Best sites for fish

[Histrix]

I'm new to the Seattle area, and I was wondering if anyone here has any recommendations for the best shore dives for seeing fish here? I've dove Alki Cove 2, Alki junkyard, and Three Tree so far, and although there are many nice inverts there, they did not seem to have a lot in the way of fish life. Just a menacing ling cod and an occasional rockfish here and there. Any thoughts on where to try next?

 

[puget_sound]

I would recommend Bruce Higgins Underwater Trails (aka Edmonds Underwater Park). There's always lots of fish there. If you follow Jetty Way out to Northern Lights and turn right, then head for the Cathedrals. Check them out for big Ling Cod and Cabezon. Then follow Cathedral Way out to the Triumph. You'll find Quillback Rockfish, Black Rockfish, Puget Sound Rockfish, a variety of sculpins, and perch. In addition to fishes, there are all kinds of nudibranchs, crabs, anemones. You won't be disappointed.

 

[oldsalt]

Mr. Sound is absolutely right about Edmonds. Keystone Jetty on Whidbey Island offers greenling, perch, schools of black rockfish, as well as the expected lingcod. Watch for the small things: sculpins, poachers, gobis, blennies, gunnel, tubesnouts, pipefish and flatfish. If you go there with an experienced critter finder you could well see over 20 species of fish.
Good Luck.

 

[Histrix]

Mr. Sound is absolutely right about Edmonds. Keystone Jetty on Whidbey Island offers greenling, perch, schools of black rockfish, as well as the expected lingcod. Watch for the small things: sculpins, poachers, gobis, blennies, gunnel, tubesnouts, pipefish and flatfish. If you go there with an experienced critter finder you could well see over 20 species of fish.
Good Luck.

Thanks for the info. I think I'll head out to Edmonds sometime this weekend and see what I can find. I'm definitely interested in seeing some of the smaller, more reclusive species, so this place sounds perfect.

 

[TSandM]

If you are willing to do a charter, the Pinnacle at Hood Canal is a great place for rockfish. So is the Possession Point Ferry. But I think part of the problem is that it's late winter -- the number of fish in the water at this time of year is always low. Come spring, you'll see a bunch of juvenile rockfish, schools of shiner and striped perch and tubesnouts, baitballs of herring, and many more small sculpins. I call this time of year "when the viz is fabulous and there's nothing in it to see".

 

[Histrix]

If you are willing to do a charter, the Pinnacle at Hood Canal is a great place for rockfish. So is the Possession Point Ferry. But I think part of the problem is that it's late winter -- the number of fish in the water at this time of year is always low. Come spring, you'll see a bunch of juvenile rockfish, schools of shiner and striped perch and tubesnouts, baitballs of herring, and many more small sculpins. I call this time of year "when the viz is fabulous and there's nothing in it to see".

Maybe this is what the problem is. I heard that Three Tree was supposed to be good for fish watching, but I was sort of disappointed when I dove there last weekend. Incidentally, what is the typical visibility in the sound during the spring?

 

[ADeadlierSnake]

Go night diving. All sites seem more alive at night.

 

[nw_diver]

I second Keystone. I was there on Saturday and couldn't believe how many fish there were. The Lings are so huge, Sculpins on every rock, and schools of Perch and Black Rockfish hovering in the sunlight. For a moment I thought I was in the Keys. The pilings are worth a dive to and then follow the underwater ropes and drift over to the Jetty. About midway there is a T in the rope that leads out to a submerged log. We found a little octopus hanging out there.

 

[Histrix]

Went to Edmonds yesterday and had a great time. Saw more fish and cool inverts there than I did on all of the other dives put together. Some of those lingcod along Jetty Way were unbelievably huge! I even saw an orangepeel nudibranch the size of my fist.

I'll be headed to Keystone Jetty next. Thanks for the recommendations