Whitney Point

[Finspot]

Hey all,
Just found out I'll be spending Sunday near Whitney Point on Hood Canal (west side of Dabob Bay, between Brinnon and Quilcene). Will definitely have my clam bucket and oyster knife in hand, but wondering if any of you have experience fishing that area for silvers or src. I've never been there, so no idea what the beach slope/composition is like. My past experience suggests just about any point along Hood Canal is worth a shot, although this point is inside Dabob and not along the Canal proper. Guess I'll go check the regs now and make sure it's open, but if you have the 411 I'd appreciate any tips.

Thanks,
Finny

 

[Jim Wallace]

I cast some flies from the beach there a little over a month ago...moderately steep rock/gravel beach. Was hitting the berm and weeds on my backcast at low tide, but as the tide came in, the berm got lower behind me. Saw a nice fish (SRC or Coho) chasing some baitfish in the shallows near the pier pilings. Then it moved out of range as I began casting.

I tried a Shock'N Awe tube fly, a Chum Baby, and a Racoon, but had no luck. Toward evening I saw some small-to-med sized fish jumping that might have been searun cutts. Looks like just outside the outlet to the lagoon might be good on the outgoing tide for the searun cutts. You can fish that spot from the beach. I want to go back and try again.

Notes on the boat ramp there: I plan to go back soon and launch my kayoe there and fish the area. It has a moderately steep, gravelly boat ramp. Saw some boaters unable to pull their boat out there with their front wheel drive minivan....no traction. The van and the boat each left to meet at another ramp. That was on the lower part of the tide. I'm not sure my small 2WD pickup would be able to pull my john boat out on that ramp, either. Would be no problem with 4WD. I would bring a shovel along to scoop the gravel off the concrete that is underneath...then it might be doable in my truck.

Good luck and please give us a report!

 

[BFK]

I think that Point Whitney is closed now for shellfish because of vibrio. Check with the toxins hotline.

You'll find cutts and salmon (at times) off the beach at Whitney. A small boat will help some, but a larger boat will do a better job of getting you get to some spots that will have plenty of fish --at times. While I have caught fish off the beach there, it's more a spot for onesies and twosies--at least in my experience.

 

[Finspot]

Thanks Jim and BFK for your replies. I was there yesterday, on a private stretch of beach not too far from the shellfish labs. I was there with the family so didn't devote too much time to fishing--and the wind was howling--but did manage a nice cut to hand. I concentrated on the oyster beds and the fish were close enough to shore that the wind didn't matter.

BFK, do you know much about vibrio? I've eaten a lot of shellfish over the years and it seems like the vibrio warnings are a more recent phenomena. WDFW shows the vibrio closure to be right on the border of where I was, which seems kinda arbitrary anyway.:hmmm:

 

[d_w_hart]

You might be a bit late. I try to put my kayak out in the water at Whitney by mid-August in order to catch that early Quilcene return, but stayed in Montana too long this summer to hit it.

By the time this early silver run is into Dabob, they are staging and pretty closed-mouth, but there are a ton of them cruising the shoreline -- and i mean a TON. But it can be frustrating. It is fun to be there tho -- the tribal folks are bringing in fish, and you can buy them out of the nets. If persistent, you will get some takes.

Also note: there is an early chum run mixed in with these early silvers, and the chums are off limits and protected. Good luck, and bring some closed-mouth patterns and technique.