Northwest Fishing Reports

Hey everybody. My name is Hunter. Im new here to the forum, but been living in Washington for about 3 years in Kitsap County. I'm originally from Southeast Louisiana so I LOVE to fish for largemouth. I been looking at getting a bass boat about 17-21' in pretty decent shape. If anyone knows of anything please let me know. Is it worth getting a boat to fish for Bass/Crappie around here or pierce county? I have done some shore fishing but all I have caught was some trout, kind of an easy catch too. Any help would be appreciated. I sold my Hydrasport to my dad when I moved here and Im ready to back into it!

Hunter

Welcome to the site.I live in the same area as you so if you ever want to hit the water let me know.Just drop me a PM.

BayouBlue wrote:Hey everybody. My name is Hunter. Im new here to the forum, but been living in Washington for about 3 years in Kitsap County. I'm originally from Southeast Louisiana so I LOVE to fish for largemouth. I been looking at getting a bass boat about 17-21' in pretty decent shape. If anyone knows of anything please let me know. Is it worth getting a boat to fish for Bass/Crappie around here or pierce county? I have done some shore fishing but all I have caught was some trout, kind of an easy catch too. Any help would be appreciated. I sold my Hydrasport to my dad when I moved here and Im ready to back into it!

Hunter

First, welcome. Second - are you kidding??? Of course it's worth getting a boat. Fish arethe perfect excuse for a new boat.

well yes of course but I just don't know how big largemouth fishing is around here. I don't want to have to hook up and drive 100 miles everytime I want to go catch some Bass. I've tried in wildcat lake and some of the local spots around here but all I keep getting is trout.

Welcome Bayou, Trust me you won't be diappointed with the bass out here. I too am not from here and being from Oklahoma where bass, catfish and crappie are the trophy catch it was a shock to go places here and pull out very decent bass. I'm not to sure about your area but around here at Ft. Lewis there is American lake, Spanaway and sequilitchew that make for a fun day out on the water. A boat would of course be ideal so I would recommend starting the search for what your looking for becuase with the crazy spring weather we have had here in the next couple weeks the bass are hopefully going to start making more of an apperance with the warmer weather ahead of us.
So welcome to the site and good luck!

BayouBlue wrote:well yes of course but I just don't know how big largemouth fishing is around here. I don't want to have to hook up and drive 100 miles everytime I want to go catch some Bass. I've tried in wildcat lake and some of the local spots around here but all I keep getting is trout.

OK, well just about every lake has smallmouth in it and many have largemouth. You will have no proble fishing lots of lakes closer than 100 miles. The lake descriptions will usually (not always) tell you if there are small or largemouth bass available. Good luck and send us some reports!

Welcome. Absolutely get a boat! There are tons of lakes in this state, and all if not most offer a species for everyone. Lots of great folks here who are happy to help in whatever way they can. Good to have you aboard.

Dave

As someone who just got back into fishing in 2007 for the Salmon runs, and just bought my first boat this year I think I can convince you into getting a boat! =]

After decided that we (my girlfriend and myself) wanted to get a boat we immediately started looking at craigslist.org. Our fishing mentor (her father, who has had a few boats) gave us a good idea for what types of boats to look for and what we should expect in quality and price. In the course of a month we looked at hundreds of posts and look at about a dozen we were really interested in.

Having the knowledge of what we wanted, and spending a month looking at EVERY ad that met our needs (and sometimes a few outside of our price just for fun), we learned tons about boats before we even had one. In the end we got an excellent boat at a great deal, our mentor was probably more excited than us. The boat is a 1997 12ft aluminum with a 2002 15hp johnson and a 30lb minnkota. We have taken it on lake washington and potholes, and recently discovered numerous lakes within 10-20 minutes from out house that we have started visiting. The smaller local lakes require that we unmount the gas motor, but it is well worth it.

It is not a "bass" boat, but probably the most versatile setup we can imagine for the region. The only downside is hitting big current or wake from bigger boats (lake washington, potholes), but you get used to it. For under 3 grand, it's well worth every penny and minute we've put into owning it.

BayouBlue wrote:Hey everybody. My name is Hunter. Im new here to the forum, but been living in Washington for about 3 years in Kitsap County. I'm originally from Southeast Louisiana so I LOVE to fish for largemouth. I been looking at getting a bass boat about 17-21' in pretty decent shape. If anyone knows of anything please let me know. Is it worth getting a boat to fish for Bass/Crappie around here or pierce county? I have done some shore fishing but all I have caught was some trout, kind of an easy catch too. Any help would be appreciated. I sold my Hydrasport to my dad when I moved here and Im ready to back into it!

Hunter

What up Hunter? Welcome to the big family. I too am in the area and an avid bass angler. Hit me up via PM and we can get out and I'll show you around here to get your hopes back up. Their are plenty of lakes around here to keep your bass addiction healthy. A boat is a great idea for around here with the limited shore access to these lakes. Consider a small boat so your not limiting yourself to just the larger waters. If you plan on fishing just around this area, keep it simple. A ton of lakes that you won't even be able to get a 17' boat into are some of the best producing LMB fisheries around. Get a nice boat for sure, but also consider a smaller boat for ponds and a pontoon or float tube. Hope to get out with ya soon. I will most likely be out this week and weekend if you want to meet up.



fishnislife

Yes, a boat is worth it. Many places have limited shore access, and with the pressure our lakes receive, the fishing is usually pretty poor from public access spots. Not always, but many times this is the case.


You are obviously cautious about buying a boat, and for good reason, with gas prices and the way the economy is looking, it's a slow time for people selling boats. You can find a great boat on craigslist if you spend some time looking everyday and keeping patient, you can find a good deal. A 12-14 foot aluminum V-hull or Jon boat is a popular "first boat." 10-15hp gas motor, electric motor and some accessories and you are good to do. Trailer is definitely a great thing to have too....That setup is real friendly on gas, can get you and a buddy (or two) out on the water, and even out on the salt on a calm day. fishnislife is right. No need to go huge. Unless you plan on fishing Lake Washington or Sammamish regularly, no need to go over 16-17 feet for most of our local lakes. Something with a motor you can take on and off is nice, for those small 100 acre lakes that don't permit gas motors....

Use the money you save not going big on a boat to get a relatively new/lightly used or brand new boat with a 4 stroke motor and some good accessories.
I fish off this, have taken it many miles out in the saltwater in Area 9, Lake Washington, Sammamish, and quite a few smaller local lakes (150 acres or less)
06 Lund WC 12, 06 Yamaha 15 horse, 06 Minn Kota 30lb thrust, Fish Eagle 245 DS fishfinder, Scotty 1050 DR's with a clamp mount....Does the trick for bass, trout, salmon, bottomfish, panfish, and is real light on gas. Not to mention you could easily pull it with a sedan if it had a trailer hitch...No need for a big SUV or pickup with this setup...Can run it all weekend out in the salt going full board or trolling and won't have to fill that 6 gallon portable tank all weekend if it starts full...