Double glow yamashita green splatter back needlefish. 36 inch leader. glow flashers.
 
Fished from 8:30 am until 1:00 pm today. Flat calm and no rain despite inclement forecast. Tried harbour mouth and made a troll down to the trailer park and back. Absolutely nothing the whole session. Not even a hit. Tried the same herring that was successful earlier this winter and various hootchies. Fished mainly 130-145’ and went to 165’ in desperation for the last hour.

So either all the winters have departed now the herring spawn is over, or angler “Finally” has caught them all judging by his great reports from last week! LOL;)
 
Fished from 8:30 am until 1:00 pm today. Flat calm and no rain despite inclement forecast. Tried harbour mouth and made a troll down to the trailer park and back. Absolutely nothing the whole session. Not even a hit. Tried the same herring that was successful earlier this winter and various hootchies. Fished mainly 130-145’ and went to 165’ in desperation for the last hour.

So either all the winters have departed now the herring spawn is over, or angler “Finally” has caught them all judging by his great reports from last week! LOL;)

Glad it wasn't just me who couldn't find anything. Only hit was west of the bluffs but had the wife on the rod. Good hit but needless to say, mistakes were made. That was it for us out there.
 
Went out Saturday stayed in pedder bay, one hit at noon same as the gentleman above .....

Running chovie, bloody nose
 
Was out from the 3rd-6th. Saw finally out there a couple days fishing harbour mouth/trailer park. We had similar success to Finally. Lots of action dragging bottom. 80-90% of our fish literally came bouncing bottom. Most fish were 3-8lbs.
 
Out from 9-3 today. Kept a 8lb hatchery down near the trailer park. Right on bottom, glow/green. The bluffs have been pretty dead lately, just some shorties.
 
8-1pm on the troll. Picked up a 7 and 8.5, both hatchery. 4-5" Herring in the belly of one. One right on bottom, one up about 15'. Green g force 3.5, 4' leader, glow flasher. Had some action on my shallower rod which was around 80' so they're starting move up in the water. Wish I had my hali gear thrown in, woulda been a perfect day for it.
 
Fished the Trailer Park,, 8:30- 10:30, hubby picked up a bbq winter, dragging bottom in 130ft, bloody nose/chrome anchovy, purple onion flasher. Then the rod popped! that's not a salmon!! 25lb halibut :) tick that off the bucket list!! Xena
That's fantastic!! This happened to my friend up in Haida Gwaii, but in 40' of water a 50lb hali popped the pin and the fight of a lifetime was on!! Congrats!!
 
Well, gave the winters one more try on the current license but sadly we were skunked for the second time in a row. March has been a complete bust for us! :(We started at 8:00am in flat calm almost sunny conditions and trolled all the way down past trailer park and around Otter Point. Turned by second rock at 10am and trolled all the way back to the harbour mouth, fishing from 120-150’ both ways. Unfortunately around 10:30am a good SW wind came up and made things very choppy and difficult with boat “crabbing” sideways on the turn etc. And another thing, bouncing bottom is all very well but we are plagued by rockfish when we do this, so tend to fish 5-10’ up. Don’t know how others manage to avoid them but no one else seems to complain, so must be just us!;) Of course coming up from that depth they have to be lowered to pressure again with our little rockfish release gizmo my wife made and that takes another few minutes each time.
 
Dropped gear around Otter Pt and seemed to find the fish until the winds came then it turned less than desirable. Threw back a wild 70cm football, kept one for dinner around 6lb, then released a couple other small legals while searching for something bigger. Trolled back home as it was hard keeping a consistent tack and it was getting too big for me out there. Big tides. Big herring in the stomach. Glow spoon on or within 15' of bottom. 110-130'. I've trolled a bunch this winter and have hit zero rock fish. They must like your gear Englishman.
 
Glad you manage to avoid the rockfish, N2013 but it beats me how. Today we "only" caught two but that is because we were often above bottom. Usually we get at least three or four (plus baby lingcods!) and we get them on herring, anchovies and hootchies if too close to the bottom. They like them all. Don't use spoons much but think I have had them on those too. Well done on your "football" and 6lb fish. Our winter catching luck has completely deserted us! :(
P.S. were you in that small open boat we passed on the east side of Otter?
 
Ya the blue tinny that had no business being out in that slop? T'was I. Are you the trophy?
 
If you get lots of bottomfish then you must be in areas with rocky structure. That's dangerous when fishing on the bottom and plus you have to deal with bycatch. I avoid such areas completely in the winter and focus on areas with gravel/sand that most often hold needlefish and seem to do ok there without any bycatch. Try infront of the bluffs, Becher Bay, Whirl Bay, the can in Pedder, Constance, Vic Waterfront, OB Flats; all easy to fish bottom due to soft ground. Constance is the only area that sometimes has a baby ling invasion.
 
I keep saying Em why not once an a while go and fish the east around whirl bay etc. Chris73 is right be careful if your bouncing balls near rocks. Not good on bad weather days.
 
Last edited:
Ya the blue tinny that had no business being out in that slop? T'was I. Are you the trophy?
Yes, that was us. We passed you going East when we were going West around the point and then again as we came back East and you were heading back to the point. We saw you hook something when you were past us, about 200 metres past the point but since we had just trolled thru' there without a touch we continued East back to the harbour, Should'a stayed around Otter maybe??
 
If you get lots of bottomfish then you must be in areas with rocky structure. That's dangerous when fishing on the bottom and plus you have to deal with bycatch. I avoid such areas completely in the winter and focus on areas with gravel/sand that most often hold needlefish and seem to do ok there without any bycatch. Try infront of the bluffs, Becher Bay, Whirl Bay, the can in Pedder, Constance, Vic Waterfront, OB Flats; all easy to fish bottom due to soft ground. Constance is the only area that sometimes has a baby ling invasion.
Chris, we are definitely not over rocky areas as we would have lost cannonballs!! We do the Sooke thing around the harbour mouth, along the bluffs to trailer park just like everyone else. I don't know about the Victoria spots you quote since I never trailer my boat all the way down there. We have towed to Becher and fished Whirl Bay before, but I am sure if I was "bottom bouncing" I would still get rockfish. Case in point, the Bluffs, which you quote, is one of the very worst areas for rockfish. These are small guys from 1-2lbs, probably not big enough to "claim" a territory in the rocks (rockfish are very sedentary and territorial) and no doubt hang out over the gravel off the Bluffs eating needlefish just like the salmon. The only way I have found to avoid them is 10' above bottom. If you bottom bounce there you will catch one every 30 minutes or so - pretty much guaranteed........
 
I jeep saying Em why not once an a while go and fish the east around whirl bay etc. Chris73 is right be careful if your bouncing balls near rocks. Not good on bad weather days.
Yeah, you are right SV I should give Whirl a try now and again, but not for the reasons Chris says (see my response above). Just further to tow the boat and I am lazy since I live 5 mins from Sunny Shores. LOL:)
Just to be clear though guys, the very few times we did manage to get out in Jan/Feb between the blizzards we did OK. Even g0t that 13lb fish in Jan!!;) It is just March that has been a complete bust and so that, coupled with the attention of rock fish, I guess I am a little frustrated. So, anyway, probably time to try somewhere else.......
 
Back
Top