SEATTLE — Did you know you can try your hand at a type of salmon fishing that originated about a century ago in Elliott Bay?
Mooching started in Seattle in the late 1920s or early 1930s because of the competition between the boathouses. The boathouses developed mooching to increase revenues through the sale of bait rather than relying completely on boat rentals.
This was a change from trolling plugs, which in those early days, were the method commonly used to fish for salmon. Mooching was developed mostly by the Japanese.
“The simplest description of mooching is dropping to the bottom, or very close to the bottom, and then reeling it back up,” said Captain Keith Robbins, from Spot Tail Guides. “Very active, super fun way to fish. You're constantly in contact with your rod and reel.”
The name mooching is connected to the first railroads that were built in Seattle. Many of the laborers were Chinese and Japanese immigrants who fished off the docks using herrings they had caught themselves.
When the locals saw how successful they were, they would ask if they could get some herring. The Chinese and Japanese referred to the locals as “moochers,” and so became the name for those who fished with herring.
“A tiny percentage of the fishing population still fish this way,” said Robbins. “It requires a little finesse; the more you do it, the better you get at it.”
In Puget Sound, there are fishing charter companies that will take you out on the water to experience the mooching technique. There you will hold the rod, feel the bite, set the hook yourself, and enjoy an exciting fishing trip just minutes from downtown Seattle. One of those charter companies is Spot Tail Guides.
“Typically this time of year we do six-hour trips,” said Captain Robbins. “We start at six in the morning and come back at about noon.”
While mooching in Seattle, you can also gaze at the bountiful wildlife that fills our waters while doing a unique Northwest tradition.
Anyone can mooch; you don’t have to have years of experience or high skill levels to try this technique. It's a little more work but a lot more fun. By the time you get off the boat, you’ll be an experienced moocher.
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