I am new to fishing and wanted to know what to use if I were to fish off of the Hood Canal Bridge. The only thing that came to mind was a Rapala minnow plug. Thanks for your input!

I've driven by here so many time's going to Steelhead one of the many Penn. stream's, but never stopped to check it out. My favorite method for Salmon is free floating Herring. Fresh kill when you can get them are more effective, frozen work in a pinch. (I'll salt the frozen to firm them while thawing) Get a double hook mooching leader, tie a barrel swivel to it and your mainline. (I use 10lb. Ande.) Put the hook closest to your rod tip into a secure part of the Herring's head and place the back hook with it's point out near the tail. Now make sure no Seagull's duck's ect. see you cast lob this out and let it sink and drift freely. When it's sank give it a pull now and again to make the Herring flash. This is very exciting fishing off the beaches in late summer. I use a spinning reel when I feel the Salmon take I'll flip the bail and watch 30yd. of line peel off while he get's it chewed. If your not sinking down good a splitshot above the swivel should do. By the way a Herring cast with this set up go's about as far as a Buzz Bomb. Watch out for Gull's!

I have never fished from the bridge so I am not sure how deep it is from the fishing area. Having said that I recommend using a buzz bomb or a lead minnow style jig cast from the bridge area. When fishing was allowed from Ediz Hook we would cast lead minnows, buzz bombs, spoons or herring suspended from bobbers to catch fish. These are proven lures for salmon from the beach, but a big rapala could work.

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Marty
www.steelheader.net
marty@steelheader.net

Fishing from the Hood Canal bridge is kinda hit or miss. I have fished from it a few times. Went through six dozen herring in a day. Most all on Dogfish. There is ok flounder fishing and some BIG skates caught there. Never did get a salmon though. When the run is coming in and the nets are out would be a time to try.

I fish for Coho on the summer all of the time and let me tell you the best place to fish near the Hood Canal bridge is at Salsberry point. You don't need a boat, at least I never use one. The best way to catch these fish are with a two and a half blue or green buzz bomb or loating herring both of these tactics work great for chinook and Coho Good luck!

A few excerpts from today's paper:

Fishing for blackmouth off the bridge is usually fair to good from November through early March.

Anglers also pull in striped seaperch and pile perch (fishing for these can be especially good on an incoming tide, using worms or shrimp), rockfish, sole and flounder.

Tackle will vary, but one of the standard set-ups seems to be either a dodger and herring, or a cut-plug herring fished behind a mooching weight. Since the bridge is stationary, the current provides the action for lures and bait.

With the bait in the water, it's a matter of figuring out what depth the fish are running. If you're new to the bridge, you might want to check out the other anglers and see how much weight they're using.

Proper depth
This is one of the most critical aspects to fishing the bridge, maintaining the proper depth. This is why you need an assortment of weights(1 to 10 ounces).

One of the most-critical mistakes made is not adjusting for depth. Often, the bite will be on and a few fish caught, then it starts to slow up. The fish are still there, it's just that the depth of bait has changed either because the current slowed or increased speed. That's why you have to fiddle are with different weights. The best way to get a rough idea is to monitor your line angle.

I used to fish for Salmon off the bridge before I bought 4 boats and I always used A deep Six, Flasher and a cutplug or trolling lure. The current will do the work for you. If you have a Bottomline fishing buddy bring it. It will help you locate the bait/fish. If not try 10 pulls and wait keep doing similar graduations till you hit fish or the bottom. Dont not try shallow...The fish /bait somtimes gathers at the top because of the eddie's created from the current. Sometimes the bait gets caught up in it and guess who takes advantage of the easy pickins situation? Thats right...Fish on. Bring a good heavy stick, I got into it with a 72 pound skate one time at about 160' deep. thats about how deep it is there I believe. The Asians wanted it of coarse and immediatly weighed it for me and began to cut it up. Its a real hit or miss place this time of the year but can be good when the fish are returning. Hope this helps.