Neah Bay Rock fish newbie

[BIGMIKE]

Hello, the fishing bug bit me this weekend along with my two boys. So we were watching a lot of videos on youtube saturday evening. My kids wanted to try Neah Bay rockfish this spring break if the fishery is open. I have over 2 months to prepare. We have an old classic 17ft Boston Whaler Montauk with 70HP, im getting the 8hp johnson for a kicker mounted next week. Just want the trip to be safe and fun. Is our boat enough for this fishery? What pole reel set up do we need? Whats the best bait for them. Hook size etc. I read on some forums that we dont need to boat too far as they live in the kelp bed. Where are the kelp beds in neah bay?Also looking for safety criteria  like, tide conditions when to go or when to cancel if conditions is not safe. Thank you for your time and help.

[JKEEN33]

You don’t have to go far. A lot of guys fish right out of Neah Bay and do well. May have to move around to find the fish, but when you do, it’s  usually pretty fast action. I use my salmon rod for rockfish. I like flutter jigs.

[Fungunnin]

If you are targeting Blacks then you have plenty of boat as long as you respect the weather. Watch your fish finder for shools holding in 20-100 FOW. Run a shrimp fly above a small flutter jig or jig head with rubber tail. I fish the area all the time in my kayak.

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[BigGoonTuna]

i fished close in to shore with my old 13' smoker craft alaskan and it did just fine.  got some funny looks from the guys with high dollar ocean boats, but watch the weather and you should be fine.

[Bullkllr]

In the spring you can find them right on top of the water at times. You don't need heavy gear. They're a lot more fun on what amounts to freshwater bass gear.

[BIGMIKE]

i fished close in to shore with my old 13' smoker craft alaskan and it did just fine.  got some funny looks from the guys with high dollar ocean boats, but watch the weather and you should be fine.

Thanks, looking forward to the trip.

[fishngamereaper]

Avoid n/ nw winds of 15-20 or more and swells bigger than 6'.  NOAA nws, swell watch and magic seaweed are good wind/wave/swell predictors.

[BIGMIKE]

In the spring you can find them right on top of the water at times. You don't need heavy gear. They're a lot more fun on what amounts to freshwater bass gear.

Thanks, Great excuse to go to Sportco , I will let the wife know that we will need to pick up a couple of bait casting rod and reel. 

[lokidog]

I prefer spinning rods for rockfish and "shallow" water lingcod.  With a lighter weight, you can get to the bottom, or where the fish are, faster. I use 50# Power Pro and don't lose much gear with no apparent impact on catching fish.

[Mfowl]

I'd recommend going in April before the halibut seasons kick off. Once halibut starts the rockfish get pounded on the off days and fishing close to Neah Bay gets a lot tougher. I prefer medium action spin gear and curly tail grubs. White being the best color. Have a wide selection of jig heads from 1/2 once up to even 6oz. If the tide is running hard you will need the heavier weights just to get to the fish, even in shallower water. Kelp beds aren't hard to find there, just head in to shore. They pretty much line the shoreline from Sekiu to the ocean.

[WAcoueshunter]

I prefer light steelhead/salmon rods.  I want the sensitive rod tip with a level wind reel to better keep contact with the bottom and be able to feel what's happening down there. 

Back to the OP, your boat will be just fine with decent weather.  I fish Neah now in my 15' whaler, and we fished it for years out of a 15' Alaskan Smokercraft.  If you turn the corner past Waadah Island and the swell is too big, you can tuck in behind Waadah itself and catch rockfish.  If you can make it just a little further west, you can also tuck in behind various rock outcroppings and kelp beds to get out of the swell.

[BIGMIKE]

I prefer spinning rods for rockfish and "shallow" water lingcod.  With a lighter weight, you can get to the bottom, or where the fish are, faster. I use 50# Power Pro and don't lose much gear with no apparent impact on catching fish.

I will bring the trusty salmon poles. Thanks.

[TeacherMan]

Fished that fishery many times... Three spot you should look at in my opinion. The "three fingers" right of the front of Wada Island as you round the corner to in the ocean direction there are three reefs that come off the island. These are good for ling and deeper water rock fish. You will be fishing 60 to 130'. Use an 8oz banana lead with a salmon leader 3/4o hook size with at least 30lb leader. Whole hearing. Add a shrimp fly above your banana lead. We always used 8'6 salmon rods with 50-80 lb power pro. These last few years I have stopped fishing WA and really focus my time in AK and I've moved to the Tiger Stiks by Ugly stick and I LOVE them. The second spot go around the island and into the bay. If the wind has been right the back of the bay up against the jetti with be loaded up with kelp beds. If this is the case troll 6"-8" white grubs on a 1-2 oz jig head and hold on for both ling and bass. Your trolling just off the kelp. Third spot head away from the ocean direction back towards Seku. You will come to two big rocks Seal and Sail. That entire area is good. Around the rocks spin casting white grubs or mooching in 40-90' for ling and rockfish. Along the shore there can also be great trolling for black bass. Just watch the weather and you should have fun. There is a launch right at Seal and Sail that is private. I think a hotel as well. Never used it but it would save the 5 mile run from Neah Bay. Good luck!

[BIGMIKE]

Fished that fishery many times... Three spot you should look at in my opinion. The "three fingers" right of the front of Wada Island as you round the corner to in the ocean direction there are three reefs that come off the island. These are good for ling and deeper water rock fish. You will be fishing 60 to 130'. Use an 8oz banana lead with a salmon leader 3/4o hook size with at least 30lb leader. Whole hearing. Add a shrimp fly above your banana lead. We always used 8'6 salmon rods with 50-80 lb power pro. These last few years I have stopped fishing WA and really focus my time in AK and I've moved to the Tiger Stiks by Ugly stick and I LOVE them. The second spot go around the island and into the bay. If the wind has been right the back of the bay up against the jetti with be loaded up with kelp beds. If this is the case troll 6"-8" white grubs on a 1-2 oz jig head and hold on for both ling and bass. Your trolling just off the kelp. Third spot head away from the ocean direction back towards Seku. You will come to two big rocks Seal and Sail. That entire area is good. Around the rocks spin casting white grubs or mooching in 40-90' for ling and rockfish. Along the shore there can also be great trolling for black bass. Just watch the weather and you should have fun. There is a launch right at Seal and Sail that is private. I think a hotel as well. Never used it but it would save the 5 mile run from Neah Bay. Good luck!

Wow, great info. I love this site because of people willing to share knowledge they have learned over the years. I'll post some pics after tge trip and share what we learn from the adventure.

[plugger]

If you can get them, I would take some silver 1/2 oz blade baits, Last time I fished seabass there we killed them using them. Looked for isolated clumps of kelp, just off the beds. Cast and retrieve, I have always done better on them fishing suspended. The blades worked great on the lings also.

[trophyhunt]

In the spring you can find them right on top of the water at times. You don't need heavy gear. They're a lot more fun on what amounts to freshwater bass gear.

Thanks, Great excuse to go to Sportco , I will let the wife know that we will need to pick up a couple of bait casting rod and reel. 

You can sometimes see their tails out of the water, when you see that, just cast in the middle and start pulling fish in as fast as you can!!  damn fun fishing for sure, and the best eating fish out there is a ling.

[Fungunnin]

If you get a blue bird calm day run around to the ocean side the fishing is fantastic! The entire coast from Tatoosh to Makah Bay has excellent structure from 30-100 fow and you aren't restricted to blues and blacks only.
Limits are the norm out here.

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[jamesfromseattle]

All good advice here. I’ll add that you shouldn’t get too concerned with your terminal tackle out there. If you aren’t catching willing fish, move spots. When you’re on the bass, you’ll know. Had quick limits on jigging an unpainted lead jig that was pretty much a banana weight with a hook. Usually use the cheapest jigs I can find now. You’ll lose a handful to the rocks and I think those fish pretty much attach whatever you put in front of them.

[plugger]

When there on the bite, the blacks are usually suspended. back in the day when I lived in P A, we would make a couple trips a year  just for the bass, When you got into them good, you couldn't get the jig 5 ft down without getting one

[jamesfromseattle]

If you get a blue bird calm day run around to the ocean side the fishing is fantastic! The entire coast from Tatoosh to Makah Bay has excellent structure from 30-100 fow and you aren't restricted to blues and blacks only.
Limits are the norm out here.

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I’ve got a lot of respect for the kayak guys I see out at Neah Bay, but that looks my personal version of hell. You ever fished halibut out of the kayak out there?

[Fungunnin]

If you get a blue bird calm day run around to the ocean side the fishing is fantastic! The entire coast from Tatoosh to Makah Bay has excellent structure from 30-100 fow and you aren't restricted to blues and blacks only.
Limits are the norm out here.

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I’ve got a lot of respect for the kayak guys I see out at Neah Bay, but that looks my personal version of hell. You ever fished halibut out of the kayak out there?

Yup!


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[lokidog]

Holy Crap!  Sweet!

[BIGMIKE]

Wow! Let's all go!

[Fungunnin]

Some big ling's out there too!

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[The scout]

Fungunnin post up that video of that big butt you landed a few years back. Total respect for the die hard kayakers. You guys are hard core.

[Fungunnin]

Fungunnin post up that video of that big butt you landed a few years back. Total respect for the die hard kayakers. You guys are hard core.

This one?

Or my buddy?

This is good one too of all of us.

And just a lingcod one for *censored*s and giggles.

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[The scout]

Ya I thought I saw a video of you getting a bigger butt, but all those are great. Once that flying gaff gets them they are done. Nice work

[Fungunnin]

Ya I thought I saw a video of you getting a bigger butt, but all those are great. Once that flying gaff gets them they are done. Nice work

My biggest off the yak was about 80 in AK but no video. I'm not the best at making videos ... Too busy fishing to bother with cameras. =)

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[hhack]

Ice fishing blade baits

[BLH69]

My best friend just died up there in a kayak. He was a hell of a fisherman. Ive fished Neah Bay for 45 years and 30 commercial. pm me for info

[dilleytech]

What I don’t understand about the kayak fishing is, it all looks fun and affective and all but why aren’t there seals constantly trying to steal your fish?

[WAcoueshunter]

What I don’t understand about the kayak fishing is, it all looks fun and affective and all but why aren’t there seals constantly trying to steal your fish?

Cause they are all in the Columbia eating springers?