Lopez Island (San Juans) next week. HELP?

Blue Water 23 · 08-04-2003, 06:42 PM

I will be up on Lopez August 12-18th. What is there to fish for around that time? I am geared with divers, flashers, mooching rigs, lead, and herring. Do you fish up there just like you would here? What color hoochies do you use or do you use whole herring up there. I have a navigation chart and was wondering where to go. Is it best to target silvers, chinook, or pinks? How and where is the bottom fishing? Any help would be greatly appreciated. You can e-mail me if you want me to keep it quiet. Thank you in advance. Jesse

Knucklebuster · 08-05-2003, 06:21 AM

Jesse-
you need to be on the west side of San Juan island. There maybe a few chinook left, and I know there are lots of pinks and some early coho. Use flasher/hoochie combo, or flasher herring combo, and all should be fine.

dewfish · 08-05-2003, 07:15 AM

Blue Water 23 thats great your going to the san juans. There is a new sport shop in town and he is a local with lots of info. He can direct you to all the hot spots around the island that are produceing at the moment. I to will be in the san juans. We have a house on cattle point. Feel free to call or email me and i can go over some details of the area if you have a map. Also if you need a extra hand one day on the boat I would be honored. I have had reports that there is alot of fish this year and you just pick a spot and work it. That area is fished alot with down riggers due to the chinook being suspended. But the last thing I heard is that mooching the bottom in key areas is working well. Look forward to here from you. Darin-Dewfish, 503-693-7295hm

rockn'reel · 08-05-2003, 04:48 PM

If you want to make a good run of things find out if buts are legal now along with lings and what types of bottom fish you can take. Also, consult the regs and charts to tell you where bottomfish sanctuarys are. After you do all that, get yourself a GPS and convert the chart datum to your GPS for middle bank. South of Van Isld. Victoria. flat grounds are good for halibut and a little north-northeast are the pilars. you will see them on the maps as huge depth changes. big lings love them along with bottom fish. MAKE SURE YOU ARE IN US WATERS AND DO NOT CROSS TO CANADA WATERS ON THE PILARS___YOU WILL GET A HUGH FINE. you can also try hein bank along with deception pass on the inside of the pass. Also I know a few kelp beds near San Juan-Friday harbor. Your best bet would be to ask Knucklebuster where he is going to be this weekend if he doesn't meet up with me off the O.C. he will be out of Friday harbor. Good Luck.

Knucklebuster · 08-06-2003, 06:55 AM

Rocknreel is correct about those groundfish spots, although it is closed for lings and hali's. Salmon should be fun though. Just got back from whidbey Island and fished Bush Point and did fairly well. Same sort of fishing.