[Neuro109]

Hey Everyone!

I'm wondering if anyone has any advice for fishing Picnic Point? I'm really interested in beach fishing but my only experience on salt is pier fishing at Edmonds, Kingston and Kayak Point where I either bait fish perch or jig for squid.

I just acquired my first fly rod and some waders so I'm really just up for a learning experience. I don't have a target species in mind, it really would depend on what's present if anything.

The gear I have is a 9ft 7/8 weight rod with front weight floating line. I have some small crab mimic flies and small/med baitfish flies. I'm also comfortable tying other flies if there are any suggestions.

I would love to catch flounder or surf perch if possible. From my understanding MA 9 is closed to Coho and Chum retention.

Again I have no experience with a fly rod or beach fishing so any advice is appreciated! Also hiring a guide or buying fly lessons is not a current option but is a consideration down the road for anyone who was going to suggest that.

Thanks!!

 

[Meh see you on the othe]

Year round, you can catch SRC although a 7/8 wt rod might be a bit overkill. SRC is catch and release only (single point, barbless hooks). I would be interested to hear what others think about Picnic Point as it's right in my backyard.

 

[Neuro109]

Year round, you can catch SRC although a 7/8 wt rod might be a bit overkill. SRC is catch and release only (single point, barbless hooks). I would be interested to hear what others think about Picnic Point as it's right in my backyard.

Yeah I've heard and read quite a bit about SRC. They seem to be a bit out of my league at the moment . And my wife actually bought all my fly gear as an anniversary gift for me. She bought the 7/8 so I could use it for salmon and steelhead as well.

 

[Stonefish]

Some advice......
Searuns can actually be pretty easy to catch if they are around. Look for rising or jumping fish.
Once you start catching searuns, you likely won't be all that interested in fishing for flounder and perch any longer.
Pay a visit to a local fly shop such as Pacific Fly Fishers or The Avid Anglers to get some pointers.
Both are excellent shops with helpful staffs.
You can buy a few proven searun patterns to use as templates for tying your own.

Get yourself a stripping basket. You can make your own for $5.00 with a Walmart dish pan.
http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com/forum/threads/diy-stripping-basket.94317/

Fish as much as you can on different tide cycles. You'll start to see patterns emerge as to what tides fish best.

Have fun,
SF

 

[Neuro109]

Some advice......
Searuns can actually be pretty easy to catch if they are around. Look for rising or jumping fish.
Once you start catching searuns, you likely won't be all that interested in fishing for flounder and perch any longer.
Pay a visit to a local fly shop such as Pacific Fly Fishers or The Avid Anglers to get some pointers.
Both are excellent shops with helpful staffs.
You can buy a few proven searun patterns to use as template for tying your own.

Get yourself a stripping basket. You can make your own for $5.00 with a Walmart dish pan.
http://www.washingtonflyfishing.com/forum/threads/diy-stripping-basket.94317/

Fish as much as you can on different tide cycles. You'll start to see patterns emerge as to what tides fish best.

Have fun,
SF

That's good advice Stonefish thank you. I actually just read your post on another thread about the importance of a stripping basket. I didn't even know those were a thing until today!

 

[MG driver]

The stripping basket advice and picture in the adjacent thread is very true. Trying to manage an intermediate or floating line while stripping in to the end of the rod is a big hassle without one. Be aware that nobody will reveal their secret fishing hole on line.

If you look for an old post of mine from a few months ago with " humility " in the title you can get a graduate class in fishing for sea runs. Almost every word in the string of posts rings true at Picnic Point. I too fish Kayak and a few more. Contact me with a private message and we can set up a fishing trip to some of the areas if desired.

Be aware there are many more fish on the south sound and Hood Canal at this time of year than in the north sound. Having said that, I plan to be a Picnic tomorrow at about 11 AM. Just cause my local river is blown out and I like to wade around and fling flies...................

 

[Camo Clad Warrior]

Like said above. Do not be afraid to private message members and ask questions. many on here are willing to help but will not put it out there for EVERYONE to see.

Use your local fly shop to bounce ideas and questions off as well.

In addition to all that my biggest piece of advice would be...to get out there and fish. You will learn tons just being out there. It may take a little while to find the fish and get those fish figured out.

have Fun and let us know how it goes.

 

[Nick Clayton]

Flounder and perch you say? Paging @Irafly

 

[Thrasybulus]

If you visit Picnic Point, beware of the sea witch who lives near the shipwreck. On foggy mornings she wanders the beach.

+1 on the stripping basket, but if you want to catch cutthroat you will need to travel south to find them consistently this time of year.

 

[Neuro109]

The stripping basket advice and picture in the adjacent thread is very true. Trying to manage an intermediate or floating line while stripping in to the end of the rod is a big hassle without one. Be aware that nobody will reveal their secret fishing hole on line.

If you look for an old post of mine from a few months ago with " humility " in the title you can get a graduate class in fishing for sea runs. Almost every word in the string of posts rings true at Picnic Point. I too fish Kayak and a few more. Contact me with a private message and we can set up a fishing trip to some of the areas if desired.

Be aware there are many more fish on the south sound and Hood Canal at this time of year than in the north sound. Having said that, I plan to be a Picnic tomorrow at about 11 AM. Just cause my local river is blown out and I like to wade around and fling flies...................

Thanks I'll give that post a read, I appreciate the offer to set up a trip sometime! I'll have to take you up on that when I can.

Like said above. Do not be afraid to private message members and ask questions. many on here are willing to help but will not put it out there for EVERYONE to see.

Use your local fly shop to bounce ideas and questions off as well.

In addition to all that my biggest piece of advice would be...to get out there and fish. You will learn tons just being out there. It may take a little while to find the fish and get those fish figured out.

have Fun and let us know how it goes.

Thank you! I think I'm going to call Pacific Fly today when I'm off work and ask some questions. My wife and I managed to get a babysitter for our son on Saturday so we'll be up at Picnic Point around noon. Primarily to practice casting and retrieving though.

View attachment 127516 If you visit Picnic Point, beware of the sea witch who lives near the shipwreck. On foggy mornings she wanders the beach.

+1 on the stripping basket, but if you want to catch cutthroat you will need to travel south to find them consistently this time of year.

You know my cousin and I tried walking down to that shipwreck when we were in highschool on a really low tide. We turned around when we heard singing from the ocean and my cousin tried diving in after it. Had to drag him out!

 

[Porter]

..........

You know my cousin and I tried walking down to that shipwreck when we were in highschool on a really low tide. We turned around when we heard singing from the ocean and my cousin tried diving in after it. Had to drag him out!

Maybe Monday evening be a good time to revisit ?

I have fished PP a bit. I'll send you a PM, but everything mentioned above is dead on. Stripping basket, bait patterns, reverse spiders in color combos including black, yellow, orange, and red.

 

[Stonefish]

Some good searun tides this weekend, so good luck out there.
Might as well be fishing while practicing casting and retrieving....
SF

 

[Meh see you on the othe]

What's your favorite tide site? I've been using www.saltwatertides.com

For anyone here, which beach do you use to look up tides for Picnic Point?

 

[Meh see you on the othe]

Looking at Edmonds, looks like there is a pretty good outgoing tide in the late afternoon (10' difference beginning around 430-5pm). The beach I like to fish, I've heard, is pretty dang good on an outgoing tide. Not sure about PP.

 

[Stonefish]

Edmonds or Glendale on Whidbey would both give you pretty close tide info on Picnic.
I just look on Pro Tides on this site. After you've fished certain beaches awhile, a quick glance will generally tell you if it is a favorable tide.
Now whether the water moves or not is whole another issue.

That late afternoon tide looks good. The only problem with it is you'll only have about two hours to fish the outgoing before it gets dark.
Bummer it gets dark so early this time of year.
SF

 

[Neuro109]

Maybe Monday evening be a good time to revisit ?

I have fished PP a bit. I'll send you a PM, but everything mentioned above is dead on. Stripping basket, bait patterns, reverse spiders in color combos including black, yellow, orange, and red.

Thanks for the PM!

Some good searun tides this weekend, so good luck out there.
Might as well be fishing while practicing casting and retrieving....
SF

For sure, I'll update the thread tomorrow if there's been any success.

Thanks everyone for all the help!

 

[Neuro109]

Well Saturday has come and gone, my wife and I ended up heading to Kayak Point to fish instead of PP at ~3pm for the better weather. It was just closer to where we were and she really likes it there. I had a blast practicing casting and retrieving, my wife and I took some turns using the fly rod and it was a lot of fun.

We fished for about 2 hours on the beach before we headed up to the pier to bait fish a bit. We caught a couple shiners, nothing else.

Thanks for all the advice everyone!

 

[Camo Clad Warrior]

Sounds like a fun day. Keep getting out there and collecting Intel on the beaches you prefer to fish.

Before you know it you and your wife will be catching searuns...

 

[Ian Horning]

Picnic point, like any North Sound beach at a given time with a rocky contour and sea vegetation, does sometimes have cutthroats cruising about. I've fished it probably 6-7 times at different tides, always caught something... whether it be seaweed, flounder, a skate once, the mighty longhorn sculpin, or the occasional cutthroat. The little guys always hang around there, but I've only ever caught one fish over 12 inches. If you let the fly sink too long you'll be a flounder pounder before too long.

Be wary of seaweed, it comes in droves here.

I'd explore as many beaches as you can, fishing attractor patterns. Pacific Fly Fishers in Mill Creek is always a good resource. The staff is great and Ben Zander is a Puget Sound cutthroat guide, so he knows our local oceanfront better than anyone. I'd go there for more advice.

The good thing about the 7/8 rod is the ease of distance casting over lighter rods. Good to learn on! I did.

Glad to hear you and your wife enjoy fishing together!