Washington State

[Mako993]

Fellow Spearos,

I may be relocating to Washington State around the Seattle area next spring. I was just curious how the spearing is out there?

-Mako

[scubaian]

I will be honest with you. It sucks around the Seattle area. There is only a limited season in the puget sound for spearing. It is not long enough and you have way too many environmentally friendly freaks that take offense to the sport. They have designated a lot of areas as underwater parks and say not to harvest there. The state doesn't include all of them in the regs though. This is where you catch a lot of crap.
The diving and spearing at the mouth of the sound is great. Neah Bay has some great spearing and the season is pretty long. It is real easy to shoot a limit of fish. Most of the time you can get them all in one dive. There are a lot of scallops there too. That is usually how I finish up my second dive.

[Mako993]

Thanks for the info. How far is the mouth of Puget Sound and Neah Bay from Seattle? From where I live now around Washington DC I easily drive 3 hours to get to any decent diving/spearing, so that wouldn't be a shock.

I plan to take a trip out there this summer to visit and check it out sometime in August.

[Mako993]

Sent you a PM.

[Rover]

Hi. I do live in WA . Scubaian is right about Neah Bay.I never been at Neah Bay ,but I heard is great. Scubaian how you hunt : scuba or freediving ? I just starting diving/freediving/hunting again after long ( 22 years break :) If anybody wants to go hunt at weekends ,let me know .I am always ready :)
Thank you
Vadim
vad@zoomtek.com :lol:

[Christof]

I am in Florida on contract but am from Seattle.... Although the glamorous fish (Snapper, Halibut, etc.) have been either eliminated from harvest by spearos, there are still many that you can hunt (at least the last time I dove there) such as Cabezon, Perch, Flounder, etc... I think they even have a Ling season that in the past I used to look forward too and hunt up near Deception Pass... Watch the deadly rips up there though.... Let us know how you do... I miss home, but not the bullshit politics or the tribal crap (Boldt decision gives 3% of the population 50% of all fish/shellfish).....

Christof

[Rover]

Hi Christof.I bet it is sunny in Florida right now :) I never dove at Deception Pass yet , I heard it is good diving/hunting in this area. So far I was just diving(freediving ) at Edmond Oil dock ,but I planing to do lot of diving this summer.If you be Seattle ,then let me know I have a boats ,and we can go dive/hunt. When weather gets littile warmer,I palning go to Neah Bay .I think Ling season opens in april.
Vadim

[Christof]

Cool Bud..... If diving at Deception Pass, be VERY careful and dont go without a buddy.. The current can rip through there at 6-10 mph... If you are freediving, give the old Mukilteo fuel dock a try... Goes from shallow to 120 ft in only about 100 yds, and the shelf drops off to 600+ just off the end... Lots of fish and crabs, and vis is as good there as anywhere else on a good summer day....

Check your PM for my email.... You can always swing over here for some great diving ... ;-)
Today I was sitting out on my deck looking out on the lake I live, warm breeze blowing, 82 deg, air filled with the scent of orange blossums, all kinds of critters singing/calling.... He heh... Okay, I'll quit rubbing it in now... My wife is up in Idaho visiting her parents and said it snowed 3 inches last night.... LOL!!!

Stay safe!

Christof

PS... Where you live up there?

[Rover]

Hello Cristof .82 deg ..wow !!! Must be nice :) Weather here ..well you know weather in Seattle anyway :)))) But today is very nice day ,and I am going to dive in Edmonds again :) ! I don't know were old Mukilteo fuel dock . Is this somewere near Mukilteo ferry ?
I live in Renton . Do you know any spots on the south end ? May be Federal way ?
Thank you for invintation ! But right now too much work :)

[Christof]

Hello Cristof .82 deg ..wow !!! Must be nice :) Weather here ..well you know weather in Seattle anyway :)))) But today is very nice day ,and I am going to dive in Edmonds again :) ! I don't know were old Mukilteo fuel dock . Is this somewere near Mukilteo ferry ?
I live in Renton . Do you know any spots on the south end ? May be Federal way ?
Thank you for invintation ! But right now too much work :)
Not Federal way, but West Seattle there is a place called "Alki Point" and it has some decent diving.... The fuel docks are just north of the ferry at mukilteo.... I will email you a google map of the area and where to dive....
Keep in touch.. I miss home (but not the weather.. LOL)....

Christof

[Rover]

Thanks Cristof . I was diving yesterday at Edmonds Oil Docks, got couple large flounders ( they taste great :) ) ,and I saw big Ling Cod ,but is no season for them yet :( Somebody told me yesterday about mukilteo again .. I should defenetly try this spot :)
Do you go hunt offten in Florida ?
Vadim

[Rob Holman]

Be careful spearing at the Edmonds oil dock. The North side of the dock is a preserve, the south side is open. Be sure you exit on the south side to avoid attention.

Ling opens up in the Puget Sound for spearing on May 21st.

I went the weekend of 4/21 to Neah Bay. Outstanding. I could shoot black rockfish all day long out there. Way too much fun.

[Rob Holman]

Actually, the preserve may apply to shellfish only, fish may be legal. Check the regs before you go.

[Rover]

Hi Rob.I know about preserve ,I think it is very stuped :) Becouse if you shoot fish ,you have to carry it ,to the dog park ,instead go directly to the parking lot :) Sometimes I just don't inderstand why they even come up with such of stuped law like that .... I was on Neah Bay too ,it was my first time ,I don't get many fishes ( just 4 ) ,but I had a great time anyway :)
Dive safe
Vadim

[balder]

I will be honest with you. It sucks around the Seattle area. There is only a limited season in the puget sound for spearing. It is not long enough and you have way too many environmentally friendly freaks that take offense to the sport. They have designated a lot of areas as underwater parks and say not to harvest there. The state doesn't include all of them in the regs though. This is where you catch a lot of crap.
The diving and spearing at the mouth of the sound is great. Neah Bay has some great spearing and the season is pretty long. It is real easy to shoot a limit of fish. Most of the time you can get them all in one dive. There are a lot of scallops there too. That is usually how I finish up my second dive.

I agree with most of what you say here. But the current set of restrictive laws (ling cod is only like 6 weeks now, used to be year round, and it was only 2 weeks for several years; rockfish were year round 12/daylimit, now it's like one! And we have had no abalone season for years) are not really as due to the treehuggers as you may think, They are due to BIG population crashes in the stocks in the '90's. Regardless of the reasons, they have crashed. There where several small groups that poached hundreds of tons of abs and they have not opened them since. When I learned to dive in the early '80's I remember a 76lb lingcod on a spear, and 30-40's were picked up almost whenever you wanted, we could do it all year long. My grandfather considered them a garbage fish and wouldnt let one on board for anything, just killed them and cut them loose

I dont know the seasons exactly, but if you really want to spear, get up to the Canadian Gulf Islands and the BC Sunshine coast (Powell River) there are better seasons, visibility, and game to boot. We regularly see fish in boats here in Bellingham, WA that have been fishing in BC with lots of rockfish, Big lings. The lings are much bigger than what we see here these days. Last time I went to desolation we got a 30# within 15 minutes!

[Mako993]

I agree with most of what you say here. But the current set of restrictive laws (ling cod is only like 6 weeks now, used to be year round, and it was only 2 weeks for several years; rockfish were year round 12/daylimit, now it's like one! And we have had no abalone season for years) are not really as due to the treehuggers as you may think, They are due to BIG population crashes in the stocks in the '90's. Regardless of the reasons, they have crashed. There where several small groups that poached hundreds of tons of abs and they have not opened them since. When I learned to dive in the early '80's I remember a 76lb lingcod on a spear, and 30-40's were picked up almost whenever you wanted, we could do it all year long. My grandfather considered them a garbage fish and wouldnt let one on board for anything, just killed them and cut them loose

I dont know the seasons exactly, but if you really want to spear, get up to the Canadian Gulf Islands and the BC Sunshine coast (Powell River) there are better seasons, visibility, and game to boot. We regularly see fish in boats here in Bellingham, WA that have been fishing in BC with lots of rockfish, Big lings. The lings are much bigger than what we see here these days. Last time I went to desolation we got a 30# within 15 minutes!

Well, we'll see if I get out there or not, but what you say about the Canadian Sunshine Coast and Gulf Islands is interesting. What is the season up there?

[balder]

Here are some links for the BC Regs they even seem to be clamping down on the max size for ling and 1 ea daily limit and such.

http://www.env.gov.bc.ca/fw/fish/recreational-tidal.html
http://www.pac.dfo-mpo.gc.ca/recfish/default_e.htm

[Christof]

They are due to BIG population crashes in the stocks in the '90's. Regardless of the reasons, they have crashed. But dont leave out the tremendous damage the nearly un-regulated tribes have done... When it comes to anything but salmon/steelhead, they take and take, ignore restrictions and limits, and put nothing back in monetarily.. They have nearly decimated the geoduck population with their practices. Crab season is highly restricted now, yet go out anytime it is closed and you will find thousands of tribal pots in areas where they say their are not enough crabs for the season (non-tribal) to remain open, or open at all... And that doesnt take into account the rogues that go out at night with GPS to lay/pick up their pots... The Boldt decision is the biggest reason for my beloved states decline in stocks, second would be the years of commercial rape that occured in the 70's and 80's....

[balder]

But dont leave out the tremendous damage the nearly un-regulated tribes have done... When it comes to anything but salmon/steelhead, they take and take, ignore restrictions and limits, and put nothing back in monetarily.. They have nearly decimated the geoduck population with their practices. Crab season is highly restricted now, yet go out anytime it is closed and you will find thousands of tribal pots in areas where they say their are not enough crabs for the season (non-tribal) to remain open, or open at all... And that doesnt take into account the rogues that go out at night with GPS to lay/pick up their pots... The Boldt decision is the biggest reason for my beloved states decline in stocks, second would be the years of commercial rape that occured in the 70's and 80's....
The reasons for the decline, especially the tribes, is a highly charged issue, and If we are going to discuss that let's start a different thread. Thats why I avoided the issue of "why" the declines in the first place.

[Ron S]

Hey folks, hope you don't mind a California tourist stickin' his nose in...I was just curious as to what types of spearguns you guys use up there? I'm partial to my 75cm euro, but I'd heard the heavier guns like JBL's and Biller's were more popular up there.
Thanks,
Ron.

[Kevin Casey]

I have a Biller and a Sea Hornet.

The longer Biller I got for the Florida Middle Grounds trips I've been going on, and hope to again. I'd love to go to California and hunt some, its a lot closer and drivable.....

I generally hunt with the Sea Hornet here...its a bit shorter, (48"), and I use a tethered shaft exclusively. I've taken it to SE Alaska, (Sitka) and used it there too. That's a lot of fun, but about 38'F-42'F in the winter, 6' - 8'F colder then Puget Sound. The best place to hunt around here is out in Neah Bay, the most north west tip of the state. Just about any diving you would do up here, your exposure suit would be bulky enough to where you need some good technique and flexibility and strength to band up. It takes practice!

The only real game fish up here are Ling Cod and Black Rock Fish. There are other species, but they aren't worth much. You would loose your shafts if you free shafted much up here.

I definately want to go after a halibut sometime. Up here, they would tech dives...

[Ron S]

Hey thanks for the info. A buddy of mine just moved to Idaho for a new job. He checked with a local dive club and they said they do all their spearfishing in Washington. I didn't know what was up there, and he's used to diving from Fort Brag down to the Channel Islands.
Yep, cold water does change the rules a bit. I've loaded my gun a few times wearing a DUI drysuit and DUI undergarment. Nothing like a nice thin wetsuit.
I gotta get up that way and dive someday.
Ron.

[Kevin Casey]

Well....if the SeaHawks don't beat Dallas tomorrow, everybody will be hunting for SeaChickens!