Proof that the big ones bite! Ron Harrington landed this 40-pounder. Photo by Terry Wiest.

Why fish Neah Bay when you can hit Puget Sound, Buoy 10 off the mouth of the Columbia River, or go up in the Columbia itself?

A glance at a Washington map and a little bit of knowledge about salmon travel patterns gives a clear answer.

Neah Bay provides access to both the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean. If you fish the Strait, you have the first shot at all the salmon that travel around the west side of Vancouver Island before heading into Puget Sound.

If you fish the Pacific side, you get to put your bait in front of those salmon headed down the coast towards the Columbia.

In my book, it makes a lot of sense to hit those fish while they are ocean-fresh, aggressively feeding and completely unsophisticated about such things as hooks and hoochies.

Another reason to fish Neah Bay is the sheer size of these fish. Every year, lucky anglers boat fish more than 40 pounds. And in a good year, 50-pounders. One more reason to fish out there is the quantity of fish.

As Terry Wiest, a longtime salmon sportfisher says, some days it’s pandemonium out there. “Two rods will go off, and while you’re netting those fish, another rod will go off,” he said.

You can’t beat that!

OCEAN ACCESS
The best and closest access to the fishing grounds is the Makah Marina, a modern full-service facility with water, power, gas and diesel. When you enter the Makah Reservation, make sure you buy the $10 annual Recreational Use Permit, which allows access to all of the reservation’s recreation facilities.

If you are planning on several days fishing, Snow Creek Resort offers complete RV, cabin and boat launch facilities. Don’t have a boat? You can rent one from Big Salmon Resort.

SAFETY FIRST
Mike Jamboretz, owner of Jambo’s Sportfishing and a U.S. Coast Guard licensed captain, has clear, definite guidelines for boats operating out of Neah Bay. He says a 16-foot or larger craft, equipped with a compass, VHF radio and GPS, is the minimum for safe operation in the Strait’s more protected waters. On the ocean side, where it may be a 16-mile run to the fishing grounds off Umatilla Head, he advises ramping up the boat size to 20 feet, while adding NOAA charts, radar and lots of fuel. Jamboretz lives by the Coast Guard’s 1/3-2/3 rule, where you limit outbound fuel consumption to 1/3 of your total fuel, saving 2/3 for the return.

Wiest agrees, noting that often you’re fishing out of sight of land in less than crystal-clear conditions. He prefers fishing the ocean in his 23-foot Shamrock equipped with the proper electronics that let him find the fish, mark the spot where a fish is hooked, and find his way back home.

Pay close attention to the weather channel and be willing to head for home if conditions start to deteriorate.

Two routes lead from Neah Bay into the ocean, both of which take you past some pretty nasty rocks. This is no place for an inexperienced boat driver. Go first with someone who knows the route and the GPS waypoints before tackling it on your own.

A GOOD CHINOOK RIG
Trolling, mooching and vertical jigging are good techniques that catch fish. Which style you use depends on your preference for how you want to fish. Summer chinook average a bit less than 20 pounds, but Wiest and Jamboretz agree that it’s pretty easy to get fish bigger -- much bigger -- than that. Honest-to-goodness 50-pounders come from Neah Bay waters, so you’ll want to rig accordingly.

In other words, use the best quality hooks you can afford. Owner Cutting Point or Gamakatsu hooks in 4/0 or 5/0 are strong and sharp. Carry a hook hone just to make sure they stay sharp. The big fish swim in the same schools as the smaller fish.