Ocean Update (Halibut?)

[wak'm&stak'm]

For those who are looking for any kind of good news, the ocean looks better this morning. I live overlooking the ocean just north of the lighthouse and this is the first morning that I couldn't hear individual waves crashing, and NO wind when I woke up.
Bouy reports are great but there is something about looking at the waves (how fast they are traveling, how steep, blah, blah, blah,) Today would have been a border line rock pile day and my guess you would be heading back by 11:00.
We are going to get a bit of a weather change and I am still hoping. I may go to the pile tomorrow if it doesn't come up as early today, and Sat. still has hope.

Ps. Pilar, I am glad to see you are so safety conscience, I had the feeling last year you were a bit of a dare devil images/icons/smile.gif. Also last year there were some nice fish taken off the high spot 27 miles out, and on June 5th we were inside the pile bottom fishing and had to move from one spot becuase we were catching halibut. This is why I am thinking about doing some searching on the north end of the pile where it drops off in to the abyss. I just have a good feeling about it and it is down wind heading home.
I will up date this this evenning.

[Pilar]

Thanks for the eye witness report Wak'm & Stak'm. There's a whole bunch of us would be Halibut fishers holding our breath ....

[wak'm&stak'm]

9am and it looks flatter yet, time to go throw some crab pots in the ocean.
RJ it is time to get out of your pajamas and grab your herring jig.

[Beer Waggin]

Wak'm, when you are talking about a bouy report are you talking about the weather services report that Pilar and I are looking at, or another site? I'm just trying to clarify the information, it's a heck of long way from the #$@*% city to your paradise. How's the crabbing been in the bay down there? Good luck if you head out today!

[Beer Waggin]

I found this one that's pretty informative. http://buoyweather.com/servlet/WXnav?latitude=44&longitude=-125&zone=-8&prog ram=BWforecast1®ion=WA (http://buoyweather.com/servlet/WXnav?latitude=44&longitude=-125&zone=-8&program=BWforecast1®ion=WA)

I think this is a little further out, but any closer to shore shows an error.

[ 05-10-2001: Message edited by: NorRivDave ]

[wak'm&stak'm]

It is blowing again....we put the crab pots out in the ocean about 10:30 and it was not white capping then but by noon it was. It is pretty choppy right now and as for me I will wait till Sat, although I will have to go pick the pots tomorrow.
There were sure a lot of BIG NICE boats being launched today, Gee I wish I had 80,000 dollars to put into a boat, But the boat doesn't catch the fish...it might keep you alive....but it don't catch fish.
Crabbing has been slow down here with the big tides this week, I heard of 6 here and 8 there but a week and a half ago I heard a guy at work cuaght 21. I will let you know what the ocean holds tomorrow.
I look at the same NOAA report as you guys do I think and I also watch the trends and I would almost bet SUN and MON will be good, but of coarse halibut season will be closed but I have been waiting to get to the pile with the downriggers and do some prospecting.
We did jig some herring (6 doz), it has slowed down for now anyway.

[wak'm&stak'm]

The ocean looks tons better this morning, for the first time this week the waves look almost slick on top with a steeper one here and there.
It looks like a half throttle day, you can't quite get up and run yet.
I have got to go get the crab pots this morning but I am planning for atleast the pile tomorrow if not further, we will see just how the wind shapes up this afternoon and I will check on the boats that did go out and update with the report this afternoon.

[Beer Waggin]

Oh Wak'm, thanks so much for the updates! It's good to hear the water is shaping up! I didn't like the thought of chumming all day long, or the abuse my boat was going to have to take beating down all of those waves. Let's hope it stays good!

[Hookset]

wak'm&stak'm,

Thanks for the updates. I really appreciate the first hand information. I checked the buoy reports this morning and looked at the ocean and bay cams. Wow, never seen the bay so flat in quite some time.

I'm interested in learning more about ocean crabbing. Are you using commercial type pots and gear? Do you have a good local source for heavy traps?

I just wish I was going halibut fishing. That part of my tag has never been used. Is there some good locations to catch halibut inside the 30 fathom line? I read your post on the rock area and with my boat, I'm not going to the ranch and need locations closer to shore.

thanks and good luck,

hook

[wak'm&stak'm]

The ocean looks great still, tomorrow for sure.........
Crabbiing is usually real good, I have some 40 pound pots that are built like comm. ones. I generally just leave them out south of the jetty over night then pick them up before some one else does. The best we have done was 51 in 4 pots and the worse was 8, until today anyway, this morning there were probably 40 females and only 2 males. I threw them back also.
I am heading to the dock to see what comes in, I will up date later.

Oh I almost forgot, yes there are a couple spots inside 30 fathoms, one off the lighthouse and a couple off Seal Rock, they did good there last year, but it was from July on.
Later Dan

[wak'm&stak'm]

The wind came up and the radio is busy with the Coastguard helping boats, some just ran out of gas. We have a good weather change tomorrow. There were a lot of fish at the cleanning station but no monsters just a lot of 40's. I heard the drift was real bad with guys useing 64 oz. YUk.
Good luck Dan

[Salmonator]

I know of at least ONE 51 incher today ha ha heee.... post a pic later after my brain stops going up and down with the swells...

[aye fsh]

Just talked to a bud that fished the chicken ranch today. 16 folks on board limited in 4 hrs. Most of the fish were in the 36" range, got a couple 48", and one 55". Oh My! Also reported that the ocean was MUCH calmer this afternoon than when they went out. images/icons/grin.gif images/icons/grin.gif images/icons/grin.gif

On another note, who's going to the rockpile? I will be and would love to hook up with some other ifishers. Will hopefully be launching at S. beach around 4:30 if everyone is on time. Gonna try for some multi-specie fish wakin'! Post here or drop me an email if you want to caravan.
YEEE-HAWWW!

[Tinman]

Wak'em...I would be most grateful if you could share GPS numbers for a few under-30 halibut spots. Though my hull and engines are sound and sea-tested, the boat is still only 15 feet long, and I'm pushing the safety envelope to go much beyond 10 miles. I'm not asking you to share your best hole, just a mark or two in the area, along with what sort of bottom to look for.

One halibut makes for a very, very good day on a 15 footer...any advice would be much appreciated.

[wak'm&stak'm]

Tinman, I don't have my gps numbers with me but if you look on a map (Englund Marine sells a good one) you will see how the 30 fathom line makes a S shape due west of the lighthouse, Fish the edges and ledges, it is one of those hit and miss things. No one I know really have hard fast munbers but they due cover some ground and commonly they are caught into 21 fathoms. Good Luck

The Ocean was a bit bumpy on the way out but fine on the way in, we went northeast of the chicken ranch about 1.5 miles and caught a 49 and a 51, we only fished 30 minutes max, and let bait down 4 times the first 2 were undersize.
We did stop and troll for salmon for and hour or so north of the pile but no luck we marked fish around 450 ft and I can't reach that far.
I would like to go to the pile bottom fishing but I can't tomorrow, Damn ?*&%$#@
Maybe next time, please let us know how you did, Good Luck Dan.
Oh we did fish 670 ft with 32 oz. of lead today.

[ 05-12-2001: Message edited by: wak'm&stak'm ]

[orsturgeon]

Tinman is braver (maybe crazier is more like it images/icons/shocked.gif ) than I am, 15 foot boat out in the ocean is just asking for trouble. Be real careful out there buddy.

Myself I have a 22-foot rule for the ocean.

[AuntyM]

Darn it Dan, I was hoping to see another one like last year. images/icons/frown.gif
http://fishhawk1.homestead.com/files/dan_and_his_101lb_rockpile_halibut_c.jpg

[Pilar]

We're back, finally. Two days six fish, big smiles all around. There's some photos that need developed, scanned and posted. We saw the Ifish sticker 30 miles out in force. Rock on Ifishers.

I'm suffering from sleep deprivation and adrenaline burn out. What a trip. More later after sleep and food.

I can't wait for next weekend. Thanx Mr. Fisherman, Puffin, Salmonator, NorRivDave and all the others who played with with FB this weekend.

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ.....................

[ 05-13-2001: Message edited by: Pilar ]

[wak'm&stak'm]

AuntyM... I wish I could have cuaght another like that also, that one was caught inside the pile when I and RJ were lost in the fog and to this day I am not sure where we were. But we caught 6 in about 50yrds of drift. That day we bought a GPS.
Thanks for posting my picture,
Hey your nephew Ron, did good yesterday and gloated all the way home for catching a bigger fish.
Dan,

[AuntyM]

Dan....We have our opener up here on Thursday. Hope we're as successful as you and RJ. If you get the urge to try the "Straights" we'd be glad to show you around. Hood Canal Shrimp opener right after that! images/icons/grin.gif

I could post your Marlin pic, but that would make too many Ifishers jealous! images/icons/wink.gif

[wak'm&stak'm]

I may just take you up on your ofer Thankyou Thank you, I have always heard about it and never have gone shrimping.
Good luck on your opener, Dan