Northwest Fishing Reports

Can anyone tell me what it is legal to catch at Redondo Pier, and what you can catch there? New to the area and I know nothing about salt water fishing!

I suggest you check the pamphlet

http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/regulations/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Your's is a fair question,, but at the same time it's my policy to never take information on fishing regulations from just anybody you find to talk to. Many people are misinformed, or don't even really know what they're talking about. The Pier is easy to read about. Then try to decipher some of the rive regs.

My confusion is over the issue of rock bass vs bottom fish... are they the same? Different? Can you actually catch them from the pier's? The fishing pamphlet is kind of vauge in this regaurd the way I am reading it...

Hiya Jammer. Your confusion is understandable. The WDFW pamphlet is poorly worded-- a mix of archaic terms and legal fishery management terms make us all rub our forehead occasionally. The pamphlet says you can keep 15 combined bottomfish a day in area 11, rockfish are defined as bottomfish on page 18, but it states rockfish are closed in area 11. They are closed. There is no rockfish retention in the Puget Sound-- only on the coast, Neah Bay, and the western part of the Straight of Juan de Fuca (when in season, and then only for blue and black rockfish).

So... knowing that... are there pile perch or sand perch you can catch around these pier's? Anything else that would be good to eat from the pier?

I personally don't know. But if memory serves the record pile perch and striped perch came from Quartermaster Harbor. So perch and scuplin might be good targets for the general area.

Not to be a downer on your vision of good times and edible fish from the pier, but I used to spend a lot of time fishing Puget Sound piers, and that was quite awhile ago when it would have been even better. What I see happening at the piers is the opportunity to maybe hook up with a pink salmon that is coming through in a school (of course that is every other year and during their run) OR maybe another lone silver or other salmon if your VERY lucky. Mostly from the piers it is sculpin or maybe a ratfish. There are endless flounder to catch in Puget Sound, and this could happen at the pier, but it is more a guarantee if you had even the simplest boat, and anchored yourself anywhere away from the pier in like 50' of water. If u don't have even a simple boat option, I would find anyone of the beaches from the various public parks....cast out shrimp, or clam meat from shore. Point being that it always has felt to me, like the piers have fished out their bottom fish populations. Most importanly though, the bottom fishing regulations have tightened down to what feels like strangulation after many years of lack of control. This means all your rockfish, true cod,lingcod, other cod, etc.

But like I said, if you hit beach there is a buttus loadus of flounder to be had. Just be sure to hold them up to the light for a quick tumor and parasite inspection. Also remember that u need to be barbless in the Sound. I got checked about two weeks ago, and it was howling wind and rain.
Come back and let us know how you do.