Seattle Area Report, including Elliott Bay piers Options

[glen]

Try jigging for squid to heat up a cold night
By Mark Yuasa
Seattle Times staff reporter
Thursday, December 02, 2004 - Page updated at 12:00 A.M.

Link to full article

Squid jigging, which usually peaks around Thanksgiving, is heating up along many Elliott Bay piers, as well as others across Puget Sound.

"I've had quite a few guys come in to buy squid jigs, and right now it's the only good thing going on," said Jerry Beppu, owner of Linc's Tackle Shop in Seattle. "On average, the squid are slightly smaller in size than last year. But if you get into certain schools you'll find bigger ones too."

To catch them, use the technique of raising a lightweight trout rod and reel up to the 10 o'clock position, then lowering it to give the jig the look of a small injured fish.

The weighted jigs come in a variety of luminous colors. Hot pink, fluorescent green or red striped jigs are hot sellers. Others prefer to use nonweighted jigs with a one-ounce lead weight to get it down to the preferred depth.

Jigging is usually best right before and after high tide. Squid tend to feed just after dark, but fishing for them can be excellent even during daylight or early-morning hours.

The well-lit Pier 86, just off Elliott Way near the grain terminal, is by far the most popular squid-jigging area.

Piers 62 and 63, the Seattle Aquarium pier and the pier just north of it, along with the Seacrest Boathouse pier in West Seattle, are ideal places to wet a line.

Outside of Elliott Bay, Beppu says squid jigging has been decent off the Edmonds Marina pier and Les Davis pier in Tacoma.

Other places worth trying are Brownsville dock in Bremerton, Point Defiance Park Boathouse pier, Fauntleroy ferry dock, Vashon Island ferry pier, Redondo-Des Moines Marina pier, and Illahee State Park and City piers in Kitsap County....

Link to full article

[glen]

Here is a recent seattle report -

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
By GREG JOHNSTON
Published on Thursday, December 23, 2004

Squid fishing is still fair to good most nights at several piers on the sound and Elliott Bay, including Les Davis and Dash Point to the south, Des Moines, Seacrest and Terminal 85 in Seattle, and Edmonds. However, the jigging hasn't been as good as last year. "Last year was a bonanza," said Jerry Beppu at Linc's Tackle in Seattle. "This is more of a typical year."

Link to full article

[glen]

Here is a recent seattle report -

Outdoors Report: Steelhead anglers gear up for shift to wild runs
By GREG JOHNSTON
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Published on Thursday, January 27, 2005

...Squid fishing is still good most nights at piers in Tacoma to Edmonds, although many anglers are reporting mostly small squid (5-7 inchers) on Elliott Bay piers lately...

[glen]

Seattle Times
Thursday, September 29, 2005

Squid in Elliott Bay: "Still good squid jigging at Piers 86 and 54, and Des Moines pier is also doing pretty good," said Jerry Beppu, owner of Linc's Tackle Shop in Seattle.

[glen]

Here is another recent report from the Seattle Times
Thursday, December 29, 2005

Squid in Elliott Bay and Puget Sound: "Pier 86 [near the grain terminal on Elliott Bay] is one of the better bets," said Jerry Beppu, owner of Linc's Tackle Shop in Seattle. "I had a guy who fished the Edmonds pier and said he was picking up some squid, and the Des Moines and Les Davis piers should be OK, too."

Beppu also got good reports from the piers in the Bremerton area, and noted that squid jigging should remain good everywhere through next month.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/outd...271_fish29.html