Halibut in the Puget Sound

[kayak chris]

Every year I see the WDFW State that " halibut opens in areas 6-11 and 13...."

Ever hear of someone catching halibut in areas 10, 11 or 13?

[irishrogue]

Nope, never heard of any in 10 or beyond

[kuttkilla]

Nope, never heard of any in 10 or beyond

Area 11 halibut are pretty much non-existent right now. They were wiped out back when in the days when the bottom draggers and long liners cleared it out. However, there are some halibut to be caught in Area 11. I can't speak for the other areas. It's not a slam dunk and you might fish 4 or 5 days before you hook a fish, but it can be done. It was years ago (5 or more) that one was hooked here that I personally know. They tend to run quite small (10-20 pounds) and really don't get much bigger than that...but if you use a good map and locate humps and its associated drop-offs you might be surprised and gaff a halibut in Area 11...if you do go out please let us know how you do. My bests, kk:thumright

[Easy Limits]

I saw a picture of one caught a few years back in MA13.

[Dave]

I was just reading about Halibut fishing in Puget Sound and found information about Mutiny Bay located in Area 9 just west of Double Bluff. From what I have read, there is a boat launch right there and the news articles I have read indicate that halibut fishing in this area can be good. Here are a few articles I looked at. This might be worth a try.

http://www.halibut.net/Washington-State ... ishing.htm “Mutiny Bay. While I’ve never tried this spot, lots of anglers have told me they catch halibut every season. This area is fairly large and requires lots of exploring. Depths reported to me range from 120 to 220 feet deep.”

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/s ... cation=rss “In Port Angeles and Puget Sound, halibut has been fair to good at Mutiny Bay, Green Point, Freshwater Bay, Eastern Bank, the old Navy bombing range off Fort Casey, and Hein, Dallas, Salmon and Middle banks.”

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/o ... ish05.html “The west side of Whidbey Island was the hot spot last year, including Mutiny Bay and the old Navy bombing range off Fort Casey.”

http://www.freeland-wa.org/pages/activities.html “Mutiny Bay Boat Ramp gets you on the waters of Admiralty Inlet.”

[A9]

Yep Mutiny Bay...It's actually just north of Double Bluff Dave, just around the corner...Boat launch is only good from about a +3 and up tide if I remember right and a good day is getting a single fish...Lots of people there, but it does produce Hali's in the chicken size range...

[Dave]

Good info Sam. I've never been there and was kinda hoping is might be a little better than one a day since it's close to Everett. Also good to know the launch inadequacies. Oh well. Thanks for the heads up.

[A9]

Good info Sam. I've never been there and was kinda hoping is might be a little better than one a day since it's close to Everett. Also good to know the launch inadequacies. Oh well. Thanks for the heads up.

It is definitely within driving distance from the Mukilteo ramp or Edmonds marina. Just make sure you pick a calm day and hope no bad weather rolls your way. It would be a bit long, maybe 30 minutes or so, maybe less. Depends on cruising speed, water conditions, etc...

The hole you are talking about in Mutiny Bay is Windmill Hole I believe...

[Dave]

I agree on the calm day idea. Maybe I'll Google Windmill Hole and see what comes up. Thanks again.