Hello All,
Just got back from a great weekend trip for sea bass and lings. The fishing was hot. I have a general question. The biggest lings were caught by anglers using kelp greenlings (live). Isn't that illegal? Says so in the regs - "possess or use live fish for game fish bait" is illegal. I saw nothing under special regs to think otherwise. Anyone know anything different? BTW, I'll be posting an article on the trip some time this week at www.washingtonlakes.com

MikeC its very legal...look at your definitions....Lings and such are classified as foodfish not gamefish. Greenlings are numero uno Ling Cod bait. BTW I always have net ready when bringen up any fish from the bottom out at Neah Bay....don't get in a hurry that last 10 feet to the surface...slow down and look closely around your catch....often you will see Mr. Tooothy right next to it....let it dangle a bit and Ling ON! Have net ready for this one.

OK, thanks. I sometime think I need a lawyer to figure out some of these regs.

Sunday the 21st I watched a Husband and wife team land two 15lb Lings 5 minutes apart using.....you guessed it....live greenlings...

They also landed three small lings and lost a couple more.

What a learning experience for me.

MikeC,
Just curious what size of boat you took out up there and how rough the water was. I'd really love to head up there with my 16, but would rather go with a charter/guide if the conditions warrant it.
Thanks, JMS

I can help you. I was with Mike over the weekend.
A 16' boat should work. We saw a lot of boats in the 16-21' range even a couple of 14' aluminums. A lot of the fishing is done right outside Neah Bay off of Wahdahh Island and Seal Rock in 40-120 feet of water. You might need a bigger boat if you want to run to Tatoosh Island. Heck, the darn Makah were rowing out to Tatoosh Island in there little wood canoe with about ten guys in it. Talk about CRAZY! Must have been looking for the gray whale we saw earlier in the day. Weather is a big factor! I can say we were lucky this weekend to have such nice weather.

My boat is a deep V 18 foot Seaswirl. Handles the waves and swells just fine. I wouldn't wander much past Tatoosh Island in it though.

Little feet, I have probly fished a grand total of 2 weeks at neah bay the last few years in a 14 ft 18 inch transom aluminum boat. my buddies who braved the trip said I'm the craziest guy they have met fishing in small craft advosory and such. ( 4 hour drive cant let weather stop yeah now) even in high winds there are protected coves that can fish during rough water. watch out for the back eddie that forms on the west side of waddah Island, can be a killer to low transoms on small boats. but fishing around forests of kelp can be easier in a small boat if winds are light, you can row over the kelp into ponds in the kelp tie off to the fronds as soon as you can get over the fear of the monster in the kelp. tight lines Ben

For those headen to Neah Bay for bottomfish a little secret....you want Jigs but not the rubber kind...stock up on metal darts....white ones and silver ones. Swains has awesome selection of unrigged ones at reasonable price. You catch will be about 500% better.

Thanks for the info. Guess I'll watch the weather forecast and try and make it up there when it looks good.

Hey guys. My brother and I have never been after the bottom dwellers up in Neah Bay but want to give it a try. Basically we need some schooling.

We have a 20' V-John (a flat bottom john boat with a V in the front to break the water a little bit) aluminum sled. Is this boat okay as long as the weather is not too bad? We use it mostly on local lakes, for hunting, and on the Columbia and its tribs.

Also, what kind of tackle is used? Will salmon gear, or light sturgeon gear work for us? Then how deep do we fish, what kind of bait/lures do we use, where do we fish in the area, and how do we rig our lines?

If anyone has the patience to answer all of these questions and add any other insights, it would be GREATLY appreciated. In fact, if anyone experienced fishing the Bay for Lings and other fish would want to join us on our boat to show us the ropes, we would be glad to take you.

Thanks ahead of time for any info!!!

Now there's an invitation!
I just posted my article over at www.washingtonlakes.com. It may answer some of your questions. Good luck.