Anyone been out in the salt around Tacoma lately? I'm heading out Thursday and Friday to play with my new Scotty electric I just mounted.

Any hints, tips, or help you can afford is appreciated.

GH,
Use the search feature. There has been sooooo much written about setups and blackmouth fishing from some damn good folks!! Take a little time and you will be rewarded.
Good luck and tight lines, Jeff

GH, I've always fished for Blackmouth with at least a herring strip on my hoochie.......But I have seen the light. I now believe that you can be just as successful with artficals.
This winter I've become a true believer in Coyote Spoons behind a green glow Hot Spot.
A green glow Spackle back hoochie has also worked well for me. And then I resort to a Point Wilson Dart in the white Sandlance/Candlefish pattern.
Me personally, I try to stay within 5'-10' of the bottom and troll at about 2 mph. I've also found that trolling with the tide and not against it has produced best.
I know that alot of poeple preach about finding the bait which by all means doesn't hurt, but I've caught fish many times when there was no bait showing on my screen.
But being you're fishing Pt. Defiance, you won't have any problem finding bait.
This is by no means a know it all about how to catch BM, but it works for me!
Ya know, motor mooching a fresh cut plug herring isn't too bad of a way to go either!!

GH: Don't bother going to Dalco until the tide changes mid morning. It is best fished only on the incoming tide. Slack tide will be a long one Thursday & Friday due to the very small tide change coming back in (only 2-3'). Watch out for the "wall" at Dalco....directly in front of the grey house. Near it is also a concrete bulkhead on the beach. Out in the water perpindicular to the beach is a underwater nearly vertical rock wall that is doom for downrigger balls & can even damage DR booms. Very fishy but a tackle grabber until you get it marked out. If you go early morning, stay over on the Pt Defiance side (claybanks) during the out tide or try over towards the girl scout camp on Colvos Passage side of the island. Try a white glow hootchie with your glow-hotspot flasher.

GH,

Here are two spots I have shared before... Not too many fish these spots because they just don't know the secrets of the deep.

(1) Quartermaster Harbor and,
(2) Slag Pile boat ramp

Chart

At QM follow the 20 fathom contour from Neill Pt over around to Piner Pt scratching the bottom. Work deeper in 10 foot increments. What's great about this spot? (1) Normally you'll have it to yourself. (2) You can fish either side of the tide. Herring school up and spawn in this area right now.

The old boat ramp was located at the East end of the Slag Pile (rip rap). Notice the close contour lines from the meaure mile out and around towards the wharfs (west). From some reason, BM hang out here. I have two theories on this. (1) Quick deep water escape and (2) the bait lulls there- ALWAYS! On a heavy tide swing, the bait pushes up on to the flat or out in the real deep stuff. Finally, it is here at this spot where the tide splits... West of the rip rap the tide always flows towards the boat house and vice versa east of the rip rap.

Rule 1... Fish the bottom 10' of the water. If you ain't bumping bottom every so often, you ain't fishing deep enough!

My favorite lure this time of year... A 5" spoon on 48" of leader behind a glo green Hot Spot
A 5" spoon? I get mine in Canada... However, for you "yote fans, the 'Yote now comes in a 5" model.

Downriggin'

Probably not a good idea to downrig Dalco, one being the wall and the other being the moochers - you will tangle people up a lot and that is never fun

DR gave away a great spot off Neill Point - last trip released 2 keepers over there and lost a hog Lotsa room and good bottom - great place to break in those new 'riggers