Marine Area 13

Point Fosdick

"Where are those boats going Dad?"

　　 On a very cold and clear morning in October days before the twentieth century was almost behind us, I can remember my 5-year old daughter, Amber and I bundled up tight, full of hot cocoa, and laughing about the visible breath escaping our mouths. Had it not been for the early morning tide shift before sunrise, we would have still been in bed waiting for the sun to arrive. On this day, even the propane heater had a steady strain of mist spouting out to which my daughter said, "Look Dad, even the heater is cold!" Kids... they say some wonderful things that we'll never forget!

　　 The morning was still dark as twilight seem to awaken from behind the Cascades offering a promise of what the day would bring. The navigation lights were still on and both downrigger balls were down along the bottom in shallow water conjuring up what we would hope to soon signal topside.　 About 20-minutes into our troll following the tide out into the Narrows, the first fish rocked the starboard rod and was quickly netted. A scrappy 5-pound blackmouth fell for a triple glow B2 Squid. With our gear out of the water, I decided to head back to our original starting point and fish the same depth- the 50 foot contour.

　　 During the troll out and towards the Narrows, both Amber and I noticed quite a few fishing boats leaving Narrows Marina heading north. "Where are those boats going Dad?" she asked. Replying quickly, "I imagine they are going to Point Defiance." When a child starts asking questions at the age of 5, it usually leads to dozens of other questions closely related... "Where's Point Defiance?" "How far is it?" Etc... However, our impromptu game of 21-questions came to an abrupt end as the second fish of the morning came crashing out of the water- a coho and a nice one at that! I grabbed the rod out of the holder and hit the buttons on the downriggers to start retrieving the weights. Lowering the rod to Amber's height, she grabbed the rod and started reeling like mad! She fought the fish like any young child pro angler would do- dad helping with holding the rod and her cranking like crazy! With solid team work we netted a beautiful 12-pound coho.

　　 By 9AM that morning we managed to limit the boat with 3- blackmouth and 1-coho. With my daughter's original question in my thoughts, the amount of fishing boats that either left Narrows Marina or passed us and headed north was surprising. Unquestionably the lore of Point Defiance must have been a factor in their decision to fish north. Perhaps there is a lack of knowledge of the area or people don't realize there's quality fishing a lot closer than they think... and without the crowds!

　　 Your first shot at quality fishing in Marine Area 13 (MA13) is approximately 1.1NM (nautical miles) SSW of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge- Point Fosdick. Blackmouth is my primary target during October into early December. There are generally quite a few 5-8 pound "blackies" available for anglers willing to fish here. As a bonus, I have caught a lot of late returning coho and a few early chum over the years while targeting blackmouth in October.　　

　　 The end of April signals the first returning fish, affectionately known as "Springers" (White River stock), to the area and they pass Point Fosdick on their way to the Minter Creek hatchery. Additionally, you can count on some larger 10-15 pound blackmouth moving into Marine Area 13 following large amounts of bait starting to heavily school and feeding on huge zooplankton blooms of the South Sound. As tempting as catching a nice fresh "Springer" may seem, these fish are difficult to catch as they typically are considered "non-biters." However, Pro Staff member, Mike Callier, who has probably caught more "Minter Springers" than any man alive, has developed some pretty solid tactics that include trolling hoochies in solid white (White Knight) and solid bright green (coming soon to Captain Downriggins's) or spoons in the Cop Car or chartruese color schemes behind flashers at mid level water depths.　　 Mike will typically set the downrigger at 50 to 60 feet in the morning and 60 to 70 during the day returning to the 50 to 60 foot levels in the evening. In addition to catching "Springers" at those depths, Mike takes his fair share of blackmouth fishing these suspended depths during the morning or evening hours too. If we're running two downriggers on the boat, we fish the above depths on one side and drop the other to the bottom to target blackmouth.　 Unfortunately due to the new selective fishery regulations, all non-clipped fish must be released commencing May 1st of each year in MA13. Therefore any "Springer" that is caught, will likely be going back- even though these are hatchery fish!

　　 When May arrives it is time to leave Point Fosdick to start fishing other areas in MA13 such as Green Point and the Fox Island sand spit, the "Staircase" area off Anderson Island and Devils Head which I'll cover in separate informative articles. Another spot which can be very productive is Gibson Point during an evening's flood tide. However, in the last three years, the fish seem to be nearly non-existent here with minimal catches.

　　 Approximately July 1st the first trickle of the returning fall chinook (Minter Creek fish) enter MA13 and travel to Carr Inlet. Again passing by Point Fosdick. Because their numbers are not strong enough to specifically target these fish in the upper or middle portions of the water column, I continue to leave my gear along the bottom and troll for blackmouth. However, when I am running more than one downrigger on the boat, I bring at least one up about 20 to 25 feet from the bottom as these fish tend to run a little deeper early in the season and we do manage to boat a few early fall runs every year. You should also find some suspended blackmouth in this area on a slack tide as the bait pushes up towards the mid levels to feed. By July 15th the numbers of fall Minter Creek fish start to increase significantly and therefore can be specifically targeted off of Point Fosdick. As July comes to an end, the bulk of Deschutes and Chambers stock will start to pass by, and during this time frame, the Nisqually fish will start to show with larger numbers around the 7th to 12th of August.

With September quickly approaching, 4 to 6 pound returning coho will sporadically move into the area offering fast paced action if you happen to find and keep up with them. Most resident and returning coho travel along the beach from Point Evans (MA11)(Just north of the Tacoma Narrows bridge) to Point Fosdick on their way to points south in water less than 60-feet and are targeted not only by a few boat anglers, but gear and fly anglers from the shore.　 This stretch of beach is the main migration route for these fish with the east side of the Narrows (Tacoma side) seeing smaller numbers.　 If you want a good crack at the super-sized coho of Squaxin Island, the west side of the Narrows will be one of the best spots to catch them in MA13. It seems the closer these Squaxin fish get to the net pens, the tighter their lock jaw becomes! Trust me, very few anglers have ever came close to mastering the Squaxin fishery down south. However, they can be caught and every year I hear of at least one coho weighing over 15-pounds being caught along the "Evans to Fosdick Stretch."

　　 Coho action should be in full swing by mid September, and as an added bonus, you might pick up an early chum on it's way to the far reaches of the South Sound.　 When September closes more chum will have passed by headed to many areas south, i.e., John's and Kennedy Creeks. When the cooler weather of fall arrives it is time to repeat the fishing cycle here at Point Fosdick.

　　 Many anglers don't realize that resident coho can be fished year around provided there is not an closure for your particular Marine Area. Although rarely targeted by gear anglers, fly anglers are a common scene along the beaches in MA13 through winter into spring chasing coho averaging 12 to 14-inches in length on lighter fly tackle and fly patterns sometimes tied on hooks as small as size 14 to imitate copepods, amphipods, and euphausids.　 As an added bonus, there's also Searun Cutthroat that can be easily caught with either gear or flies in the same shallow waters as coho. Fly anglers have the advantage in late Fall through early Spring as coho will feed almost exclusively on zooplankton up until their last few months of life. It is usually mid to late May coho will shift their focus to baitfish and feed voraciously until returning to the mouths of their natal rivers or creeks.

　　 In recent years there have more and more anglers opting to target chum during October through November in the salt. The west beach lines from Point Fosdick to Gibson Point, east beach lines from the town of Steilacoom to the mouth of the Nisqually River, and the mouth of Minter Creek can offer some very fast action of the these hard fighting fish. Slow and small presentation is the name of the game if you want catch them. Schools of chums are typically very easy to find as they tend to jump a lot marking the location of the school.

Fishing:

　　 With it's geographical landfall, unique bottom contours, and strong currents from the Narrows providing a large lee around the point, many angler's first inclination would naturally place Point Fosdick as a flood tide fishery. Although Point Fosdick can be effectively fished on any tide, I have been far more consistent on the start or ending of an ebb tide as water pushes into the Narrows.　

　　 Looking closely at the bottom contours on the top chart (top of the page), you'll notice the contours out to 10-fathoms (60-feet) (light blue areas) protrude out and away from the point.　 To the southeast on the 10-fathom line (60-feet) there is a sharp curve that cuts hard to the northeast and then follows the shoreline to the Narrows Bridge. It is on this eastern side you'll encounter most of your fish as the current travels over the shallow water off the point and then over a long ledge. On the backside of this ledge is lee water that is not visible on the surface yet serves as a collection area for forage.

　　 When fishing for blackmouth at Point Fosdick in the early morning, I typical set up in shallow 50-foot water at start my first troll to the north of the point fishing across the top of the ledge. I usually don't find bait balls in this shallow water, but blackmouth in this close are usually searching for a meal and very eager to take your offering if they're present. If you didn't hit a fish, you can either pick up the gear and head back to your starting point or if you at slack water, turn out into deeper water and head into Hale Passage.

　　 Once you start hitting the 80-foot line, you'll start to notice the pronounced drop off. This typically marks the beginning of the lee area and the fish working bait balls- provided the current isn't moving too fast. If the current is moving fairly fast, I opt to head out to deeper water and find the 100-110 foot contours.

　　 On the 100-110 foot contour, you'll notice two things during this troll. (1) The bottom is somewhat irregular and keeping on these contours will be slightly more difficult. (2) At the end of the troll you'll end up more towards the middle of the Narrows. First, don't be alarmed with the irregular bottom.　　 As long as you remain within the 100-110 foot parameters you'll be fine with minimal downrigger operation. Also, it is here you'll find the first hard cut (turn) to the north towards the point and your first shot at the "meat and potatoes" in the lee and roughly midway down the backside of this ledge. Keep an sharp eye on the sonar because it can become shallow really quick if you're not paying attention to the depth. You'll discover shortly after your northern cut there will be a eastern cut heading you in a direction towards Narrows Marina. Two, if you've managed to stay within the 100-110 foot contours, keep trolling out into more open water. There's a good reason you'll want to be out here... If you've marked fish and sizeable bait balls, make another troll though the area. This will involve bringing the gear onboard and heading back to your starting point. Unfortunately, the amount of current coming of the ledge makes trolling into the tide non existent- you're not going to make any headway unless at slack tide or at the very beginning of a tide shift.

　　 Assuming the day has been less than productive, my last option at Point Fosdick will be heading to even deeper water. Having an option of fishing anywhere between 135-180 feet, I would prefer the 135-140 depth because this will follow the bottom portion of the ledge and the turn north will be less pronounced with far less current pushing you along. Now, in the last paragraph I mentioned about being in the area of of 100-110 feet.... You'll find that the water will start to shallow up to this level somewhat quickly. If you take a quick look at the surface, you should see current lines intercepting one another from the south and west. If you are close to the right spot, you should be south in the buffer zone of both currents. This spot has been a day saver on more than one occasion as numerous times large bait balls and fish have stacked up in the spot.

　　 Coho fishing along the beach from Point Evans to Point Fosdick can be fast and furious just about anytime of the year however, the majority of anglers trolling will commence in the last week of August through the first week in October along this stretch. The most common type of gear in use by trollers will be plug cut herring or filets (called spinners) behind an ounce or two of lead. However, there are numerous other types of gear or methods to that doesn't involve running the downriggers and my favorite way to catch coho is called "flatlining."

　　 Flatlining has been around the Pacific Northwest since the beginning of salmon fishing itself. In fact, Native Americans tied lures made of bone to dried vine or hemp to their paddles while traveling or searching for great schools of fish- essentially trolling for salmon.

　　 The true form of flatlining is trolling without the aid of weights however, these days an angler can confess to using up to 3-ounces of lead and still fish within the intended spirit of the method- the surface to approximately 15-feet below the surface.

　　 A myriad of hardware is used by flatliners ranging from spoons and spinners to smaller 3-inch salmon plugs; which may or may not be fished with lead. Even plug cut herring with a minimal amount of weight be considered flatlining. One of the better types of lures to troll around is just now making the flatlining scene after years of being a closely guarded secret. These plugs were devised for bass fishing before making their way into the Northwest steelhead streams and can be found under names such as: Brad's Wiggler, Wiggle Wart, Hot Shot, Hot N' Tot, Hot Lips, Fat Fish and Tadpolly.　 Each of these lures has an unique action of their own, different diving depths, and come in color selections too numerous to count. Although the selection seems endless, an angler only needs a few styles and colors in his or her arsenal. By far my favorite lure and colors has been the Brad's Wiggler in pinks, chartruese, blue/chrome, green/chrome, purples, and black. One color that is all to often overlooked in the saltwater for coho is orange.　 Orange colored lures work wonders- especially near river and creek mouth or whenever coho are milling.　

Strategies:

　　 The biggest factor in determining how to fish Point Fosdick is tides. The current here can be exceptionally strong during certain seasons and winter blackmouth time is no exception. Time of day should also be governed into the equation.

　　 Although tides do factor into my decision making, I do not consider big swings a major "I am not going fishing today" factor however, at Point Fosdick, it is almost imperative that you fish with the least amount current. This means the last hour to the first hour of the tide change. Again, I prefer the ebb side of tides because of the underwater structure here. When asked why I do not particularly like the flood I believe there is more water and structure to cover which seems to scatter the fish over a much larger area within the entrance to Hale Passage.

　　 Are we ready to fish? Given the information above I am positive an angler could head to Point Fosdick and do reasonably well however, let's fine tune a little bit. I need to cover tides and "starting points" a little further.　 Let's begin with "starting points." I consider a starting point nothing more than which depth I intend to fish first. A large portion of this decision comes from looking at the previous tide's movement. For instance if the previous tide swing was above 12-feet I would probably elect to fish deeper water than starting shallow. The reason for this is nothing more than following forage.　 Forage has a huge tendency to head to deeper water with a lack of underwater structure and/or from stronger currents and tides to seek less current for protection. Small tidal movements or areas of lee tend to bring forage a little shallower and more collective. So keep not only the new tide in mind, but look at the previous tide too. In relationship to tides and time of day. It may or may not be necessary to start your day out in deeper water and sunrise.　 As a general rule of thumb, most fish are going to be suspended or shallow very early in the morning or late evening. The reason for this being zooplankton will be closer to the surface given the low light condition.　 In turn, forage will follow and feed on the zooplankton and salmon are generally close by.　 With that, early morning or late evening anglers have an option. During the day with low light we can typically fish a little shallower too, but take a look a the tide swing... On the other hand, you may have just arrived at Point Fosdick after fishing another spot for two hours or you're on the way back to the ramp. In this case, I would more than likely be out in the deeper water first.

　　 My final thoughts on Point Fosdick blackmouth....　 Do not waste a lot of time here.　 You should know rather quickly if bait and fish are present or not. If there's good sized bait balls and your marking fish on the sonar, it may be worth an extra pass or two. If not, there's two other locations within 5-minutes to concentrate on- Wollochet Bay or Fox Point both of which are good ebb tide fisheries. However, given a choice of which spot to fish...　 Wollochet Bay for late fall/early winter and Fox Point for late winter into spring are my picks.

Coho:

　　 In my best estimate from information gathered from professionals, anglers and experience, I would place as much as 85-percent of coho heading to the South Sound traveling along the west side of the Narrows. Naturally, this migration route will be the best spot to intercept the coho and first spot you should be fishing in MA13.

　　 As previously noted, my favorite method for coho is flatlining- especially on light to medium light steelhead rods and reels. (I use a Lamiglas X10MC and Diawa Luna 253 spooled with 12-15 pound monofilament.) The reason I used this rod and reel is the ability to cast quickly and with some distance.　 It is not uncommon to see a school of coho porpoising or balling bait within medium casting distance from the boat. Additionally a longer rod will significantly help cushion the explosive bone crushing strikes you'll experience in the shallower water.

　　 Trolling typically starts close to the beach in only 12 to 15-feet of water or a depth where I can just barely make the bottom out visibly... My two reasons for starting this shallow are: (1) I feel this 12-15-foot level meets a maximum "spookiness" threshold for shore traveling coho, and (2) I can dart in and out the kelp beds with ease. With numerous lures available at my disposal, I usually start with a #5 Blue Fox Vibrax spinner in pink or chartruese and an ounce of lead or an one ounce Kastmaster spoon trolled without weight 20 to 80 feet behind the boat. When in deeper water I run the diving type plugs to avoid hang ups on the bottom or ground fish. (There's an article coming soon specifically on flatlining.) As always, troll with the tide. Some of the greatest lateral movement of tidal currents will usually be present at any period of the tide along this beach- even slack.　 Lastly, I rarely fish deeper than 40-feet here. There's truly not a need to. Most of your fish will come in water less than 30-feet.

　　 Beware of flying hardware! This stretch of beach is one of the most popular fishing beaches in the Sound. You'll find the closer you troll towards the two bridges, the more likelihood of meeting anglers fishing off the beach. There's plenty of room, but I always drift out a little further and respect their fishing space. There's plenty of room! After all, they were there first and it was me invading them. Not to mention some of those guys can cast a Buzz Bomb a country mile!

　　 Coho fishing can, and usually is, above average for anglers willing to experiment with the above techniques and lures. The strikes are nothing short of heart-stopping with short lines out the back and light to medium action steelhead rods. It provides for a great fight from an awesome fish!

　　 A last word of caution. Current regulations call for the release of "wild" coho in MA13 whereas retention of "wild" fish is acceptable in MA11.　 MA13 is defined by: "All waters south of the northern Tacoma Narrow bridge."　

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.