Done with Neah

[StreamFixer]

I've been fishing Neah Bay with the gang for 5 years, but it looks like I am done. 

Neah:  Moorage $354, take it or leave it, pay all when you reserve.  Ramp marginal at best.  Lodging nearly impossible to get even when devoting the first available day in Jan. to doing so.  6.5+ hour drive both ways.  No alternatives if the weather is bad.  And the locals commenting about how successfully they commercially fished out the usually productive areas (cannot verify that, just what I heard from a local in a restaurant).

Newport:  6 fish per year, several 3 day seasons through May and June, lots of accommodations, $20 per day moorage.  Great RV park with over flow dry camp facilities.  All the RV parking on pavement with room to spare at each for your vehicle.  Lots of boat trailer parking near the launch.  What appears to be the easiest bar on the Oregon Coast north of Brookings.  Laundry, showers, bathrooms on city sewers (no back up/overflow as so often occurs at the Cape) and if the weather is bad, simply cancel room more than 24 hours in advance and don't go.  Oh, and did I mention right at 3 hours driving time from the house??

I figure I can make 3 trips to Newport (fishing for 3 halibut days each trip) for the cost of one 3 day trip (2 halibut days) to Neah.

As much as I enjoy seeing friends and acquaintances at the Arima Owner's gathering there, I will be missing from future gatherings.

StreamFixer

[Markshoreline]

Yes, it is less attractive at Neah nowadays.  The regulations have driven some of the changes for the worse and the Neah management has adjusted accordingly.  I've felt that way for a couple of years but having our guys to help each other out and have fun together has kept me going back... so far.

[BayWolf]

Someone should buy Neah!!

[HemiGTX]

SF: I have declined your request to not fish Neah. 

See you next year!

[StreamFixer]

H-GTX:  Bueno Certe with that decision.  Lots of room out of Newport if you are interested   :whistle:

StreamFixer

[Flying Arima]

Newport looks like a great place to fish! What a beautiful marina I may also give this a try next year. Neahbay is overpriced and too crowded for me this looks like it's not too much more of a drive either.

[HemiGTX]

SF: I am not familiar with this dead language you speak?

[GregE]

SF: I am not familiar with this dead language you speak?

Let me translate

Buena (good) Suerte (luck)

[rasslingref]

Food for thought SF.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[HemiGTX]

Today was a day that reminds us why we keep coming back to Neah. 

[wedocq]

Very nice! I wish I could have been out there.
-Shawn

[StreamFixer]

Very nice fish...  Nice return for your invested time & $$.  Not so much for us southerners.

StreamFixer

[Keel-er]

Russ,
You make a good argument for Newport.  It also has, in my opinion, the BEST launch facilities around, especially with the fresh water washdown after take out.  Lots of underwater structure north and south just outside the bar.  Less than half the drive time. 
Maybe the Washington guys start coming to Newport?

[GregE]

I spent some time checking out the Newport launch when I visited with 3WT on his new boat.  I hope to get down there.

As an Orygun er I've always considered WA as an interim stop- much like the many locations I 'visited' while in the Army

[Threeweight]

Dang nabbit Russ!  If there is a pack of Arima's blocking my ramp access next weekend, I'm going to leave a 6 pack of PBR and some moldy bananas in your truck!

[BayWolf]

Ummmmm.....it's only 43 minutes longer drive to Newport than to Neah!!
How is the water for a 17SC?  What's an OR license cost?

[Threeweight]

It's the open Pacific... similar conditions to Neah.  Yaquina Bay bar crossing is usually pretty tame, as long as you don't try and run it on an outgoing tide in big swells.

There is a nearshore spot off the Lighthouse that a lot of small boats fish (5-7 mile run).  Next spot is the SE corner of the Rockpile, outside the rockfish conservation exclusion zone... that is a 15 mile or so run.  Beyond that you are looking at 25-30 mile runs.  IMO, I would not fish any further than the Rockpile in a 17' or smaller Arima. 

I fished Newport many times in my old 17'.  The limiting factor is the wind, and the wind forecasts can be unreliable until you get there.  August/September are typically nice.... the May/June halibut dates are a weather crap shoot.  You don't have the option of fishing protected waters of the Straight down here... you are either on the ocean or wind-bound and crabbing the bay.

Newport's facility is really nice, but it does get crazy busy on halibut dates with nice weather.  The facility can accommodate twice as many boats as Neah, but on all-depth halibut dates with decent weather it will have twice as many people using it. 

IMO, the weather this past weekend was life threatening to a 17' or smaller Arima.  A 19' would be marginal, a 21'  or 22' ok.  Saturday was about as bad as I ever want to be out in in my Hewes.

Tillamook, further north, has more nearshore halibut opportunities.  People catch halibut while trolling for salmon just across the bar every year, then there's spots off the Bayocean Spit and up north just off the Nehalem.  But the bar crossing is much worse, and facilities are Neah-bay esque but with the aroma of 30,000 dairy cows.

[BayWolf]

Thanks TW.  The information is really helpful to know before we go! Not necessarily looking for halibut, but we would like to find black bass and lings. 

[Red 22]

"Not necessarily looking for halibut, but we would like to find black bass and lings"

3 miles south and about 1/2 mile off shore for smaller lings and limits on black bass. For larger lings run to the  sw side of the rock pile.

[Threeweight]

What Red said.  Lots of black rockfish on the south reef... short run, fun fishing (if the wind allows!)  Keeler mentioned the north reef (north of the bar)... it holds fish, but it can be dangerous as sneaker waves will randomly break on it.

Salmon can be good nearshore, but the runs are in the crapper this year down here (just like up north). 

Not sure what is up with ocean crabbing out of Newport this year.  Got to test out my new Scotty puller, which works great.  But all I pulled up were pots full of females.

[Keel-er]

Good advice by Threeweight.  That area of the coast can get crazy windy even in the summer when the northern coast is calm.  And do watch tides and swells over the structure, especially if it is foggy and limited visibility. 

[HemiGTX]

Is the OR salmon season already in swing?  Ours doesn't start for a few weeks.  I sure hope the run isn't in the crapper.  We'll know soon..

[Threeweight]

Ocean season is open for chinook, but the quota is pretty small for coho.  Chinook #'s have been weak and catch rates are poor.  Most of our central/south coast fishing is for Klamath and Sacramento River fish, both of which are in poor shape.

You guys up north get Columbia River fish in the Neah/Westport fisheries. 

Details on our ocean seasons:

http://www.dfw.state.or.us/mrp/salmon/Regulations/docs/2017_Ocean_Sport_Summary_Map.pdf

[Threeweight]

Just a little update... nasty storms last week finally cleared Friday, and Saturday was beautiful on the ocean out of Newport. 

We ran out 30 miles to the SW at 25-28 mph in the tin can, and caught a 44" and a 38" fish early, then released a couple of mid -thirty inch fish hoping for another big one.  We had a beautiful 19' Arima fishing with us for a while... thought it might be Eric so I buzzed him, but did not recognize any of the crew.

Bite went off, and we spent the next 6 hours scratching out a 3rd fish to limit the boat.  Finally had to settle for a chicken off the SE corner of the rock pile.  Ran in at 30 mph on less than 1' wind chop.

Today, the wind is back, with 3-4' wind chop and forecast to be windy through the week.  Have not heard a halibut quota update yet, so not clear how many more days are left in the spring fishery.  If folks are interested in exploring this area, watch the weather and be ready to head south if you see a 2-3 day period where the wind drops.  N or NW winds will typically be more pleasant to fish in than S. winds.

South wind usually cranks up in July, then will start to settle down again in early August.  Tuna! fishing should turn on in a couple weeks... chloro looked good Saturday, but there is no connected warm water plume for them to follow yet.

[HemiGTX]

Sounds like a great day with some really nice fish, 3WT! 

30+ mph in a light chop.  My boat is wound tight to get do that,and even then only on a millpond.  Was disappointed that you couldn't bring that boat to Neah.

Maybe we can both work on the curmudgeon who started this thread to get his mind right for next year.