Point Richmond

Point Richmond, named in honor of William Richmond, a Boatswain’s Mate in the Wilkes Expedition that explored Puget Sound in1841, is a quick 10-minute run north from Gig Harbor and 15-minutes from the ramp at Point Defiance. Lined with beautiful million dollar beachfront homes this fishing spot is very well protected from the cold southerly to westerly winds.

This salmon rich area only sees anglers in late July and August targeting returning chinook that hold in the large lee area during ebb tides. Why this area is not frequented by blackmouth anglers is beyond me. I can only assume that many of the Point Defiance “cartop regulars” ( cartop - a reference to small 12 to 14-foot boats) stay closer to home during blackmouth season as weather can quickly become an issue. Plus, there’s a lot of water to cover just seconds from the ramps or elevators at the boathouse. Despite a huge lack of anglers during blackmouth season, Point Richmond has all the attributes of a quality blackmouth location: forage, lee current, and structure for deepwater escape from predators.

Most South Sound anglers will instantly equate Point Richmond to a summery fishery and wonder why I am including blackmouth in this article. While Point Richmond has never been truly associated with blackmouth fishing, at least from what I can remember, it has been very kind to me over the last couple season when the other frequented spots were not producing fish.

I had always bypassed Point Richmond on returning trips from areas up north, but on the way home from Point Southworth one afternoon I decided stop. Not anticipating much I lowered my gear down and went back to the helm. Within seconds the amount of bait showing on the sonar was simply amazing. After 45-minutes of anxiously watching the rod and sonar, I hooked up and landed a nice 9-pound fish. Ever since that day I have spent more time fishing here in the winter- my own little secret. So I am a little reluctant to mention this as a blackmouth location. However, feeling like a 2^nd grader with a secret, it is time to let the cat of the bag.

Point Richmond is strictly an ebb tide fishery that is extremely easy to learn and fish. The bottom substrate is a mixture of sand and small pebbles leaving the angler very little fear of hanging up the downrigger weight(s). The trolling pattern consist of nothing more than trolling up and down the beach line cover various water depths locating the bait and/or fish. There is one particular pattern that should be noted. At high slack, the best place to start fishing is just south of the day marker in 70 to 90-feet of water. This will place you close abeam of the day marker as you pass it, but the bait is always there and quite possibly you’ll have a short trip with a fish in the boat before you know it. Once the ebb begins to show some movement, follow your depth contour around the point. As the tide progresses the bait pushes around the point into the lee area and follow the beach line. I like to work back and forth from the day marker to approximately the first 200-yards of beach line covering various depths. This area should be worked thoroughly before proceeding further to the turn around point. Schools of herring will usually hold in this area until stronger currents force them outside of the immediate area. If you are not finding bait your original depth contour can be followed all the way down to a “house with the green aluminum roof.” This home marks a great turn around point and is easily distinguished by sitting solo away from other houses at the end of a unique concrete bulkhead, a rather large dock (more of a pier), and of course, it’s green aluminum roof. Once you’ve reach this home troll in the opposite direction covering a different depth.

Productive fishing depths will range from 70 to 165-feet. At first light I will cover the water depths of 70 to 100-feet exclusively. As the daylight or current progresses the bait and fish will move out in to the deeper water with the 100 to 130-foot depth being most productive.

The first boats arrive in mid-July; which are generally Point Richmond residents- the telltale sign of fish starting to show. My strategies for returning chinook are similar to blackmouth with the exception of I fish mainly suspended. I tend to concentrate the 60 to 90-foot levels in the water column in water depths of 80 to 130-feet deep. Additionally, instead of working the first couple hundreds of beach line, I troll the entire beach down to the "green roof" and then work a different depth on the reciprocal course.

Once the season is in full swing more and more boats will arrive on scene. You'll soon find (1) this area can become crowded with "weekend warriors" and, (2) yourself out in the deeper water dodging and maneuvering round numerous boats. There's no need to overly concern yourself if you are outside the beach line crowd. The trick is watching the sonar and the depth in which the fish are suspended and placing your gear in their zone.

One highly effective technique/trick that really works well is fishing the area like blackmouth- right along the bottom. Probably 95-percent of the anglers will be fishing suspended and the fish become accustom to seeing the same offerings over and over. At this point the fish lull aimlessly (off the bite) or head to the bottom. (Remember chinook are instinctively a deep water fish.) By fishing along the bottom you are eliminating a lot of competition from above.

Both resident and returning coho frequent this area with the residents showing first in early August. These feisty little 2 to 5-pound fish can be a pain for anglers targeting returning Chinook in the immediate vicinity of the day marker. Big ocean going coho will start arriving here approximately the last week of August with some notable catches by the second week of September. Coho will be found in the rip directly out in front of the day marker and the faster moving currents in the areas just inside the point.

At first light coho are very active, aggressive, and generally in the upper 30-feet of water. On foggy or darker mornings with heavy cloud cover expect coho to hold in the upper water column for a little longer before descending. One condition rarely spoke of is when the water’s surface has a slight wind ripple which affords an additional comfort level. A variety of techniques can be used to trigger hard strikes however, the standard flasher and hoochie or fly combination trolled fast will take the majority of fish.. As morning progresses a close watch on the sonar will give key clues to what depth the fish are traveling. By mid to late morning the fish should be in the neighborhood of 50 to 75-feet.

Late September marks the return of the “dogs.” Appropriately nicknamed due the large canine-like teeth that grow during the pre-spawning phase. Every year tens of thousands of these strong fighting warriors pass Point Richmond migrating to various spawning location in the South Sound. In fact, the beach line from Point Richmond to Gig Harbor is a favorite location for commercial fishermen to set their nets.

Chums are a very under rated fish yet extremely strong fighters. You’ll know the instant you hook one with the rod doubling over and line screaming off the reel! On the salt chuck they make their presence known by jumping. Since they tend to travel in moderate to large schools a jumping fish typical marks the location of the others.

Slow trolling dodgers or flashers and small hoochies or flies will account for 95-percent of the fish. Avoid using green, chartreuse or combinations of these colors with glow in the dark on your dodgers/flashers. Chum have a tendency to hit these and not your hoochie. Instead use plain chrome or white dodgers/flashers and green, chartreuse, glow, hot red or pink colored hoochies. Most of the fish caught will be between 30 to 60-feet deep.

October, November, December, and June. Blackmouth fishing can be incredible. While most are out still chasing returning coho, I am already scratching bottom for immature chinook further south. Although I mainly fish Marine Area 13 because of a 2-Chinook limit through October (current regulations), when the fishing is slow, I’ll venture into Marine Area 11 and fish Point Richmond. October is the best month target chums.

July and August. The third week of July is the time to start fishing for large returning Chinook. The bulk of the run will appear around the 10th of August then disappear further south. Resident coho are on tap and can become a nuisance when targeting chinook. If you run into this issue, switch to a 5-inch plug- unless you want to catch them.

Chinook stragglers will pass through the area late August into early Septemeber. These late fish are typically headed further south, quite possible to the Nisqually River, and will weigh above average. Pro staffer Larry Palermo can attest to this. He had to release a monster wild fish in excess of 40-pounds. No good deed goes unnoticed. Witnesses to the releasing were so impressed with his actions they awarded him with an appreciation plague which will forever reside inside the Point Defiance Boathouse.

With returning chinook less available in the late month, the resident coho will take over as the main target. These fish will have put on a few extra pounds and average 4 to 6-pounds through voracious feeding. Late August also marks the time ocean going coho return to the area. The area just outside the day marker produces some phenomenal rips and these fish can be found right in the heart of them.

Spoons- Captain Downriggin' spoons in the small CDR3 size will be tremendously effective- Acid Bath, Wire White Lightning, and Wicked Herring. Silver Horde's Kingfisher or Coho Killer spoons will also lessen the fish population.

Disclaimer:　 The above article is based solely upon the author's experiences, opinions and thoughts of nearly 35-years of fishing on Puget Sound. Although there may be some similarities with other written or electronic information available to the public, no effort has been made to copy nor plagiarize similar work submitted verbally or in writing manually, via machine or electronically.