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Manchester
 Chart courtesy of Captn. Jack's www.capjack.com Click on chart for bigger view
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Manchester blackmouth
Over the past few years, Manchester pops up more and more frequently among top winter spots for Central Puget Sound salmon fishing.
This Kitsap Peninsula workhorse sometimes takes a back seat to its well-known cousins Jeff Head just to the north, and Pt. Defiance to the south, but prudent anglers know Manchester provides consistent winter blackmouth action right up to the April 10th closer.
Manchester inlet is one of the most reliable, wind sheltered and close by fisheries for winter blackmouth and is a quick boat ride from Elliott Bay, Tacoma or Bremerton.
This area is good fishing for one simple reason, it holds lots of bait and all good anglers know if you find the bait you will find blackmouth. It's a really short run from Elliott Bay and about 11 miles from Gig Harbor by water.
This area was a real salvation last year when Pt. Defiance died off and before Mid Channel Bank heated up.
One of the great things about fishing Manchester is you're not restricted to one area, if the bite is off that day you have several other close by options.
WHERE TO FISH: The majority of the fish will be taken between the fuel dock, and the turquoise boathouse located a mile just to the south. This troll or drift for moochers puts out the majority of the fish. The bottom is gently sloping in this area with a relatively smooth bottom, no big ledge or points. This makes mooching a good bet in the 90-100 ft water. Trollers will catch fish out in the deeper water here targeting suspended bait schools that attract the local blackmouth in to feed.
TIDE CHANGE: Like most locations in this area the ebb tide seems to be the most favorable. You can catch fish on either tide, and normally the bite will happen 2 hours on either side of a tide change.
Its almost like fishing a bank, the bottom is nice with few obstructions to hang up on so you can really get the downrigger balls right down there where Mr. Blackmouth lives.
I have seen days here where all the boats were limited in a couple of hours, last year I had a day where we caught & released over 15 legal size fish in 5 hours of fishing.
Seals can be a problem here, so be aware when lots of boats start to show up, so do the salmon belly eaters.
This time of the year blackmouth normally run from the just legal fish up to 10 pounds and of course there are always a few in the teens taken every year.
TROLLERS: Work the long trolling path from Orchard Point towards the Navy Fuel dock then in toward Manchester boat ramp and on down south about a mile. This area stays relatively flat with only a couple of humps. The majority of the bait holds in the 90-120 ft water here.
When the bottom starts to come up turn east towards Blake Island and follow this ledge out until the bottom starts to drop off, then it's a simple turn back North to complete the circle back to Orchard Point and do it again. Pay close attention to the fishfinder when you make the turn north, the bait tends to move up to the mid water depths here and the fish will follow, target just under the bait ball with the rigger, this is where the fish will be feeding.
I had my best luck last year on a green glow HotSpot flasher with 35-40 inches of Ande leader to a green Grand Slam Bucktail fly. Use 30-50 pound test Ande leader to give that fly lots of action, blackmouth like a quicker bait then summer chinook.
If the fly isn't getting the job done try a small fire cracker size herring in a anchovy helmet with 42 inches of Ande leader behind a hotspot flasher. You can get by with 20-pound test on this setup as the helmet has its on action in the water.
MOOCHING: The best mooching happens between the Fuel Dock and the Manchester ramp, there is also a great mooching on the North end of Blake Island the shallow bank here can really producer for moochers. The top mooching water is in 80-120 ft. Fish just off the bottom, with 10-12 pound Ande leaders and a tight spinning cutplug herring. Use only the amount of lead you need to stay in contact with the bottom.
BOAT LAUNCH: There is a new ramp at Manchester, it has a dock and it is only 5 minutes from the best fishing. The parking lot however, is small and won't hold many rigs.
For the Seattle crowd the Don Armeni boat ramp in Elliot Bay is a straight shot across the Sound from Manchester. There is also a small ramp in the city center of Port Orchard and at Evergreen City Park in Bremerton.
IF THE BITE IS OFF: Head south to Southworth and then run over to Allen Bank. At Southworth there's a great hole just north of the ferry terminal. Troll the ledge here or move in close and pitch a herring in toward the beach and drift down the ledge.
The better producing tackle here is the Grand Slam bucktail or a white Coho Killer for trollers.
ALLEN BANK: Is a great piece of salmon holding water that runs south off the southwest corner of Blake Island north of Vashon outward to perfect blackmouth holding water.
This is a big drift, and almost always there are some fish around waiting to hammer tight spinning bait, even when the Manchester fishing turns off. The blackmouth can be caught here on either tide but the best action is on the ebb. Start on the south end of the bar in the 130 ft water and drift with the current north up across the bank.
Top action will be in the 90-120 ft water, with almost all the fish being taken just off bottom.
Manchester and the Central Puget Sound stays open until April 10th, after that the season will depend on North of Falcon season setting process in early April.
TACKLE: Trollers will want a supple of Glow HotSpot flashers, Grand Slam Bucktails and Coho Killer spoons.
Moochers will want to run 10-15 pound test Ande main lines, with long 10-12 pound test, 8-9 foot Ande leaders, with a selection of 2-6 oz mooching sinkers. Size your hooks to the bait. Insure the herring has a drill bit like spin in the water.