Dabob Bay Flounder Fishery (and winter crabbing)

[@WAFishQuest]

Hello Fish Questers! I filmed the first 15 minutes of this video in 4k. Which is a much higher resolution (but lower frame rate) than I usually record in. Please let me know if you liked the 4k, disliked it, or couldn't tell the diff. Thanks!

[@davidbrazell3866]

Couldn't see a difference.

[@WAFishQuest]

Thank you David!

[@bc123132123132]

The 4k is a better viewing experience. It was slightly choppy with the lower frame rate though.

[@localparfait]

Don't ever change your music. Feels like old globe trekkers.

[@WAFishQuest]

Thanks Andrew! Whenever I do a video without the intro (which, maybe 1 out of 5 I do) I always hear about it. So no worries, the music is here to stay!

[@outdoorfreedom9778]

Your Flounder look like bigger Cali. Sand Dab and they both look like small Halibutt. Nice crabs!! I really like that boat!!!

[@WAFishQuest]

Thank you Outdoor Freedom! Good to know! For flounder, they're a pretty good size! That's a 73 Glassply apparently. It is a great vessel!

[@stevea6496]

I live in Eldon and this is great to know I can fish in there. I kept hearing we can’t fish in the canal. Winter crabbing is the best too. Thanks for posting!

[@WAFishQuest]

Totally welcome Steve! So glad I could be helpful. Those flounder are really good eating too!

[@ilonakiforishin1273]

I’m very happy that I found you to watch very grateful for you may the Glory of God come and blessings to you and Go Hawks🙂💙💚🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@markystew]

Like the 4k. That old Glasply was the star of the show. 😎

[@WAFishQuest]

Thank you Mark! Good eye! Indeed a '73 Glassply. Hugh was telling me their history of being made for Puget Sound. It is a great boat!

[@kingbee1691]

4k winner! There are a lots of flounder by Deception Pass. I lightly salt them over night to firm up the meat and helps take away the smell. Good Eating

[@WAFishQuest]

Thanks for the pro tip King Bee! I will give that a try. These ones are pretty odorless, but the ones I catch in South Sound do stink a bit!

[@brianjanku4549]

Great episode! They are getting squid by boat over by Redondo near dash point while crabbing. That would be a fun episode.

[@WAFishQuest]

Thanks a ton Brian! And good to know! I'll probably get out crabbing once more this season... Maybe I'll give it a try!

[@benwebb1]

Dude your channel is epic. Pls keep making content.

[@WAFishQuest]

Thank you Benjamin! What a compliment! I am going to slow down a bit in 2023. But I'll still upload in the regular. 🤙

[@seabass7601]

Great video Blake as always. White grubs are my goto for all my bottom fish.

[@WAFishQuest]

Heck yeah, thank you SeaBass!

[@williamwyz]

Cut a small piece of fresh flounder meat and use it as the bait for catch flounder. It works very well.

[@WAFishQuest]

@@williamwyz ah, so they're like yellow perch. Thanks Weston!

[@BigBeavrSlayer]

Thanks to inspiration from your videos I spent all day today driving up and down hood canal plotting out every beach I can find to come back and dig clams even got a couple of oysters off eagle Creek not bad for a plus two tide

[@WAFishQuest]

Heck yeah. Not bad at all. +2 can be rough. Thanks a ton for the kind words!

[@j-swizzyswoll8000]

Great Sode! I heard a lot of clams and oysters died on hood canal last summer due to the heat wave and the extreme low tide but i havent been over there to check and see. Theres a boat access only point near where you were that is supposed to have geoduck..since it is boat only I figured it might be untouched. See you next time on the WAF-QUEEEEEEE! LOL!

[@WAFishQuest]

I think you're right on that geoduck spot J-Swizzy! I haven't dug it myself, but have seen big geoducks back at the Pleasant Harbor launch, presumably from that beach.

[@WAFishQuest]

Also thank you! 🙏

[@craigcampbell7755]

Great job! Another quality Vid!

[@WAFishQuest]

Thank you thank you Craig!

[@jimhaayy5363]

Also a good bait and rig is what I use for surf perch. I get the pretied leaders that have 2 loops and snap swivel at end. Put 2 snelled hooks on with gulp 2" sand worms and 2 to 3 ounce pyramid or ball sinker at bottom of rig. Works the best when I am catching lingcod bait

[@WAFishQuest]

I was pretty surprised the gulp sandworms we're getting them. That is a great rig!

[@shingo_y]

Imagine some overnight DEEP soaks would do well. Cool scouting soak and good intel. I liked the 4k!

[@WAFishQuest]

Thank you for the feedback on the 4k! That sounds like a good idea. That flat is huge, you could soak 4 pots on it pretty far apart overnight.

[@shingo_y]

Wonder if the west side at depth would have crab as well…

[@djmilhaus]

Wonderful video, thanks Blake! The 4k was nice as well. I've also had good success with the white grubs and chartreuse grubs. Often tip them with shrimp.

[@WAFishQuest]

Good call! I always have some frozen salad shrimp at home for just such an occasion. I'll have to thaw some out next time!

[@Augie-57]

Hi Blake! Another great video, loved the underwater camera on the crab pot. I’m going to give flounder fishing up in the San Juan this coming year a try

[@WAFishQuest]

Thank you Patricia! As long as you can find a flat sandy or small cobble bottom, they should be there!

[@evergreenunited2264]

Hey! I know those guys! Great day on the water!

[@WAFishQuest]

Watch out for the one with glasses. REAL weirdo.

[@cpcorbiere]

awesome! My day was going so slow at work. this will help

[@WAFishQuest]

Thanks as always Corberator!

[@kevinstorm2167]

Thanks for getting out and giving me motivation to get out there ! Also kudo's on the 4k keep it up if possible!

[@WAFishQuest]

Thanks a ton Kevin! Super appreciate it. I'll try to keep doing 4k on anything scenic-y.

[@ThePiscatorian360]

Nice job out there on the rock sole and crab, I like the underwater crab footage. I didn't notice the difference on the 4k personally. Hope you have a Merry Christmas Blake!

[@WAFishQuest]

Thank you on all accounts Jerry! Merry Christmas as well. With them pots you've been pulling up on the "gram" I'm pretty jealous!

[@ThePiscatorian360]

@WAFishQuest a couple trips had some exciting pots but there were some empty ones too! Crabbing is always an adventure.

[@NorthwestCatch]

Great video Blake. 4K was a huge improvement. Incase other viewers don’t know. Hit the gear icon up in the top right Then hit quality then scroll up to 2160. Thanks for sharing Blake

[@WAFishQuest]

Hey NW Catch! Thanks man! Super appreciate it. Great idea, I'll do a settings tutorial on my next 4k video!

[@corbfisher]

Very cool video, I've been looking for places to actually fish in the canal. Those white curly tails work very well on flatfish. I used to use them when targeting starries in San Francisco bay. My friend swears by them when he fishes Nisqually delta. White or chartreuse.

[@WAFishQuest]

Excellent, thanks for the intel Corbfisher! Wow, I didn't know you could catch starries that far south!

[@jimhaayy5363]

If you don't already have it get the windy app gives you hour by hour wind conditions. Use it everything I go out and I know commercial fisherman use it as well

[@WAFishQuest]

Thanks Jim! (Update: downloaded).

[@brown8900]

Great Video

[@WAFishQuest]

Thank you so.much Christopher! That was a very wet but very fun day!

[@SteveFromWyoming]

Nice day for sure and some crab to boot.

[@WAFishQuest]

Thanks Steve! I appreciate it.

[@djttv]

Are there different kinds of Dungeness crab - hard shelled, and soft shelled?

[@WAFishQuest]

Great question! Same crab, but different stages of life. A dungeness (and I think most crab) develop a hard shell. But in order to grow bigger, molt it. After that their shell is like tissue paper soft. So they bury themselves while it gets a little harder. I'm not sure for how long, but they start walking around to find food again when their shell is still soft. You can pinch their back leg or the space on their body above their claw, to see if they are in soft or hard shell condition. If the shell bends at all, they are softshell still and you're legally required to let them go. Even if they were legal to keep, the meat of a softshell dungie is watery and flavorless.

[@davehconner]

Thanks for the video

[@WAFishQuest]

You're welcome!

[@troytwibell6876]

Blake, do you have any secrets for keeping the smell down when you clean them? Amazing how a fish that smells as bad as flounder when you clean them can taste soooo good after they are cooked.

[@WAFishQuest]

Hey Troy! Sure, clean em outside 😂. I kid, kid. I've noticed the smell is pretty regional. These Hood Canal flounder don't really have a smell. The ones I catch out of Nisqually are slightly stinky but still not too bad.

[@WAFishQuest]

Hey Troy! See King of Bees reply. He said salting them a little over night helps with the smell.

[@Jarom.M]

Any idea on what those white rods were on the crab-cam?

[@WAFishQuest]

Hi Jarom! No... I need to look into that.

[@WAFishQuest]

Update: According to Doc himself, over at TMKey Films, they are a type of arrow worm. Here is his video on the subject: kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4PTq6qkjKp8n7s

[@Jarom.M]

@@WAFishQuest That's amazing! Learned something new today. I'm going to have to read up on them.

[@HobbiesHobo]

Dogfish! I actually like catching Dogfish, haha. As soon as I come up with an efficient, proper & tasty method to prep them, I'll be targeting them specifically. haha. 4K was a bust, sorry, couldn't tell, don't care. Your vids are always what I hope for anyway. Seasons greetings to you & family! Mike.

[@WAFishQuest]

Thank you on all fronts Mike! Dogfish are great to target. What I do, is soak their flesh in a bowl of water in the fridge. And change it every night. By night #3 the water should be clear (instead of white-ish) and then I eat them.

[@HATINTHEKAT]

Clean, skin, and prep the dogfish your preferred way, then dip them in a lightly seasoned egg wash, then dip them in a seasoned flour, then re dip in the egg, and then dredge them in Italian seasoned bread crumbs and fry them up to a nice golden brown and crispy, you can skip the flour dredging if you’re pressed for time or feeling lazy, but don’t skip the bread crumbs. You can dip in ranch, or tartar sauce, squeeze a little lemon if that’s your thing, and im telling you, they’re great this way.

[@HobbiesHobo]

@@HATINTHEKAT Thanks! I'm serious, I really want to try these and if they are good I'm in for the long haul. Seasons greetings to ya! Mike.

[@HATINTHEKAT]

@@HobbiesHobo seasons greetings to you too, yeah give the recipe a try, feel free to tweak the seasonings and all that, give it a try and let us know how you like it

[@SiRRosChannel]

Wah amazing 👍👍

[@WAFishQuest]

Thanks so much!

[@RV_Chef_Life]

I’ve heard it Dee Po bay, but since Blake pronounced it differently, I’m going with his pronunciation. People pronouncing dee po bay to Oregonians is probably the same like New Orr Leans, or cray fish where i’m from

[@jonathansmith3129]

daBob!

[@WAFishQuest]

DaaaaaaaaBobbbbb! (Heck yeah)

[@tracycrosbie9078]

You talk to much.

[@WAFishQuest]

Too*

[@grancitodos7318]

Flounder, no, they are sole or something similar, perfect size to fry them whole.

[@WAFishQuest]

Thank you for the comment! Sounded like a poem... There are no true sole in Washington. Only flounder. For instance the rock "sole" is of the family Pleuronectidae, which are the right-eye flounder. The vast majority of our flatfish are of this family. I agree that they are great in the pan. Thank you for the comment!

[@Honey-Sanchez]

You know Blake, I rarely disagree with you but those fish are of the sole family. Oval shape and eye on one side. Flounders have more of a generally rounder shape with larger flaring wings. They are darker and larger than the sole.🧞‍♀

[@WAFishQuest]

I appreciate your kind disagreement! I haven't watched this video since whenever I edited it, so I'm not sure what I said. But my understanding is they're a member of the right-eyed flounder family. I think our understanding of flounder v sole is reversed. (My understanding was, in general, soles and the more circular of the two). 🤙

[@evergreenunited2264]

Hey! I know those guys! Great day on the water!

[@PG_Inspects]

Hey! Me Too!

[@WAFishQuest]

😂😂😂