Sidney Reports 2015

4bouys

Member
What's happening out there?
I got a 10 Jan 2 on a glow squirt. Threw the line in when I hit 100' on my way to the red can from Tulista and it bit. Talked to a couple of guys who got 5 around the red can while waiting for their crab traps to fill that same day.
I find Sidney channel hard to fish once the current picks up. Any thoughts on that?
Thanks
 
I don't know sidney all that well, just started exploring it last year but agreed on the channel getting hectic on tide rip. I moved around to hambley when it happened not sure if it was coincidence it was calmer on the other side or not but seemed to work for me. I'm hearing good things about fairfax and want to explore that this year. I got to do sidney channel, hambley and pender bluffs last year and loved it. Much more laid back fishing pressure than in Sooke. Loving it this year will be learning more halibut techniques for the areas around Sidney
 
I find Sidney channel hard to fish once the current picks up. Any thoughts on that?
Thanks

Once those currents start ripping there it get's quick! From personal experience, I have found that most bites come when going with the current in that area. When it really gets going I don't even try going against it and instead pull the gear and run back up to the start. If it is flooding it works well to start at the south end of James Island, follow along until the powder wharf, across to the red can and then continue up Sidney Island to the tip of the spit...pick up and go again. Opposite but same line on an ebb. That said....sometimes the fish are hanging in one spot...which is best timed on a slack. That's my approach and it works for me.
 
The last few years I fished the powder wharf area I only fished close too tide change so that ll the commercial crab trap floats were floating otherwise it was like a mine field. Eventually I stopped fishing there as it just wasn't any fun anymore.
 
I spent a lot of time fishing Sidney before I moved to the Westshore. I started fishing the sidney channel and it turned out to be nothing but a headache for me. I learned to fished moresby island. It it one of the only places where you can fish at any strength of tide. Most stay close to fairfax but there are winter springs all the way down. 120-150 anything green. Back then 3.5 coyote spoons outfished everything. Satelite channel in front of the old Sunkist house was alway good in winter to get out of the weather. Check your lines as there is lots of sole. Hambley point can also be really good and depending on the wind.

Andrew p spoon with green would be my first choice out there. Coho killers etc. I May sidney turns on red hot with anchovies and bigger springs.


Sidney was always the most enjoyable fishing I has ever done. It wasn the best fishing but it was always calm and close to shore (moresby). Usually no other boats to cut you off. No seals. Sure miss it.

JL
 
I spent a lot of time fishing Sidney before I moved to the Westshore. I started fishing the sidney channel and it turned out to be nothing but a headache for me. I learned to fished moresby island. It it one of the only places where you can fish at any strength of tide. Most stay close to fairfax but there are winter springs all the way down. 120-150 anything green. Back then 3.5 coyote spoons outfished everything. Satelite channel in front of the old Sunkist house was alway good in winter to get out of the weather. Check your lines as there is lots of sole. Hambley point can also be really good and depending on the wind.

Andrew p spoon with green would be my first choice out there. Coho killers etc. I May sidney turns on red hot with anchovies and bigger springs.


Sidney was always the most enjoyable fishing I has ever done. It wasn the best fishing but it was always calm and close to shore (moresby). Usually no other boats to cut you off. No seals. Sure miss it.

JL
I used to fish there with my dads boat before moving to Westshore too. I agree JL,That tack off Moresby was great, especially on an ebb tide when the whole south side of the island was one big back eddy.
T2
 
"the commercial crab trap floats were floating otherwise it was like a mine field"

I've lost a lot of cannonballs on those bloody crab traps and other crap in Sidney channel/Powder wharf. Too broke to buy more cannonballs - so, here is what I used as downrigger weight on Saturday!! Yup, manual downrigger and a dumbbell - and I caught fish! Redneck bicep workout for sure. Caught these two tenners right at slack/sunset.
The manual downrigger/dumbbell combo may be the newest workout craze - watch for the late night TV ads.

dumbbell (2).jpg
 
Oh man, that's a great idea. I guess I'll make a trip to Goodwill to pick up some crab trap weights!

I'm also with you! I rock the manual downriggers on my boat. You gotta work for it on my boat!
 
Out by Coal island yesterday - 5 boats in area seemed to expecting a good day with nice afternoon slack. Nothing for me, saw one landed - but seemed very slow.
Have the fish moved on?
How have others been doing?
 
One on that turf is a decent day, well done, Ham.

Did you let the crab pots soak while trolling?


Yep, crabbing has been good.
Im still learning the sidney area, so my reports are basically trial and error. I still need to figure out which locations fish better on certain tides.

Do you really think Sidney is a place where only one fish is good??
 
Do you really think Sidney is a place where only one fish is good??

Not necessarily, I've had lots of multi fish days in Sidney. The issue is the size of the fish...most of the springs seem to be just shy of the minimum 62cm, so one keep-able fish IS good. Having said that, the last few fish I've kept have been 16-20 pounds (from Hambley and Fairfax) and my mother-in-law hauled in a 36 from Fairfax last summer, so there are some good fish to be found.

The best thing about fishing in Sidney is knowing you're going to be having a crab and prawn feast when you quit fishing!
 
Was out at powder warfare to red can Sunday couple of Skala springs around lots of hidden crab traps ug.... Be careful, 120 was the magic number
 
Thanks for the reply. We were out there Sunday too, trolling through the minefield at the south end of James Island. Lots of just under 62"s, but we managed two keepers - all on green and white glow Coho Killers right on the bottom.
 
had 6 bites in sidney on sunday, kept 2 about 10lbs. Every bite on a black/glow squirt, couldn't buy a bite on anything else.
 
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