Also - no hyperbole, but I have what maybe the world's best Halibut recipe if anyone is interested. Just made it again for my mom's 70th Bday and she said it was easily the best Hali she's ever had. Let me know and if there's enough interest, I'll post it to the recipe board.

With this weather they will most likely be on the surface feeding on sand fleas.
Try flat lining a sand flea pattern with a pearl tinsel.

Well the sand flea pattern may have been the answer because no traditional baits were working today. Deader than fried chicken. Heard of one hooked and that was all according to the chatter on ch.68 and confirmed by the creel checker. In fact, the creel checker advised me to get a Canadian license and fish over there this year.

13 rod hours for my boat without a bite. Fished the Green Point area (thought I might have seen your boat in that area this morning RF). We came in about noon due to some other commitments. Checker had seen 5 fish for 5 boats by then. Heard radio talk on fish caught. Friend was fishing Dungeness Bay - anchored up - and he put 3 fish in the boat - 64, 32, and 24 lbs. Maybe my luck will change Saturday.

22 rod hours out of WP yday. ONE halibut.

I suspect overall effort was less than average out of WP.

Odds are we probably go into the 5th or 6th day before the quota is met

It all depends on the Dept catch calculations. Some more time on the water would be nice. Sequim, Port Angeles, and Sekiu all appear to be below last years numbers. Had strong winds yesterday. A lot of us stayed on the beach. Those that got out had some lumpy seas. Heard that USCG LaPush had some restrictions on the size of boats that they'd let out. Sounds like it was sloppy there, too.

There was some talk around the campfire about the possibility of to give us the opportunity to purchase a halibut punch card (if you will). Say 3 or 5 fish from say mid April through June. That would eliminate this current screwy season set up and frantic over crowding. A guy could head out and fish three consecutive days, instead of this crap of Thursday then Sunday or some other BS.

Some say fisheries could never monitor it . I think that it could be monitored just as well as they are doing with the salmon...............oops

Had one short strike, and one solid takedown in the E Straits Thursday for about 14 rod hours..... this was the result of the take that buried my rod.


....I went home and cried in my beer.

That bait still looks PERFECT.... every scale in place... literally unscathed.

I'd lay money it was a snag and the hook point simply broke off.

Probably a snag, but saying a fish broke the hook makes for a better story.....

That herring was inside of a squid hood that has been removed. I was about 4-5 feet off bottom. No snag.

The snag speculation is not entirely wrong though. I was in a snag about 15 minutes before and really had to yard on it to break it loose. Best guess is all of that pulling compromised my hook....,

Checked with WDFW LE

The requirement for having a descender device on board in the ocean fisheries will go into effect July 1. There will be an emergency regulation coming out in June and the WAC will be updated to reflect the requirement for all saltwater areas. Would have been a whole lot easier had the regulation as originally drafted and presented to the Commission been passed.


Use of a descender will save a lot of rockfish and is critical when one encounters any of the listed species. I hope if anyone encountered the listed species during the halibut fishery that they had a descender on board.