Gorge Herring Already?

[saltydawg]

For the last week a large flotilla of 60-100 Cormorants have been diving in herding formation in Victoria harbour. I've been watching them from my office buildings window. Same behaviour you see further up in the Gorge when the herring run in March.
Is it possible herring are staging a little early this year?
Also if the herring are there, do you think salmon would follow into the harbour???
Also, do you think the local harbour patrol would kind of frown on a guy trolling up and down in front of the Empress Hotel? I guess you couldn't exactly drop your trousers and use a pee bucket within smiling distance of the tourists in the Bengal Room eh?

I wonder how deep the water is there?

If I get inspired, maybe Wednesday I'll try it.

So if you see a 17' red Campion jigging or trolling of the Coho dock on Wednesday, don't call the cops. It's me.

[Mongoose]

well all of the fry herrings are coming out of the gorge. they have been exiting for about 4 weeks now. all of the winters ive caught their bellies are full of 2-3.5" herring. but in march all of the mature herring go in the gorge to mate.

[r.s craven]

larger of the 2 fish we had saturday had a gut full of 6" herring !!

[totally tyee]

Full swing is around the beginning of March each year. If there are any left.............

[victoriaboater]

Earliest I have pulled herring from the Admirals bridge is early February.

[Mongoose]

are you allowed to catch them with a net?

[wolf]

Learn to read the reg there mongoose!!!!!!


Wolf

[Mongoose]

hahaha...fine

[Poppa Swiss]

I was reading the other day and I think a dip net or cast net is ok for herring but I'd double check on that one.

I've never actually seen them spanning in the gorge but are they tight enough together that you could use a cast net? Anybody tried that?

[LastChance]

Not on the Gorge, but we had a big chunk of herring net we'd string between two fingers on the Cow Bay gvt warf as kids during the winter, they would blacken the water there. They are spooked easily and go FAST, so you would need a BIG damn net. We would wait untill they swam over, and pull the sides up quick. With a BIG HONKING chunk of net, we did ok.

[Poppa Swiss]

ya i remember hearing about the legendary mill bay herring balls and I assumed cowichan got the same, I don't think they return in the respectable numbers to that area any more.

[LastChance]

I'll bet the eel grass beds off Botwsain Bank (Chery Point) would hold them, that is one huge piece of spawning real estate.

[islandboy]

I watched a cormorant catch and eat a large herring [8)] at the foot of Colquitz Yesterday. Has anyone tried jigging from the walkway? Or a boat? Anyone having success yet?

[Poppa Swiss]

saw a couple come off the galloping goose bridge the other day, then checked out admirals and nobody had anything.

[totally tyee]

I've got a few reports, its pretty hit and miss out there. One day its good the next day nothing.

[Poppa Swiss]

really good on the galloping goose today

[explorer185]

I loved it, 7 brave soles out there this morning on the Craigflower Bridge at 11:30 am and it was snowing to beat the band.

[tekk11]

going for herring tomorrow am
is the goose bridge still the hot spot???
any info would be great
gk

[Poppa Swiss]

I stopped by admirals twice yesterday for about 30 mins each time - not a thing happening.

[Yote]

A couple weeks ago I went through a nice bait ball twice and used my salmon net to scoop up a 5 gallon pail worth of herring. Too easy...I would have pent many cold days on that bridge trying to catch the same amount there. It was incredible how many herring there were.

I see the birds are in the gorge every morning doing their controlled hunt where they are herding the schools of herring.

[Poppa Swiss]

what part of the gorge is this? I've seen nothing but swans down near admirals and a few cormorants around the galloping goose.

[Yote]

I see them not too far from Kinsmen Park between Tillicum Bridge and Craigflower Bridge. Yesterday they were really giving her out there, they do a semi circle and herd them before diving under the water to get them. The birds were really excited so the herring were definately there.

[Tips Up]

Yote...
Good to hear you finally found a use for your salmon net!! [B)]

Tips

[Yote]

That's it "Tips" I want those packs of herring back. From the results of your last "outting" you don't know how to hook them up correctly anyways.

[Mongoose]

do most people fish off the bridge? would trolling abunch of hooks produce better results?

[islandboy]

How long do the runs usually last? [?]

[Poppa Swiss]

What run, its been horrible so far - I've been by admirals about a half dozen times over the last week and all I've seen are empty buckets and grumpy old men.

[LastChance]

It seems like a waste of time these days to freeze your butt off for hours to get half a dozen on a good day.

[Poppa Swiss]

has anybody had any good days out there yet - or is that a pipe dream?

[Tailspin]

Went for two hours this morning, 14 guys and i saw 2 dinky little anchovy sized Herring come in. One fellow said he was there from 530am and he still had an empty bucket.Go get em while it's hot![xx(]

[Poppa Swiss]

oh wow, how could you sit on that bridge that long without anything coming in? Its not like its a pleasent fishing experience, with dump trucks whipping by your head.

[victoriaboater]

Took the boat off the waterfront last weekend and there was a massive flock of sea gulls dining on the herring near the mouth of the harbor. Yet to come i think .

[kildonan]

Was just across the Admirals bridge about half an hour ago. A few guys were having a go at it and I did see some herring in buckets although it was hard to tell how successful they were as I was driving.

[islandboy]

There seemed to be few fisherman on admirals sunday afternoon. Anyone catching herring?

[Yote]

That flock in front of the harbour is also partly there because of the outflow that empties there. You'll notice birds there year round.[xx(][xx(]