Hi all,

New to this forum, getting back into fishing after 30-some-odd years (10 year old daughter wants to learn - can't miss such a golden opportunity for some real quality time with the kiddo). Last time I fished was in 1970 on small lakes & creeks in N.Dakota, dropping worms for bluegills & catfish. I'm clueless about fishing this area (and fishing in general - I feel like I'm starting from scratch here!), would really appreciate any tips and pointers:

1. Where do you go for bank fishing (no boat - will think about that after we get more experience under our belts) near Everett? We're thinking about the Snohomish River and Lake Stevens to start. Other nearby waters for good dock/shore fishing? What gear/bait are people using for dock/shore fishing & what kind of fish will you find there?

2. We fished off a dock at Langus park on the Snoho near Everett using good old worms hung off a bobber. All we got were several of these not very cute 4-6" bottom feeders - they look a little like bullheads but not exactly - they have big fins on their sides just behind the head - anyone know what these little buggers are?

3. I keep hearing about the great trout fishing around here. Is it even realistic to try for trout when you're stuck on the shore? My buddies are telling me to get into fly fishing, but for now I'm stuck with my spinning setup. Do you really need to fly fish for trout?

4. Any good resources/references I should look up?

Many thanks from a clueless newbie!

Jeff B
Fishin' Musician

Copy this whole post and post it on the Northwest fishing board...You will get a big response

1) lakes in your area to consider: Blackmans, Silver, Goodwin, Ki. All have fiar to good shore access. Goodwin is a state park. Target species would be trout mainly.

2) Those sound like sculpin - your basic bottomfinder nuisance fish.

3) Your spinning gear will work just fine, in fact better for a beginner than the fly gear.

4) this web site for starters. Explore the articles and stories section for a wealth of info on different fishing techniques, places, etc. Read the reports to get ideas and clues. After that check out the WDFW website (but this site has more info

Hope this helps!

Get a copy of "The Washington State Fishing Guide" by Terry Sheely or an old copy by the same title authored by Stan Jones.

Another good one is "Foghorn Outdoors Washington Fishing" by Terry Rudnick

Best source for all of the above: www.amazon.com

Follow Mike's good tips; also West of the Cascades the "great trout fishing" is generally a lakes only affair. The streams are salmon and steelhead domain. For now, I would stick to the lakes and read the fishing reg's very carefully.

You should try going to Flowing lake state park in Snohomish. I fish out of a boat most of the time but I've hear of good fishing off of the dock there. I would use a sliding sinker above the swivel and then use gamakatsu red hooks with enough power bait to cover the hook. That always works very well for me when fishing off shore.

if you're thinking of fishing lake stevens i would suggest trying out lake cassidy also (right next to lake stevens). it has a dock that you can catch crappie, perch and...... slimers . and if you are willing to travel (not to far) lake washington is a real good bet. luther burbank, coulon, and the seward park area are all good for perch (and the occasional bass )

In nearby Whatcom County, Lake Padden has a park and trail completely around it with several fishing docks. It should be improving for fishing for trout with the return of cooler weather.

Also, drop by the WDFW Region 4 Office at 16018 Mill Creek Blvd. in Mill Creek; ph.# 425-775-1311 for a lot of FREE info. The "2006 Fishing Prospects" publication is full of good information.

Many thanks for the tips! I did take the daughter out to Cassidy the other night and pulled up several 6-8" perch (put-backs all). Saw some other guys trolling for bass I guess up by the lily pads on the north shore. We'll keep exploring all these SnoCo lakes.

JeffB,

I have the product you need for shore fishing.
Please go to www.bulletbobber.com. Your daughter wil love them and you will have fun too even if you don't catch fish.

I'm a little late to this thread,but Gissburg ponds near Smokey Point are usually a good bet.

They have tons of shoreline and the WDFW puts about a few thousand trout in them a few times a year.

The standard still-fishing rig (sliding sinker above a swivel with about 18-24" of leader and small hook)works fine there.