Westport Jetty Fishing Report May 12

A quick afternoon trip to the Westport Jetty

Early in the year I was a fishing hiatus, lately it has been more of a fishing bender. I arrived at Westport a few days ago to play deckhand on the charter boat Reel Elite. I’ve had two solid days of offshore fishing, but I just couldn’t get enough. I decided to dedicate a few hours to fish the Westport Jetty this morning. I wouldn’t be able to get all geared up to hit the max flood tide, but I still was eager to go wet a line. The weather was absolutely beautiful, sunscreen was mandatory today!

Travelling light on the jetty hike

I grabbed my light pack with a few essentials and a fishing rod. I was ready to test my luck. It was almost a year since I last fished at the south jetty at Westhaven State Park, and probably two years since before that. I used to consider myself a regular here, and in my younger years have spent many days working the rocks for Lingcod and Rockfish. Westport’s jetty is one of the best places on the West Coast to shore fish for bottom fish.

Equipment: 9’ medium action spinning rod. Spinning reel with 30 pound braided line that has 4′ of 20 pound mono at the end of it.

Tackle: 1 ounce jigheads and Berkley Gulp 6” grubs, New Penny, White Glow & Nuclear Chicken. Boom!

Right place wrong tide

I arrived right after the tide change. As Grays Harbor emptied, it created a ripping current along the bayside of the jetty. I peered from atop the jetty to see what looked like a fast flowing river. Not fishing that side. So I went to check out the ocean side and found that while the tide was most surely going out, the current wasn’t nearly as fast. Current not ripping: good. Swells on the Oceanside small & safe: also good. Not a fisherman in sight: even better.

Mixed bag of Lingcod, Greenling and Cabezon

The water was clear and I worked my lures around the large underwater boulders of the jetty for about 100 feet. Numerous grabs, numerous rocks snagged as well. I hooked into two Lingcod. I got the first Lingcod to the surface and it thrashed and came off the hook before I could grab it. The second darted out from a rock ledge below where I was standing, swatted at my lure just below the surface, and I just couldn’t get a good hook set in before it gave a few headshakes and was free.I caught two smaller Cabezon and a nice Greenling that I released. In all honesty, I was searching for Lingcod and Black Rockfish, but I guess for an hours worth of fishing, I will take what I can get. I did hook two Lingcod, but both won the battle. I still consider the few hours out there a success and oh yes, I will be back.