Blackmouth- Looking for bait

[SJFish]

I have a couple questions regarding Blackmouth and looking for bait as everyone says find the bait find the fish...

1) Do you wait to put your downriggers down until you see bait on your electronics? Or do you troll for a while looking for bait?

2) How long will you stay in an area before moving to a new spot if you don't see any bait or fish markings?

Thanks

[Nelly]

Welcome aboard SJ,
....coupla great questions there and I hope it sparks a bit of a discussion because it’s such a worthy and timely topic!

1) Should you wait ‘till you see bait:
This is totally dependent upon where you’re fishing. Since Friday 2/16 is that Marine Area 8&9 winter opener, let’s start there. On Possession Bar, a high-probability hotspot, Get your gear down and EXPECT to find bait and chinook. I would take this approach on Pt. No Point, Double Bluff and Midchannel Bank as well.

Inside areas such as south Hat, Camano Head and Langley can be “metered” or looked at with your fishfinder very quickly without deploying the cannonballs and I generally will not fish unless I’m marking bait in these sandy areas of reduced current flow.

On the other hand, if I have jigging or mooching in the back of my mind, I’m looking for opportunities to make a vertical presentation the whole time I’m trolling.

In the San Juans where rocky structure is more the rule rather than the exception, I’ll generally meter an area before committing in an effort to rule out unproductive areas. With the vast amount of fishing areas in A7 you have the luxury of being choosy while in A9 there’s simply less to choose from.

2) How long do you stay? I let the tides and currents make that call for me. If I’m marking chinook and bait while approaching a tide change, it’s time to stick and stay and make it pay. On the other hand, if it’s past tide change and marks are sparse?

Time to run and gun!

Great questions and keep ‘em comin’!

[Hewescraft220]

Does anyone know when Area 6 may be opening for fishing? I'm looking at Hein Bank and closer to Sequim and Port Angeles areas to get some fishing in.

I've had some great luck over off Canada too

[Nelly]

March first is the MA6 opener and all your regulations are available at WDFW.wa.gov

I’m looking forward to the east Straits opening as well and it’s great to hear that there’s chinook over the line in Canada!

Thanks for the report

[ericl]

Blackmouth are just about always close to the bottom. Put em down & watch for bait. Use a GPS to mark bait balls. If you have a GOOD sounder you will see Salmon. Good these days means CHIRP with at Airmar TM150 transducer or equivalent.

As for when to move if the tide is correct for your spot, you are marking bait & confident that your gear is right, I'd give it 30 minutes, but I tend to be a mover.