Neah Bay

Charts courtesy of Captn. Jack's www.capjack.com Click on any chart for a bigger view Halibut & bottomfish

Neah Bay Halibut

Neah Bay is the states best-known and top-producing areas for halibut and where the states record 288-pound flatfish was caught.

Ocean halibut fishing is a fun and rewarding challenge, best of all its an adventure and where great memories are made along with a chance of harvesting some of the best eating fish in the world!

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Fishing the inside waters of Area 4B: One of the most popular is the Garbage Dump located just to the west of Neah Bay. This area is close to shore and very popular, as it tends to be less lumpy. You can normally see the dump burning up on the hill making it easy to find fish the 300-325 ft. water. You can back into the current with your motor to slow you drift and give your bait more bottom time.

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The next inside spot that has accounted for many of my halibut is the area just west of Duncan Rock. About halfway between the Canadian boundary line and Duncan Rock the bottom comes up to about 300 ft. You will need to work the tide and wind and hang tough but you can land some nice halibut here if you put in your time.

Offshore Locations: The blue water is where most of the halibut action takes place. The most fished areas are Swiftsure, 72 square, and the US or Canadian Blue Dot along with many other locations that reside on secret GPS logs.

Swiftsure is the shorter run about 10-14 miles west of Cape Flattery.
This is big water and there are NO landmarks out here. You will need a good GPS unit to find these locations, I prefer the Lowrance X-16 loaded with a Navionics chart number CA143S16. This gives you a marine chart of the area with all the top halibut haunts with your location presented on it. You should also have a VHF radio so if you have a problem you can call the Coast Guard and it will allow you to monitor the weather, which can change quickly on the ocean. If its your first trip here take a charter its the quick way to see how things work.

Tides: Tides are the key factor when planning a trip to Neah Bay. The less water movement the better the fishing will be, not that you cant catch halibut on a bigger tide change, its just a shorter window and you have to use a lot more lead to stay in contact with the bottom. I look for day with slow current change, normally the fishing will be good all day.

Tackle: I have a couple of setups I prefer for halibut. I use a G. Loomis SWR72-50C rod with a Penn 330GTI reel. The reel is loaded with 50 lb. Power Pro no stretch line. This is my light setup for fishing shallow water and lighter tackle with jigs.

My no nonsense outfit is a G. Loomis SWR72-80C. This has a Penn 340GTI reel with a Precision Auto Reel from Fish-NG products (252-353-8777). This electric reel plugs into my Scotty Downrigger connection for power and makes reeling in big flaties from 400-500 ft a dream and checking your bait when the dogfish are around a lot less painful on the back. This reel is loaded with 80 lb. Power Pro.

Spreader Bars with large horse herring (purple or black label) are the standard bait for flaties. I rig them with a 20 inches of 50-lb. mono shock leader from a ball bearing swivel to the spreader bar coming from the Tuff Line XP. Hook up the herring whole so it will spin on the leader from the spreader bar. Add enough weight to stay in contact with bottom and your ready to hunt big flat fish. You can also try a little octopus tentacle it makes great bait when the herring supply runs low.

If you have an encounter with a swarm of dogfish its time to pull out the artificial jigs. Large jigs with scampi tails can really save the day when the dogs move in.

Dealing with big Halibut: These fish are big and powerful, you dont want to drag a big halibut onboard your boat without subduing it first... it can do serious damage to your boat not to mention your body!

For real large halibut I start by harpooning them with the line from the detachable head on the harpoon hooked up about 20 ft. down the line to a large scottsman float. Leave about 30 feet of line after the float then attach that to the boat cleat. After harpooning let the but wear it self out pulling on the float. What I do then is club it a few times, drag it in the boat and hog tie the tail to the head through the gills on the fish. Use gloves, the teeth are sharp. Now the halibut is safe and ready for transport. Then cut the gills and let the fish bled out. This will also make for a better eating fish.

Limits & Accommodations: There is one halibut per person limit per day for US angler. Possession limits is 2 daily limits with only one daily limit allowed on the boat.

If you acquire a Canadian license before arriving at Neah Bay you can fish the Canadian side and keep 2 halibut a day. The best way to do this is to plan a day trip and drive up to Port Angeles walk the ferry to Victoria jump in a cab to the local tackle store. Score a Canadian license then get back on the same ferry to Port Angeles. If you like to drive just across the Blaine border crossing is the Campbell River Store and they sell licenses.

Point of contact for Neah Bay fishing is John Lofquist at the new Big Salmon Resort (866-787-1900). The boat ramp and fuel dock is located next door to them. They can also set you up with moorage in the new state-of-the-art tribal marina. For lodging try the Cape Motel & RV park (360-646-2250).

For charters I recommend Jambo's Sportfishing, (425-788-5955). Neah Bay is great place to spend some quality time fishing, the views of the farthest northwestern point of Washington alone are worth the trip. Besides halibut fishing Neah Bay has top-notch bottom fishing for lingcod, sea bass and many other great eating bottom dwellers.

Anglers heading up after May 25th can score the early king salmon opener followed shortly by the summer coho run.

Salmon University Staff