Tuna Talk

I'm in for the drive..( except for the wives part - lol ) From Vancouver area, Westport is an easy 5.5 hr trip - freeway except for last 20 miles
I believe the catch is clearing customs via boat - need nexus pass or must check-in at a port with customs staff?
The locals from LaPush that I talked to, do not fish the JDF canyon typically... they head more south (210 out of LaPush) see area south west of 'naval exercise area' - unnamed canyon - http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/18480.shtml
Last year when I watched the temp lines, this area seemed to have breaks closer to shore...
 
Drove down to WP from victoria in the fall via Port Angeles ferry. Not a bad trip at all, can't remember how long it took us though
 
harper44 said:
Hey seadna, do you know if they sell live bait in La Push?
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I guess the question's already been answered but no. To my knowledge, the only good sources of live bait are Westport and Ilwaco. I'd love to give the live bait thing a try also but first have to get a good bait tank on the boat. I know I can jig up plenty of live bait just sitting in the marina at Neah Bay so I might give it a try this year if I get a good bait tank going. I can probably pay the native kids to jig some up for me if I want a higher throughput operation for bait. I still need to get to the boat and fix the raw water wash down pump. It lasted for all of one season. Maybe I'll throw a spare one on there in parallel and put it a T to route it to the yet to be purchased bait tank.
 
Sculpin...can you post a few pictures of the home made bait tank Goatram built?

It was news to me but there are several variables in keeping healthy bait in the tank. Lights, proper circulation, aeration, and volume of flow per volume of tank are just some of them...but I recall quite a list to keep your bait alive all day. If you have pour tank conditions you will end up with expensive chum, and that's about it.
 
tykkyt e blue said:
I went to LaPush for the first time last year. Excellent marina and a credit card self serve all hours fuel dock! ( $12 per nite any size boat! water, power, the works ) Boat fuel was $4.35/gal last year, so about $1.13/ litre
Ice was cheap, nice resort a block away, groceries/liquor/license in Forks 14 miles away. I was allowed to park truck/camper in marina lot and camped for free! - 20' from the gangway to the dock. US Coast Guard station is also there, AND their VHF tower is over 500' tall on top of a knoll ( google 'Rescue 21' ). They can receive signals from 80 miles out
The marina is in the estuary of the Quileutte river so no way to have live bait. Other than that... I thought it was ideal
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Getting to La Push...coming from Vancouver did you take the ferry from Whidbey Island or did you drive another way? Would it be almost faster to drive to Westport?



Live the life you love. Love the life you live.
 
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To Lapush, I took the ferry from Whidbey Is. ( Coupeville ) to PortTownsend - CHEEP! $65 for overheight to 50'. Including the 30 min ferry and a 20 min wait time, the trip took me 6hrs w Dually truck, 11' camper and 23' boat ( 18,000lbs ) Whidbey Is. and the drive to Port Angeles is nice, scenic and smooth pavement.
Different trip to just Westport, driving my car, I-5 to Olympia, Hwy 12 to Aberdeen, then Westport took just under 5.5 hrs. ... and you have to drive the $#%^# show thru Seattle and Tacoma and bump your way over all the ground concrete.
You could go either way and the Aberdeen route skips any ferry time/fare but it doesn't suit my temperment - ha
 
So here is the question, and forgive me if this has been covered earlier in this thread. Is there any appetite for a small group of BC boats to trailer down to either La Push or Westport for a day or two of tuna fishing? We would go as a group and stick together for the safety factor. It seems to me that it is far cheaper to travel with boat and camper to the Washington coastline from Vancouver as compared to Bamfield or Tofino. My truck with camper plus boat and trailer on BC Ferries cost me just under $500 last summer to travel from Tsawwassen to Nanaimo, and then you have all the driving to do on top of that.

Just a thought...
 
Long time lurker, new member as of today though to try and offer some help.

For those wanting more info about La Push & Westport, I can help somewhat with what you have asked already.

Live bait, Westport is where you want to be for reliable all the time bait, with bait being your main source of catching tuna from early to mid August on.

La Push does not have any bait pens but there is talk about doing it. Anchovies show up every year in the marina so I doubt salinization levels would be problem.

Ilwalco does have bait pens but they can be tough early on with a big snow melt. The OTC almost had to truck some in a year or so ago because of high fresh water levels killing anything they put in the pens.

La Push has killer bottom fishing and a nothing bar, but is closed in more than 120 feet of water so get your regs and make sure you know where to go, or not.

Westport's bar is not to be ignored, but they have lots of room in the marina for transient moorage. Bottom fishing is OK at Westport but you have to motor a ways north to find any real good fishing. Lot more services available in Westport than La Push, but Forks is only a half hour away.

One last thing, the picture in my avatar is from the 1st Beach campground at La Push, right on the water, simply breathtaking when the weather permits.

If you have some questions that you would like to have answered, post them up or send me a PM.

WD.
 
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Glaciertim said:
So here is the question, and forgive me if this has been covered earlier in this thread. Is there any appetite for a small group of BC boats to trailer down to either La Push or Westport for a day or two of tuna fishing? We would go as a group and stick together for the safety factor. It seems to me that it is far cheaper to travel with boat and camper to the Washington coastline from Vancouver as compared to Bamfield or Tofino. My truck with camper plus boat and trailer on BC Ferries cost me just under $500 last summer to travel from Tsawwassen to Nanaimo, and then you have all the driving to do on top of that.

Just a thought...
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I like the way you think, but there many other factors involved. Your 2 day plan could leave you at the launch if the weather is bad and bar conditions are restricted to only larger vessels. You have a substantial drive with your baby in tow, always nerve racking. Not to mention the fuel bill.

Here's what I suggest. Actually here is what I do myself..I own a 26 north river offshore and it is more than enough boat to do the tuna thing. 3 Hours trailering puts me in Westport, but with all the rigging, trolling rods, reels, bait rods, casting rods, tuna clones, swim baits, surface irons yada, yada, etc.......That's a pretty big investment in a fishery where I can get a years worth of fish going out on a one day charter boat. I have buddies that are hardcore and love to go even though they may have a couple freezers and their pantry stuffed full. Careful there, as it has been known to turn into a severe addiction to some. Ha Ha Ha.and yes I do occasionally go on a friends sport boat for tuna, but of course I prefer the 56' charter boat with me and 9 of my friends all having a blast.

Last year I did a day trip in September on a charter out of Ilwaco. It was $350 per person. 10 of us caught 147 tuna by noon. We gave the crew 17 fish and we each took home 13 tuna that were 15 to 25 pounds. That was a great day, but even on the slower days an average haul is 6 to 9 fish per person. That's a huge pile of tuna loins that gets me well thru the winter and into the next tuna season.

The charter boat is a much more comfortable ride than my boat on lumpy days, not sure why, but maybe because it is 56' with a 18' beam (Pacific Dream)........Oh, did I mention they always have the best live bait and 10 customers on a boat means there will be 10 scoops of live anchovies in the bait tank........enough to create feeding frenzies that no recreational boat with 1 scoop of bait could do............Oh yeah, they do the driving so you can drink and have fun and relax. That's my favorite part.

Both Ilwaco and Westport have Tuna charters boats, most accomidate 8 to 12 anglers per trip.. Might be worth a look. pacificsalmoncharters.com (ilwaco) not sure what the contact is for the Westport charter boats. Maybe Ken could answer that one.
 
blackvelvet said:
I like the way you think, but there many other factors involved. Your 2 day plan could leave you at the launch if the weather is bad and bar conditions are restricted to only larger vessels. You have a substantial drive with your baby in tow, always nerve racking. Not to mention the fuel bill.

Here's what I suggest. Actually here is what I do myself..I own a 26 north river offshore and it is more than enough boat to do the tuna thing. 3 Hours trailering puts me in Westport, but with all the rigging, trolling rods, reels, bait rods, casting rods, tuna clones, swim baits, surface irons yada, yada, etc.......That's a pretty big investment in a fishery where I can get a years worth of fish going out on a one day charter boat. I have buddies that are hardcore and love to go even though they may have a couple freezers and their pantry stuffed full. Careful there, as it has been known to turn into a severe addiction to some. Ha Ha Ha.and yes I do occasionally go on a friends sport boat for tuna, but of course I prefer the 56' charter boat with me and 9 of my friends all having a blast.

Last year I did a day trip in September on a charter out of Ilwaco. It was $350 per person. 10 of us caught 147 tuna by noon. We gave the crew 17 fish and we each took home 13 tuna that were 15 to 25 pounds. That was a great day, but even on the slower days an average haul is 6 to 9 fish per person. That's a huge pile of tuna loins that gets me well thru the winter and into the next tuna season.

The charter boat is a much more comfortable ride than my boat on lumpy days, not sure why, but maybe because it is 56' with a 18' beam (Pacific Dream)........Oh, did I mention they always have the best live bait and 10 customers on a boat means there will be 10 scoops of live anchovies in the bait tank........enough to create feeding frenzies that no recreational boat with 1 scoop of bait could do............Oh yeah, they do the driving so you can drink and have fun and relax. That's my favorite part.

Both Ilwaco and Westport have Tuna charters boats, most accomidate 8 to 12 anglers per trip.. Might be worth a look. pacificsalmoncharters.com (ilwaco) not sure what the contact is for the Westport charter boats. Maybe Ken could answer that one.
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I already can't wait to go, Ted!!

I know I'll be ruined forever
 
It's gonna be a real adventure as I've never gone on this type of trip with the big boat.
 
Most of the better Westport charters are already booked for the season if you want a weekend trip, more flexibility if you can take an early or mid week charter trip week.

Here is a link for the Westport Charter Boat Association that lists ALL of the WP boats and contact numbers:

http://charterwestport.com/booking.html

If you only have two days, I like Ted's, Blackvelvet's idea, as you will get a lot more fish for the money but if you had a week or more to burn I wouldn't blink an eye coming down to WP anytime from August 1st on.

If you decide to come the first weekend in August, the WTC will be in town and you will have some serious good intel after the tournament is over as there should be 50 plus teams fishing the event this year.

Hope this helps, just ask if you need more.

WD.
 
What gives, I made a post last night to add more info and it was flagged for moderator approval????

Still not here in the AM.

WD.
 
WaveDancer said:
What gives, I made a post last night to add more info and it was flagged for moderator approval????

Still not here in the AM.
WD.
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Canadian Homeland security-You may be a Yankee subversive trying to suborn our expensive way of life and entice us south of the border for cheaper Tuna fishing!!! LOL

WD.[/QUOTE]
 
Ok. I'm tying up some tackle this week and I just went over some stuff with Tidal Chaos this afternoon (he's going to give er a whirl this year). This meeting got the tooners on the mind again lol.

Let's talk leader length and poundage.

Most of my original sets were 10' leaders with 200 lb mono for grabbing and flipping into the boat.

I am going to downsize to 100# mono leaders but want to shorten them up. What length should I go with for main rods? what length should I go with for behind rabbits or splash boats?

On a side note. I know you have to run heavier than 50# leaders on your handlines if your using Xraps. I shacked two off last year because that is all I had on board at the time. Two lost fish and 38 bucks worth of tackle gone just like that lol.

Cheers,
Sculpin
 
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If there is a group heading down for a charter trip and you need people I would definitely be into going.
 
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