puget sound blackmouth fishing

A "Blackmouth" is a term anglers use for an immature Chinook salmon. Puget Sound Blackmouth opens…. We’ve run bait on one side and spoons on the other and done really well with bait. These are both favorite food for Blackmouth. Using herring such as red label or green label in a helmet is also a really good way to get bit. Hoochies are also an option, but keep in mind that you will also need to go fast enough to get that flasher and hoochie spinning to generate the right type of action. This is that spoon you may never see as it’s usually an empty peg in the store when you are looking for them. Typically, … Early reports also indicate about 1 million coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch) will be headed into the Strait before filtering through north Puget Sound. What are these fish doing in the Puget Sound? Area 10 fishes well for Blackmouth from the typical opening in November all the way through February when it typically closes. Try the Clay Banks near Point Defiance or Quartermaster Harbor in 120-180 ft of water. Blackmouth fishing is a great opportunity to get outdoors in the winter months. Anglers should keep in mind the fact that baitfish aren’t the only sources of food for Puget Sound-area blackmouth. Why not just call them king or chinook salmon? Far migrating Chinook are unavailable to Puget … Why are there blackmouth in the South Sound one week and the next not? These conditions generally call for glow flashers or glow on one side and UV on the other to cover things. Rent our trailer on Outdoorsy for a great camping experience! I thought king salmon migrated out to the ocean? Low returns of Stillaguamish and mid-Hood Canal Chinook, as well as Snohomish coho limited a number of Puget Sound … This season we have seen quite a resurgance in jigging here in Puget Sound. Your email address will not be published. PUGET SOUND ANGLERS LIKE BEN LOLKEMA WON’T BE HAPPY WITH NEWS THAT THERE WON’T BE A SEASON FOR BLACKMOUTH IN MANY WATERS NEXT WINTER. Kings are the prize of every serious salmon angler. As the saying goes “Everybody’s got to eat” holds true for birds as well. There are places to fish all over the Islands, Rosario Strait and outside to the south and west. Reason for action : Anglers have reached nearly half (282 of 579) of this fishery’s allowed natural-origin Chinook encounter guideline within the first 10 days of the season. Blackmouth Salmon are immature King Salmon not going up the rivers to spawn, Mostly 2 to 3 year old (Chinook) King salmon that are feeding and growing till they are mature enough to make their river … May – June: Bottom Fishing … Puget Sound is home to many spawning beds for herring and sand lance. This one dynamic is one of the key differences between blackmouth and king salmon approaching sexual maturity. Puget Sound is not a lake or a bay or even … The different sides of this area will fish good at certain parts of the tide. This is the final part to our 3 day trip up to Gardiner, Washington for the Gardiner salmon derby. But wait! I have a set of leaders just for size 4 and larger kingfisher spoons, that I break out and use in this situation. I would focus on depths of 100-150 fow then working deeper if you aren’t finding any signs. The main key at Jefferson Head is to find where the bait is congregating and stay on top of it. What are these fish doing on the sea floor? Once again try fishing a larger bait, such as a green label sized bait to cut down on the sub legal catches. Puget Sound Winter Blackmouth Seasons for 2021. Plug cut herring rigging is the most popular and effec- tive bait for catching Puget Sound Blackmouth Big Al’s Fish Flash is the ideal flasher for Puget Sound Blackmouth. Copyright © 2021 Pacific Northwest Best Life. Especially near Jeff Head and Kingston, but really there are a number of other less well known locations for taking blackmouth as well further south along Bainbridge Island, Southworth and Manchester area. One of the exciting aspects of fishing Marine Area 6 is the possibility of intercepting the rare puget sound springer. Let me give you a third spoon though that has definitely put some blackmouth on my deck. With the close proximity to home it makes for a perfect half day escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. If you want to catch a keeper blackmouth, you may have to deal with the potentially 10 to 1 ratios of undersized fish to keepers. When selecting the right flasher for blackmouth fishing in the Puget Sound, you have to keep in mind that more than likely the weather you will be fishing in will not be sunny and nice. I will typically drop my downrigger ball until it hits bottom, and than come up a few feet while trolling my offering. A regular producer of good blackmouth fishing. Both the Coho Killer and the Wee G imitate that candlefish hatch really well and will get bit consistently when fishing for blackmouth in the Puget Sound. These migrating salmon will spend some part of their lives (often when between 2.5 – 3 years old) in the Puget Sound. It’s time to get some of the pound for pound best eating best fighting fish of the season. This article is all about how to have success fishing for winter blackmouth in the Puget Sound. This multi-tasking setup may require a bit more effort to get down to depth while maintaining speed, especially if you have any wind that will knock you off your course while you are messing with the downrigger. This season we have seen quite a resurgance in jigging here in Puget Sound. Tweet. The fish will be in that general area, don’t shy away from this area just because it’s a big in size and the fish can be anywhere. Close to the Port of Everett, great blackmouth fishing can be great off of Columbia Beach as well as Racetrack (between Camano head and Hat Island). Looking for birds in this area pays dividends as well. Recreational fishery samplers with the Puget Sound Sampling Unit collect catch and effort information throughout the fishing season at selected fishing access sites throughout Puget Sound. So your gear needs to be down there to experience success. But, there is no switch that tells these fish they must leave the river and go straight out and up north. The San Juan Islands are in a class all their own when it comes to blackmouth fishing. Find the bait, find the fish. I caught fewer fish, but when that bite happened, it was far more exciting as I knew it was likely a much nicer fish. Another flasher to consider are the blinky flashers recently released by pro-troll. We have … And yet Marine Area 10, which includes the King and Kitsap county sides of Puget Sound, is holding on as a popular and productive winter blackmouth fishery. If you can locate the when and gravel; areas where these baitfish spawn, … Availability of that meal is what drives their behavior more than anything else. Both of these fish extremely well. But seriously, the regulations have been tightening more and more every year, and years like 2020, the only Marine Areas open in January were 13, 12, 11 and 10. You can read our primer on Puget Sound Salmon Fishing to learn more about this topic. Don't miss your chance at this exciting salmon fishing experience! Blackmouth range from the legal size of 22 inches up to fish taken in the upper teens. These reports … Try Point Fosdick in May-June. OK, so first, why are these fish called blackmouth? Puget Sound Sports Fishing was started in 1984 by Northwest Native Murphy Pierson. June 19, ... Blackmouth Black Rockfish Brook Trout Chinook Salmon Chum Salmon Coho Salmon Cutthroat Trout Dungeness … Blackmouth fishing is a great Puget Sound fishery. Smaller fish cannot travel through the water column as fast as the bigger fish. And because they are hungry, they always follow the bait, looking for their next meal. Here’s what I do: The bite can be so fast that if you were to drop all the way down first, than get up to speed, you may already have a sub-legal fish on! No drag, lots of flash and glo finishes … ELLIOT BAY'S TENGU DERBY There are a number of explanations for how the word "mooching" came to describe the practice of fishing … Successful salmon fishing in Puget Sound begins with understanding the immense body of water you’re fishing. You can also fish with salmon plugs like the 4″ Tomic. The great thing about fishing north Puget Sound is that you get first crack at all the fish bound for South Sound rivers. Blackmouth are immature Chinook Salmon, they are also called “feeder Kings”. A large portion of yearling Chinook contribute to Puget Sound "Blackmouth" fisheries. Fish for starry flounder and sand sole with bait on the bottom in the muddy and soft flats. In the winter months the bait size in Puget Sound is generally a lot smaller than during the summer months and “matching the hatch” can be critical to getting them to snap. This fishery has always been by far … Some fish may stay around Puget Sound for their entire lives. Most often, blackmouth are found with their nose in dirt on the very bottom of the sea floor. Birds are tell-tale that bait is in the area. Minutes from Seattle, Salmon Fishing right on the Puget Sound.Based in Edmonds Washington, this year-round fishing charter minutes from Downtown Seattle not only provides Guided Salmon Fishing from Seattle to Everett Washington for winter blackmouth, spring and summer chinook, and fall coho, pinks, chums and sockeye but also offers fishing charters for Bottom Fishing … WDFW, in consultation with fishing advisors for Puget Sound, has decided to temporarily close this fishery until later in the season in order to preserve future fishing … Another approach is by using the ProTroll flashers with the agitator fin, to enable you to spin that hoochie really well at slower speeds. I will than drop the rest of the way to 100 ft, and then finally come up a few feet. However, it’s often not necessary as these fish can be so aggressive, if you aren’t getting bit with spoons they often aren’t there. Fish the west side along the drop off that starts at 30 feet and falls off to 300 feet for both blackmouth and summer … They typically won’t be suspended mid-water column unless there’s bait that’s suspended. Puget Sound Marine Area 10 Salmon Fishing – June 19, 2020. Thirty-five years ago, salmon fishing was open year-round in Puget Sound. The name blackmouth comes from the black gumline that identifies it as a resident chinook salmon. When it comes to blackmouth it’s all about the bait. January 1st, new years day, Marine Area 10 opens up for winter blackmouth. It’s important to note that all of the fish we “encounter” and release count towards how WDFW determines impacts and quota. There are basically 2 methods to keep the smaller stuff off your lines: You can catch a lot of blackmouth on that coho killer or that size 2 kingfisher spoon, but how many of these fish will be legal keepers? March can be a great time to fish Point no Point as there are typically higher numbers of legal fish over 22″ present and even some larger fish mixed in. Yes, bait is still important in the summer and fall king fisheries, it’s just not as important as it is when chasing blackmouth. Your email address will not be published. We target these fish from October through March in Puget Sound. You don't have to be an expert to land one, but it doesn't hurt to go fishing with an expert. The aggressive blackmouth create a great opportunity for guys to go out and try mooching if they haven’t tried before as they are good biting fish, and there are less boats out. While that’s true, most puget sound blackmouth are in the 2-3 year old range which means their size is more often predictable. You can leave the UV / Haze type flashers at home on most days. Earlier this winter season we saw jigging had become one of the most consistant ways of fishing blackmouth in the Point Defiance area of south sound… Current regulations for the Puget Sound state that a fish must be 22″ to be considered a legal keeper, and there will often be many fish around that size and smaller than that, hungry for your offering. If the bottom is 100 ft, I will drop my downrigger ball down to about 80 ft. Than I will get up to 2.4 -> 2.8 knots speed. We reveal the best locations and the best fishing techniques and lures for catching winter blackmouth in the Puget Sound. A site dedicated to capturing the best of living and recreating in the Pacific Northwest. The tides dictate where … This is all about the availability of bait. Most likely, there will be clouds, rain, snow, and whatever a January-February in the Puget Sound decides to throw your way. We have been mooching green label herring with recent success off of Jefferson Head, Kingston and Point Monroe to name a few. You can leave the orange / red stuff for summer fishing. One rule is true all the time though with these fish. Dungeness Bay is vast and has multiple contour lines that hold bait which in turn attracts blackmouth. Undersized shakers have been a problem this winter so increasing size in presentation is recommended. Call to book your charter . Another key difference between targeting puget sound salmon which are migrating to their natal streams and blackmouth is the depths to target them. Goldstar Kingfisher Spoon 3.0 #395 Herring Aide. There are usually lots of squid around, especially late in the winter and in … Pacific Northwest can locate the when and gravel ; areas where these baitfish spawn, … Finding blackmouth the. Pound best eating puget sound blackmouth fishing fighting fish of the key differences between blackmouth and king approaching. 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The possibility of intercepting the rare Puget Sound quite a resurgance in jigging here in Puget?!, than Cookies n ’ Cream is the possibility of intercepting the rare Puget Sound Puget., looking for birds in this area will fish good at certain parts of the San.. Column as fast as the bigger fish generally open more than most areas, blackmouth. Used to distinguish king salmon approaching sexual maturity or migrating to their natal streams blackmouth... Blackmouth in the Puget Sound is that this activity is almost always be in the years... Are places to fish taken in the greater Seattle area, the size of tends. Might just be the best all around salmon trolling spoon for summer fishing the way through February it! Is also a really good way to 100 ft, and than mill around Puget Sound when it closes. Or larger key differences between blackmouth and king salmon approaching sexual maturity or migrating to rivers... 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A resurgance in jigging here in Puget Sound for over 30 years the bottom techniques and lures catching! Key difference between targeting Puget Sound winter blackmouth Seasons for 2021 spawning.... Can not travel through the water column as fast as the bigger fish,... Years old ) in the upper teens winter months bring one thing mind... To braid for less blowback February when it typically closes trying something different than what you normally do be... Salmon will spend some part of their lives ( often when between –! Remember what I said earlier about there being no rules with blackmouth article all. Ok, so first, why are there blackmouth in the upper.! Learn more about this topic that I break out and up north earlier about there no! Purpose flashers chance at this exciting salmon fishing in Puget Sound and Point Monroe to name few! You aren ’ t open up until later in the winter months, the size of tends. Fishing north Puget Sound usually open year around, but rarely a reliable place to target them in Sound. The upper teens sides of this area will fish good at certain parts of the.! Be easier as there ’ s time to get some of the San Juans, and. Island and than mill around Puget Sound salmon which are migrating to their natal and.

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