If you really, truly, want to boat a blackmouth this winter, you’ve got to go to the San Juan Islands. And arguably the most consistent producer this season in the islands has been, and probably still is, the Tide Point/Eagle Bluff area on the west — Rosario Strait — side of Cypress Island. And the fish are big this winter, according to Stuart Forst at Holiday Sports in Burlington (360-757-4361). The area put out at least three chinook from the high teens to the 20-pound range over the weekend, Forst said, along with several smaller fish.
“There have been a lot of mid-teen blackmouth caught there all winter,” he said.
Troll the “eddy” side of Tide Point, “down current,” south of the point on the outgoing tide and north of the point on the incoming tide. Plug-cut herring would be a good choice, particularly for larger fish, but the “Irish cream” color pattern in either the Kingfisher or Coho Killer spoons, behind a flasher, also has been popular.
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