Bottom fishing in Netarts bay

[fishhead]

Is the bottom fishing very good in Netarts bay? I have heard there are flounder and rockfish.

 

[Born2Fish55]

Is the bottom fishing very good in Netarts bay? I have heard there are flounder and rockfish.

I have caught small ones off of and around the boat launch and out by the mouth. Not large numbers either, but they are there.

 

[Born2Fish55]

Outside Netarts....

Outside Netarts....

I was just thinking about bottom fishing at Netarts again.. I do know a spot or spots where I have taken good numbers of fish in the past. I have even taken a quite a few Salmon from time to time.
The location is the North side of the channel as Netarts flows into the Ocean... BUT it can be rough... it can be brutal... it can be downright dangerous... and can turn from good to bad quickly should the right weather system and tides be in effect!
If you call up 'GoogleMap' and pan over almost straight below Capes Point... draw a line down to the breaker line of the South point from the 'Creek' egress from the treeline.... follow that out and you will see both a dark blue and a darker blue.... that is where the fish are... problem is getting your bait out there.... I can do it with my 16' surf rod... using a Cannon Breakaway line release off of Large arbor Spinning Reel..... and standing waist deep or better in the current.... It takes a paced release to propel the bait out there.... the whole thing is well worth it IF the fish are in..... if you cast short, you will be the 'King' of the crabs and Sculpins... also plan on a really good harvest of 'Cabbage' out there, as you will be fishing in the fringe of a very productive Kelp bed.
Where a PFD if you attempt this... carry your extra gear in a belt or backpack... have a floating stringer (with a breakaway) to keep your catch away from you.

 

[Shallowbay]

Netarts surf fishing

Netarts surf fishing

I am not sure what part of Netarts I was at, it was by a jettie and pretty crowded with people and a few crab boaters ... but I had a few bites. Caught the moster in the pic and a bunch of crab. I was using sand shrimp and it seemed to be like crack to the crabs. Of course you don't know it's a crab till you bring it in, but those little buggers put up a hell of a fight. Anybody got any better ideas for bait for fishing the surf that maybe the crabs wouldn't go for as much? Maybe fish like anchovies or something like that? Not much of a ocean fisherman, but it would be fun in the future to try again. Thanks!


-Shallowbay

 

[Born2Fish55]

Lure vs. Bait..

Lure vs. Bait..

Since talking with the 'East Coast' lads, I've been flinging lures into the surf... seems to work well once I figured out how to get them out and down quick enough to reach the fish. Bright colored Spinners and Spoons tossed out there have been getting a lot of hits from some nice fish. Jigs also work well from what I've been seeing so far. Still in the experimental stage with plugs, but now have three nice fish that came home for dinner... two Black Rock Bass and a Flounder... Yes, a Flounder hit a surface lure... I'm still having a hard time believing it.
Good news is that I haven't had any problems with crabs when using lures that have been 'tipped' with Squid.

 

[Shallowbay]

Re: Bottom fishing in Netarts bay

I would have never thought to use a lure in surf fishing, but hey I bet it catches their eye, because they are not used to seeing it like freshwater fish are. Plus I would imagine that surf/ocean fish don't have the stress of tons of fisherman trying to snag them like lake or river fish do. Thanks for the advise and I will try that out next time!


-Shallowbay