Northwest Fishing Reports

OK, with all this talk about ling cod I have to confess that this is species that I am really interested in hitting up this year during it's all but 6 week season...LOL
My question is that according to my North/South Puget Sound map, (the usuall one that is found at Joes, etc.)
There is supposed to be an artificial reef shown between areas 10 and 9, more specificaly it is on the West side of the sound at about 145ths street (N. Seattle) this lies between right between Richmond Beach and Carkeek Park.

I know it's a shot in the dark, but does anybody have any experience in knowing this structure? I went out last weekend to search for it on the f.f. but ran into too many big waves and I had my son with me, so I didn't chance going any further. I just thought maybe somebody has seen it on there f.f. or been there. I feel sort of frustrated with what I do in the sound because I so far have only put in the boat at Shilshoe and fished very close to there, and every inch of what i see is a flat sandy bottom. I realize that I probaby need to just drive a bit to a launch that is closer to something more interesting. My boat is not that big, and I don't like to cross the sound unless it's like a sunrise morning with glass water conditions.
Anybody been to my reef??

i would stick with using marina breakwaters they have much more structure and lings

fishingmachine wrote:i would stick with using marina breakwaters they have much more structure and lings

Not meaning to sound rude, I promise,..... but what do you mean by much more stucture? Much more structure than what??

Artificial reefs are great spots for lings. They provide tons of cover for all species of fish. Some, actually many, the Lings will eat. So I'd suggest trying to locate this. Artificial reefs are by no means "Secret" but they can be diffifcult to put the boat on top of.

Sam Kafelafish wrote:Artificial reefs are great spots for lings. They provide tons of cover for all species of fish. Some, actually many, the Lings will eat. So I'd suggest trying to locate this. Artificial reefs are by no means "Secret" but they can be diffifcult to put the boat on top of.

Yep. Here's a link to a video of the Edmonds underwater reef:

A friend of mine was able to snap this shot of a ling, and how they hangout in these holes/cracks, etc., on the underwater reefs,

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VqcwVx3hdYE

http://youtube.com/watch?v=44Us8Bxw1G4&feature=related

Regarding the artficial reefs located around the sound... I know that Sam, you said they can be hard to locate.. is there any general idea of the size of these things? I mean 100' X 100' or less..... or maybe 30X30 and you zoom across the top and miss it?

Local word is there is just a MONSTER ling that lives somewhere on that reef. I think people say they see it near that underwater viewing thing????

quadradomus wrote:Regarding the artficial reefs located around the sound... I know that Sam, you said they can be hard to locate.. is there any general idea of the size of these things? I mean 100' X 100' or less..... or maybe 30X30 and you zoom across the top and miss it?

I wish I knew myself. They seem to be decent sized on that topo map you are talking about. Atleast the one on Possession that I am familiar with. It does require a lot of watching the finder and keeping track of how fast the tide is moving you around...

Cutthroat, Great video, Got Darn diving just pisses me off everytime I see U-tube videos! It just looks so $#%%
cool, especially for folks that just love fish....... But then I have to give into the fact that I'm a big wus when it comes to the underwater thing/ bubbles/water/ wheres my air/the bends// etc.

quadradomus wrote:Cutthroat, Great video, Got Darn diving just pisses me off everytime I see U-tube videos! It just looks so $#%%
cool, especially for folks that just love fish....... But then I have to give into the fact that I'm a big wus when it comes to the underwater thing/ bubbles/water/ wheres my air/the bends// etc.

Check some of the other related videos of it. Spearfishing for them looks cool. I've always been fascinated with seeing fish from an underwater camera and seeing what they do, where they hide, etc...

Sam Kafelafish wrote:

quadradomus wrote:Cutthroat, Great video, Got Darn diving just pisses me off everytime I see U-tube videos! It just looks so $#%%
cool, especially for folks that just love fish....... But then I have to give into the fact that I'm a big wus when it comes to the underwater thing/ bubbles/water/ wheres my air/the bends// etc.

Check some of the other related videos of it. Spearfishing for them looks cool. I've always been fascinated with seeing fish from an underwater camera and seeing what they do, where they hide, etc...

Yeah last year I talked to some spear fishermen who were fishing outside Waadah Island and were just spearing the you know what out of these 30 pound lings. They had brought back there limits and it was fun to talk to them. It gets you all pumped up and itching to go diving again. Ya think lings are fun to spear, just spear a halibut and get ready for the ride of your life!!

Hey Quad,

I've fished that reef a few times. First, it's the eastside of the sound, go north a couple miles from Shilshole. The thing is, last time I was there it's marked with WDFW buoys. If those are gone you'd need to GPS it, it would be very hard to just find. I have never had much success although I always mark fish on it.

I have had good luck tossing jigs into the breakwater at Shilshole and the Marina that's over by the grainery (sorry, the name escapes me). Just toss that jig right into the rocks and work it back.

South sound has an artificial reef called Toliva Shoal which I have had success, or you can do a quick run from the Tacoma Marina that is about a mile south of the Narrows Bridges. That area holds ling amoung the old bridge rubble. Beware, it is a tackle grabber!

Finally, I have seen guys do great using a spreader and fishing Elliot Bay over by Alkai, using a live flounder for bait. BIG FISH POTENTIAL. good luck!

Would you guys eat a lingcod out of Elliot Bay/Alki Area/Allen Bank area? I'm wondering if the Lings stay there or are transitory in nature where they can filter clean water thru their gills, rather than that polluted water of Elliot Bay.

cutthroatkiller wrote:Would you guys eat a lingcod out of Elliot Bay/Alki Area/Allen Bank area? I'm wondering if the Lings stay there or are transitory in nature where they can filter clean water thru their gills, rather than that polluted water of Elliot Bay.

my mouth is watering...

I wouldn't be deterred - I think the problem is making it a regular diet. 1-2 ling per year is probably fne. *Disclaimer, I make this statement with zero knowledge of actual contamination levels. But if I catch a 36" ling I'm keeping it!

They sure are fun fish to target however!

cutthroat, Like Mike said, I don't think it would be too bad. If you were eating a ton of them, then I would be concerned. But I think you're in the clear. There would be some more word about it from the WDFW if it was a problem....

Sam Kafelafish wrote:They sure are fun fish to target however!

cutthroat, Like Mike said, I don't think it would be too bad. If you were eating a ton of them, then I would be concerned. But I think you're in the clear. There would be some more word about it from the WDFW if it was a problem....

Yeah that's what I thought. Thanks Sam and Mike!

who was the musician that wrote the lyrics "everything, gives you cancer, there's no cure, there's no answer"?

Dang this one is going to bug me... oh, Joe Jackson, that's it. gotta love google.

kutthroatkilla wrote:

Sam Kafelafish wrote:Artificial reefs are great spots for lings. They provide tons of cover for all species of fish. Some, actually many, the Lings will eat. So I'd suggest trying to locate this. Artificial reefs are by no means "Secret" but they can be diffifcult to put the boat on top of.

Yep. Here's a link to a video of the Edmonds underwater reef:

A friend of mine was able to snap this shot of a ling, and how they hangout in these holes/cracks, etc., on the underwater reefs,

http://youtube.com/watch?v=VqcwVx3hdYE

http://youtube.com/watch?v=44Us8Bxw1G4&feature=related

Sweet vids. Man, those lings are big. LET'S GO Chris!
I would try and contact that snowmp guy who posted those vids on YouTube and ask him exactly where he is diving at.



fishnislife

Sweet vids. Man, those lings are big. LET'S GO Chris!
I would try and contact that snowmp guy who posted those vids on YouTube and ask him exactly where he is diving at.



fishnislife[/quote]


I actually got coordinates for my reef from a guy on the list, (STAMPIE) I was waiting til I go explore it to send a big thank you online. But since Im here, I will say that is one of the really great things about this online bunch of people is that people are really helpful and it all comes back around, so thanks Stampie for filling in the gaps.

(that being said.,,,, of course I realize that ling c. season in that area is May 1-June 15th, but a guy's gotta do his recon work ahead.