In the days before GPS (Global Positioning System) many boat owners didn’t own a compass to navigate the fog banks of the Tacoma area.  I was no different.   As a young teenager adding a compass the boat on my paper route income was out of the question.  Spending money on unnecessary equipment (or so I thought as a youngster) replaced gas money for the tank or a little fun with the gals at the skating rink during the weekend.  Not to mention I am sure I would have eventually broke the darn thing as room was a premium in the old Klamath, and swinging a “meatline” onboard with 5 or 6 pounds of weight is a good combination for disaster. To navigate, I mostly went off instincts hanging close to the Point Defiance shoreline; however, in order to make the trip to the southern end of Vashon Island the safest route was following in the wake of the Tacoma/Vashon ferry.  Not only did the displacement of the ferry make for a smooth trip, but the ferry was never off course!  Once the ferry docked or landfall was visible I could the face the boat towards North Tacoma (Brown’s Point) or Point Dalco, drop the gear, and start fishing.

Having briefly covered Neill Point in the Quartermaster Harbor article, let’s take a look at the stretch between Neill Point and Point Dalco located on the south end of Vashon Island.  I’ll focus mainly on the waters off Neill Point, but please keep in mind the entire stretch between the two points can be productive, and the opportunity to cover this stretch presents itself in this article.

Strategies for blackmouth

A short straight-shot run from the launches at Point Defiance puts you in what I consider the some most productive blackmouth waters within Marine Area 11.  Every year several fish are added to my punch card from this location and it is first spot I’ll send someone wanting to learn how to catch blackmouth in the Tacoma area.  Why?  Great structure and ample amounts of bait equals fish!  Couple this with a lot less angling pressure and the blackmouth newcomer can concentrate on operating the boat and gear- without dodging other boats in the area.  Not to mention… having a very reasonable shot a catching fish.

The angler has a couple of trolling options depending on time of year. For fall/winter blackmouth, more specifically the last two weeks of December and the February re-opener, I prefer to start at the south end of Neill Point and work around the point’s contours covering different depths. The chief reason for this is the amount of pre-spawn or post-spawn herring I can expect to encounter regardless of the tide. Additionally, if I am not finding the bait on the south end of the island, I can focus on Quartermaster’s outer harbor as an option.

During the fall and winter months my first drop at first light is always in the 60 to 70-feet water depths unless the tide is in the middle of a 9-foot plus swing. For some reason the bait holds fairly tight to the beach very early in the mornings on slower tide swings, and these depths can be fished entirely around the point into the outer harbor area with minimal work on the helm. If your first drop of the morning is in the middle of a larger tie swing, the bait will be out a little deeper and the same trolling route around the point can be followed starting in the 90 to 100-foot range.

As morning progresses the bait travels to deeper water rather quickly. Therefore, it is possible you may not locate any sizeable concentrations of bait within the 80 to 120-foot depths and end up wondering where the bait went. If you’re not locating bait at these depths I recommend immediately heading out in to the deeper water (130-feet plus) and working different depths until the bait and fish are located.  It is these depths where the structure and current appears to pin the bait against the southern edges of the drop-off during the mid tide periods.

Best Times To Fish

It would be hard to point out which months are best because the fish move in and out of the area often.  However, some months seem to provide more action than others regardless of the tides as noted below.

The end of November starts the beginning of some wonderful blackmouth fishing in the area. The action will continue to pick-up through December as pre-spawning herring congregate in the immediate waters. The last two weeks of December can provide fast and furious action with correctly presented gear around Neill Point and the waters of Quartermaster’s outer harbor. 

The action continues in February for those willing to brave to cold and wet weather of winter.  Follow the aforementioned guidance on trolling patterns and depths you should be in business with a feisty “blackie” for the evening’s dinner!

March presents some rather unique opportunities.  Considered the poorest month to fish in the Tacoma area by many old timers, the blackmouth are still available for those willing to explore abyssal depths.  If history repeats itself I haven’t caught a fish in less than 130-feet of water in March- not for the lack of trying.  In fact, the majority of my fish during March have been caught in waters depths of 150-feet or more with an average depths of 170 to 190-feet providing most of the action.  Additionally, there have been a few days were I couldn’t touch a fish inside of 200-feet.  In 2009, of the 11-days fished in this area, 3-fish came from water depths of over 220-feet!   Whether it's a location or the depth the forage holds- fish where the fish are!  Perhaps the reason the old-timers consider March the poorest month is an unwillingness to hand crank a meatline weight from the briny depths. 

Disclaimer:　 The above article is based solely upon the author's experiences, opinions and thoughts of nearly 35-years of fishing on Puget Sound. Although there may be some similarities with other written or electronic information available to the public, no effort has been made to copy nor plagiarize similar work submitted verbally or in writing manually, via machine or electronically.