Whidbey Island

[bokitoki]

Hey y'all. I'm looking to head to Whidbey Island tomorrow (driving up from Tacoma.)

Any tips on the following?
- bait? I heard pink buzzbombs work best for silvers
- locations on the island to fish? specifically for high and low tide areas
- anything else!

I was thinking of catching the ferry from Edmonds but saw that you can drive up to deception pass park as well. which way is faster?

[bokitoki]

sorry, should have mentioned, I'm looking to catch Silvers and maybe some bottomfish (flounder/rockfish)

[Rich McVey]

I'll be there soon (9/4) but mostly fresh water fishing for me. Only a few decent sized fresh water lakes on the island. I'll be at the north end, Cranberry Lake, Pass Lake and Lake Campbell. There are a could at the S end of the island but they are kinda small.

Check maps.google.com to see the locations then check lake reports...

Whidbey Island Lakes

Pass Lake

[A9]

Fish the west side of the Island, your best bets would be Bush Point, Lagoon Point or Ft. Ebey. Lots of beach access on Bush Point, you'll be with the crowds, but you'll get to see whats working and what the locals use.

Pick up some other assortments of lures. 2.5 inch buzz bombs work, any white color with either the pink/blue/green stripe down the middle, but don't limit your tackle to just that. Pick up some big Kastmasters, Crocodile Spoons, Little Cleos, etc. Single/barbless, don't forget, wardens patrol the public beaches up there pretty good.


In terms of getting there: Take the Mukilteo to Clinton Ferry. You could drive around to Deception Pass, but add another 3 hours or so on your trip.
Good luck. Let us know how you do.

[Shad_Eating_Grin]

Fish the west side of the Island, your best bets would be Bush Point, Lagoon Point or Ft. Ebey. Lots of beach access on Bush Point, you'll be with the crowds, but you'll get to see whats working and what the locals use.

Pick up some other assortments of lures. 2.5 inch buzz bombs work, any white color with either the pink/blue/green stripe down the middle, but don't limit your tackle to just that. Pick up some big Kastmasters, Crocodile Spoons, Little Cleos, etc. Single/barbless, don't forget, wardens patrol the public beaches up there pretty good.


In terms of getting there: Take the Mukilteo to Clinton Ferry. You could drive around to Deception Pass, but add another 3 hours or so on your trip.
Good luck. Let us know how you do.

the only thing I will add is do NOT wade into the water. It will spook fish--they will bite right at your feet.

Also, consider using the hot pink buzz bomb too. Most people use this color for humpies, but I've caught more silvers with this color than humpies.

[bokitoki]

Hi guys, thanks a ton for the advice.

Also, i went through the regs and am a bit confused by the terminology. Is it a limit of 2 silvers per person? Also, I couldn't find the size limit.

I read that rockfish/bottomfish don't have limits (size or number.) Can you confirm? Thanks y'all!

[Shad_Eating_Grin]

Hi guys, thanks a ton for the advice.

Also, i went through the regs and am a bit confused by the terminology. Is it a limit of 2 silvers per person? Also, I couldn't find the size limit.

I read that rockfish/bottomfish don't have limits (size or number.) Can you confirm? Thanks y'all!

Limit is 2 silvers per person. No size limit. But be sure you know whether they need to be clipped (hatchery) fish in order to legally retain... depending on what beach you fish, non-clipped native fish may be legal/illegal to retain.

Limit on rockfish is 1 fish. No size limit. Lingcod is closed. Check the regs for the specifics. Aggregate limit for bottomfish is 15 fish. This means for example, if you keep your 1 rockfish, you can only keep 14 flounder. Or, keep 15 flounder and release all other bottomfish. Etc. whatever the combination so that your cumulative total does not exceed 15 fish, subject to the individual species limits (e.g., 1 rockfish, 10 perch, etc.)

[bokitoki]

Thanks Shad,

Sorry I'm a newbie so am still learning. Thanks again!

[VHMLLC]

were all newbies , some of us have been at longer than others.





:viking:

[A9]

Boat or shore for ya? If you can get out on a boat, scout some beaches for jumping silvers chasing small baitfish, usually candlefish. Match your lures accordingly. So many people think that the Buzz bomb is the only lure needed out there, and while it is a good lure, I've been throwing small, narrow narrow jigs and hooking up pretty with fish on a regular basis, except for last weekend, the guys chucking buzz bombs where I'm fishing aren't having much luck, especially the dudes hucking the giant ones thinking they need all that casting range.....