Northwest Fishing Reports

Hey everybody!!
So I've recently got into fishing and have started with some small lakes for Rainbows as well as I tried the Cowlitz for steelhead.
Now I've been talking to a friend who has a cabin on Camano!
He lives in the northwest edge firmly in Area 8-1! He has "a metal boat with a 7 horsepower motor" I know very vague, sorry.
He said in the area you can bottom fish for flounder and such. But he didn't know much else (his dad would know more).
So if we were to bottom fish what kind of gear would I need?
Also I know the salmon season isn't open there yet but what kind of trolling opportunity is there in this area?
Cutthroat? Kokanee? The regs say up to 2 steelhead, is there any good spots for steelhead?
Any info / advice would be great thanks guys!!

all of the shallow water on that side has good Flounder fishing. Ling is good when open in a few spots but the Salmon is farther down by the state park. And a boat that small with small motor I would not be in the open sound with it. Eldger bay is a GREAT place just off the state park and its sheltered and lots of Crab/Flounder and the edge has salmon when open too. Cut Herring pieces is the ticket for the fish and any old trout rod would be fine. Remember to wash it out with Fresh water afterwards to keep it working though

You can troll for Cutthroat, but keep in mind if it CnR only. If you troll traditional cutthroat gear in close along the shorelines you should have some success with willing cutties in that area.

Also, targeting Steelhead is a real possibility in 8-1 and 8-2. I know the old timers would trill wiggle warts in tight along the shoreline. We caught a hatchery steelhead up in that area just off of Camano head when fishing a 2 years ago.

cobrar543 wrote:all of the shallow water on that side has good Flounder fishing. Ling is good when open in a few spots but the Salmon is farther down by the state park. And a boat that small with small motor I would not be in the open sound with it. Eldger bay is a GREAT place just off the state park and its sheltered and lots of Crab/Flounder and the edge has salmon when open too. Cut Herring pieces is the ticket for the fish and any old trout rod would be fine. Remember to wash it out with Fresh water afterwards to keep it working though

Thanks for the info will keep all in mind

Matt wrote:You can troll for Cutthroat, but keep in mind if it CnR only. If you troll traditional cutthroat gear in close along the shorelines you should have some success with willing cutties in that area.

Also, targeting Steelhead is a real possibility in 8-1 and 8-2. I know the old timers would trill wiggle warts in tight along the shoreline. We caught a hatchery steelhead up in that area just off of Camano head when fishing a 2 years ago.

Awesome!!
I have barbless hooks and would be prepared to CNR because all trout (except 2 steelhead per day) are CNR only.
So what would be my different ways of going about targeting cutthroat and targeting steelhead?
I would love to go for some steelhead but would also like to try for cutthroat.
By the shore line, but how close to the shore line? 10 yds? 10ft? 30yds? Haha.
So would wiggle warts be my best bet?
What did you use when you caught one a couple years ago?
I planned on getting a 4 or 8" UV flasher as well as a UV Pink Hoochie and some shrimp/krill or garlic tuna scent.
Would that work for steelhead or cutthroat or neither or both haha.
Thanks for the info!!

Matt wrote:You can troll for Cutthroat, but keep in mind if it CnR only. If you troll traditional cutthroat gear in close along the shorelines you should have some success with willing cutties in that area.

Also, targeting Steelhead is a real possibility in 8-1 and 8-2. I know the old timers would trill wiggle warts in tight along the shoreline. We caught a hatchery steelhead up in that area just off of Camano head when fishing a 2 years ago.

I concur, trolling very close to shore. Troll about 75 to 100 feet back from the boat. They do work their way out to the west side of the island. Personally I'll be swinging the fly when I see them and eating crabs starting tomorrow, well crabs Friday afternoon.

Bodofish wrote:

Matt wrote:You can troll for Cutthroat, but keep in mind if it CnR only. If you troll traditional cutthroat gear in close along the shorelines you should have some success with willing cutties in that area.

Also, targeting Steelhead is a real possibility in 8-1 and 8-2. I know the old timers would trill wiggle warts in tight along the shoreline. We caught a hatchery steelhead up in that area just off of Camano head when fishing a 2 years ago.

I concur, trolling very close to shore. Troll about 75 to 100 feet back from the boat. They do work their way out to the west side of the island. Personally I'll be swinging the fly when I see them and eating crabs starting tomorrow, well crabs Friday afternoon.

So if I don't have Downrigger and I don't have lead line how can I know once it's 75ft behind the boat? Just guesstimate? Haha
What do you think would be a good lure for this area?
Hoochie / flasher setup? Wiggle warts like he mentioned? Or something different. Specifically I'm talking for steelhead BTW that would be my main target. Thanks !

Scheindogg wrote:

Bodofish wrote:

Matt wrote:You can troll for Cutthroat, but keep in mind if it CnR only. If you troll traditional cutthroat gear in close along the shorelines you should have some success with willing cutties in that area.

Also, targeting Steelhead is a real possibility in 8-1 and 8-2. I know the old timers would trill wiggle warts in tight along the shoreline. We caught a hatchery steelhead up in that area just off of Camano head when fishing a 2 years ago.

I concur, trolling very close to shore. Troll about 75 to 100 feet back from the boat. They do work their way out to the west side of the island. Personally I'll be swinging the fly when I see them and eating crabs starting tomorrow, well crabs Friday afternoon.

So if I don't have Downrigger and I don't have lead line how can I know once it's 75ft behind the boat? Just guesstimate? Haha
What do you think would be a good lure for this area?
Hoochie / flasher setup? Wiggle warts like he mentioned? Or something different. Specifically I'm talking for steelhead BTW that would be my main target. Thanks !

A little flasher and a hoochie would be fine. I just count pulls or rod lengths, you know how long your rod is, point it at the back of the boat and let the line out while you swing it to the front of the boat. Point it toward the back and when the line starts to pull again, point it to the front. Count till you get to a hundred feet. A 9' rod would take 5 cycles to get back 90 feet. A side planer would be a good trick too, they're really spooky. I usually see them with in 10' of shore.

Oh ok got it. I've never head of that method (haven't been s fisherman for a long time :P) but that could be useful thank you.
And you said that would be fine but is there a different lure you can think of hay would be more effective for steelhead than flasher/Hoochie?

Scheindogg wrote:Oh ok got it. I've never head of that method (haven't been s fisherman for a long time :P) but that could be useful thank you.
And you said that would be fine but is there a different lure you can think of hay would be more effective for steelhead than flasher/Hoochie?

That or a little spoon would be my go to.

Like a dick nite spoon?
What size hook would you recommend if I'd be trolling close to shore?
I just got a Herring dodger and some UV pink hoochies.
I also got a white and pink Buzz bombs my friends house is on the water so I could just fast from there. Anyone have any experience with buzz bombs? I just got it because the guy at Dicks said a buzzbomb from shore is the best way to get steelhead in that area but I've never used one before. I have size 1 barbless and size 4 barbless. All gamakatsu.

They're trout. size 4 would be fine and any small spoon like a needle fish or something like that.

Got it. Awesome. Thanks!

I would stay on the east side of the island. You will hit all of the Steel and Cutts making their way to the Stilly. They do run extremely close to shore. Incoming to high tide seems best. You will see the cuts boiling on the surface as they are chasing bait up and down the beaches. I've caught Coho from the Cavalero Park beach, so I am guessing the Steelhead run up just as close. I know for sure the Cutts do. Cutts go either your typical trout spoon (I like a needlefish) or drag a fly (small bait pattern). Never tried for Steelhead but the above suggestions seem plausible.

They're all over, I see them hunting and eating in front of the house. They come through Deception and around Whidbey and up the West side, heading for the Skagit.

Yea, the cuts are all over the island, except that if he does want a slim chance at a Steelhead, I don't believe any pass that side through deception pass, as they do not expect any hatchery fish to return to the Skagit since the hatchery has been shut down.

Bodofish wrote:They're all over, I see them hunting and eating in front of the house. They come through Deception and around Whidbey and up the West side, heading for the Skagit.

They're all over referencing the Cutts or the steelhead!?

Cutts I am sure. You see them boiling, specially this time of year.

What do you mean boiling?
Also, if the weather is super crappy whatever day we decide to go, and the water doesn't permit his small boat to take us around to these spots, is there anything I could catch and keep just from the back patio/shore? (Northwest side of the island like mentioned before).
Is that the way I could get Cutts? Is that where I would go for surf purch? Never fished for surf perch before..
If there is anything I could target from shore what kind of lure would I need?

Boiling meaning they are jumping, it looks like the water has come to a rolling boil. Honestly you can put a worm on a hook, toss it out and catch something from the beach.