Since the weather has been HOT and the river fishing slow, I decided to go to Ocean Shores and try Surf Perch. WOW, those little buggers are FUN. I was using a double hook set up and was reeling them in two at a time. My bait of choice was NIGHTCRAWLERS and they ate them up as soon as I could cast them. Anyways the Limit is 15 per day and they sure are tasty.

So do you just drive out there and start casting or is there some criteria you use to decide where to start?
Sounds like fun!

Were you the guy at Ocean Shores I saw flossing those surf perch on Saturday?

JTD,

I'll chime in here as I do quite a bit of surf perch fishing in the summer when I need a change of pace from the steelhead thing.

The central/southern coast beaches of Washington are all superb for finding perch. Now, what to look for. All things being equal, when you arrive at the beach and wonder where to start, your view is a relatively flat, sandy, featurless beach. However, if you look closer down by the surf line you may notice slight depressions or what appear to be little "creek" channels.......these are the places to target. They are alot more pronounced on a low tide and easier to see. Another likely area is either side of a spit in the surf......again, on a low tide.

Pick one and if it doesn't produce, move up or down the beach 50 yards and try again. You seldom have to move far before you find biters.

Good fishing!

Thank you for the reply. I was beginning to think I was asking for some secret or just being ignored.

I think it would be fun to try again. I did it once as a guest twenty five years ago or so.

Thanks again.

Try to get to the beach at least an hour before low tide. Then it makes it easier to find the areas that look good. Mark, or remember where a couple of those places are so you can move if one isn't producing. I have always had my best luck on the am tides, and fished the incoming all the way to high slack. Never did as good on an outgoing tide? You need any where fron 2 to 4 oz of lead, pyramid sinkers seem to work best for this type of fishing. Also you don't need to throw your stuff out past the last wave. Usually I have had the best luck getting it in between the second to third last wave. Also they are mainly shell fish eaters, although they seem to eat almost anything. Try some prawn pieces with the shell on, and anything else you think might work. Rubber grubs work also. Hane fun. They are fun to catch and taste very good also. Good luck
Buck

How big is a surf perch ??? how many would it take to make a meal ??

Sorry JTD, I just came back from a family emergency.

Anyway, I did everything Buck stated. I tried sandshrimp/clam necks and Nightcrawlers were the BEST. There cheaper to buy and stay on the hook better. I reccomend you take a bait belt and small bag to place around your waist. ( the bag is to keep your perch in.) I placed my bait/gear and perch in a 5 gallon bucket and placed in far up on the beach. When the tide came in I was constantly moving the bucket father up on the beach and worring some car/truck would run over it. Use triangle or FLAT sinkers so they dont roll. If you don't know where to fish, I recommend you watch the other fisherman on the beach. If there cathing them then fish at least 30 yards away from them. They wont care. Last, check the tides, LOW tide was the best and it seemed to slow down as the tide came in. GOOD LUCK and GOOD EATING

quite a bit bigger than a freshwater perch, they can hit 5lbs but are quite common in the 2lb or so range

An average sized perch approximates the size of a salad plate, which makes for a one person meal, depending of course on your appetite.

Did someone just say fish sandwhich?

WHEN YOU FISH THERE FOR PERCH DO YOU REQUIRE WADERS? WHAT OTHER PRECAUTIONS DO YOU RECOMMEND? I AM INTERESTED IN GOING TO THE SURF BUT AM NOT FAMILIAR WITH THE TACTICS HERE IN THIS AREA. IS WESTPORT/OCEAN SHORES/NEAH BAY BETTER THAN THE OTHER OR WHAAT? DO YOU RECOMMEND AN OUTGOING OR INCOMING TIDE? PLEASE GIVE ME AS MUCH INFO AS POSSIBLE. THANKS A LOT AND GOOD FISHING TO YOU.

Surf perch are a blast. I use an Alvey casting reel & matched Lami rod.

But remember...those who wade out and fish an outgoing tide risk turning their wives into widows. It seems that several people drown from this practice each year. I recommend fishing incoming tides only.

And if you want special tackle (hooks & weights) for surf perch, try Johnson's store in Copalis. It's the only place I've ever seen them.

There are some really good places to fish. The beaches at Ocean Shores is my place of choice because its close. Other beaches are Kalaloch and Rialto beach outside Forks. Depnding on how far you want to travel. If you want to wear waders that OK. Remember to rinse them off good after you get home. On a HOT day I like to get into the ocean. It feels cold at first but once you get use to it, it actually feels good. One thing I learn about Perch Fishing is that you DONT have to cast out far. I use a 10 foot steelhead rod a cheap reel with 10lb test line, a 3oz flat or pyramid sinker and #4 snelled Eagleclaw hooks. I wade out to about knee level and cast, If you dont catch anything within 30-45 minute move down the beach till you find them. Once your in the fish the fun begins. The more expierenced surf fisherman keep everything with them so they dont have to keep going to shore. If you bring a bucket to place your bait/gear/perch in you have to keep moving the bucket up or down the beach according to the tide. The expierence fisherman use a bait cannister around thier waist and tie a game bag along thier side so they dont have to go to shore everytime they need to rebait or place a fish in thier bucket. They dont fight to hard but are aggressive biters. GOOD LUCK hope this helps