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I know; “Where’s RSEAS?” Unlike Waldo I have not been haunting exotic places while blending in with the masses and the general confusion of civilization. I’ve been buried under the need to make a living and the associated travel. If I am out of the area or even the country for a week or so, I can’t very well come home and say “Hey I’m going fishing in the morning” and “By the way, I have to get on a plane Monday morning…” I am one that needs to be on the water but family and work come first so no fishing for me…

That said; when my good friend Tony (Bassplayer17) asked if I would fish the Everett Blackmouth Derby with him I had to say “I’ve got to check my schedule first.” With a little juggling I was in (although the following Monday morning I do have to fly out of the country…). Tony got our boat ticket, #003 and I started my planning. I had a plan, a backup plan and a foul weather backup plan. Not really being home much the boat and gear prep had to wait until a day or so before the big event but in the end, derby day had arrived and Tony and I met at the Everett launch around 4:00 Saturday morning. Not to be overly confident we discussed the “terms” and settled on a 50/50 split of the booty and that we would do the rotation thing with Tony being up first. Business matters settled it turned out that we were going to be going with my foul weather backup plan. In spite of a less than favorable marine forecast and even small craft advisories being two old salts we launched anyway and pointed the boat downriver towards the bay in anticipation of the unknown.

Motoring out in the dark it lumpy but the seas were surprisingly manageable. Typically when fishing the salt I have a plan and backup plan based on the tides and my gut feeling or experience with the area. Part of my plan is to arrive on-site well ahead of daylight to meter around while mentally mapping the bait activity in the area. If I don’t see any underwater life I’ll move. Saturday morning we metered around until I identified where and at what depth the scattered bait was holding while we waited for more favorable light to start fishing. Along with daylight came the wind, and lots of it but we went gear down anyway and got on with business. We started on the far northeast edge of the bar off the east side of Hat Island running in 80-90’ of water, moving out to 120’ as needed. The bait was scattered but I was thinking that as the tide started to run the bait would organize and attract our quarry. My plan was to work the north side of the east bar up to the island and back for a few runs then move if we didn’t put anything in the box. After three of four runs the box was empty so it was time to move.

We worked our way to the north side of the island or the south end of the “Race Track” and fished the east side of the bar connecting Hat and Camano Islands. The move proved to be productive, almost immediately after we got into my planned trolling pattern we got absolutely hammered. The clip popped and Tony was up. After an extended fight in a prolonged gust (BTW, I thought gusts were by definition momentary… not a 15 minute furry where the surface of the water separates and dances around the boat) we put a 7 or 8 pound blackmouth in the net. With the weather conditions we were one of the few boats working the area but ultimately had to seek calmer waters. We settled in, in front of the Hat Island Marina venturing out into the torrent to the north on each pass. We worked the area in the lee of Hat Island until there was a slight weather improvement and made a run to Camano Head arriving just ahead of a significant squall that oddly came down from the north. The move was part of my original plan but I had hoped to be able to fish the area for a couple hours before heading in for the weigh-in. With the weather delay we only had about ½ hour to work the area before we had to head back in. Fishing Camano Head we had a missed opportunity release and a second release that turned out to be a really fat shaker but our day was done and we had to head for the barn.

Throughout the day we were running my standard blackmouth gear, various 11” flashers followed by a spoon or hoochie. We also had brined herring on board to slide into the mix if we got into a bite. The hot set-up for the day and my old standby was a UV/glow/green and red stripe flasher followed by a 3.5 cookies and cream Kingfisher Light spoon. With the exception of “tailwagger” spoons, I always run spoons and hoochies on a 42” 30 pound fluorocarbon leader. I run tailwaggers on a 46” leader. Although it is less a speed thing than cable angle we were running at around 2.2 mph to 3.0. Using 12# balls I try to maintain a 30-40 degree cable angle when fishing blackmouth. I know there are many thoughts on depth but I usually set the riggers at 90’ and work the bottom contour to keep the gear on the deck. Derby day we ran one rig at 90’ and chased meter marks with the other while fishing 90-140’ of water. All our action was on the 90’ side of the boat.

With the inclement weather the day was challenging but oh so needed. We caught a few fish and had a blast. Regarding the derby, the weigh in and awards ceremony were a well run and Woody the MC was a hoot. Our fish was 7th out of around 20 fish weighed in. We got the mystery fish prize and 300 cool ones. We raised a few eyebrows but my 16’ open Lund did an admirable job with the sea conditions and wind. It turned out that the derby organizers were concerned for the safety of the smaller boats and if similar conditions exist may postpone or reschedule future events. Thanks for the invite Tony, the day was one for the record books and the company was enjoyed!

Toni

3/15/2015 7:33:00 PM

As always a nice report. Miss reading them

Idstud

3/16/2015 5:02:00 AM

Wow sounds like an exciting day on the water for sure. I too enjoy the great read of your reports. I wish you safe travels.

N E 1 FISSION

3/16/2015 3:22:00 PM

Great report, weather was not very appealing to my brother & I, way to stick it out, just out of curiosity, what was the weight of the winning fish?

bassplayer17

3/16/2015 5:45:00 PM

16#er won it

Bobber_Dogging_Gal

3/30/2015 11:08:00 AM

I am new to this site and am interested in meeting locals to fish north Snoho or Skagit county lakes, rivers or salt water activities in 8-2 Port Susan out of Warm Beach or Marysville. I do not have a salt water boat but do have a small lake boat. I have all manner of gear and am flexible. Can pitch a reasonable amount. I have a friend interested in going along. Would also like to meet people who enjoy fishing and crabbing off the Kayak Point pier. Am an early riser and able to go on the weekdays for those that can. Any tips or suggestions appreciated. Thank you and (((((Fish On))))

Ben Eggertsen

8/3/2017 10:46:14 AM

Rumor has it you have a blog. If true, how could I follow it?

Your fishing advice has been very helpful. Thanks.

Ben

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