2017 Winter Harbour Reports

SPRING FEVER, RONJ, any reports? We leave friday morning and looking for some intel? Good fish inside yet? Are there any COHO around etc?


Thanks

Dave
Sorry for the delay with the response.... did not see the question.
Spent 3.5 days fishing..... 4 guys.
Got our limits on Hali, Yellow Eye, Ling cod.... and COHO!
The Coho came in last day and half.... lots of action. Anchovies were the best.
Missed 2 large Spring.... snapped off 30# leaders on both.... maybe old line? Not sure
Weather... we had one rainy day.... others were clear.
Wind..... VERY!
Going off shore or past Caines was big big big water..... you can see my boat in the avatar.... some waves breaking over the bow and half way up the windshield.
My boat handles it well.... and I have enough power to get where I need to go. I would not have gone out in anything less than what we had.
The swells were large... which was not a huge deal.. but there was 3-6 foot chop breaking on top of it... LOL!
Not for the weak at heart.
Bottom fishing was good .... we got 2 of our biggest hali... 70 and 56 pound inside the island.... one of them over by Cliffe Point while jigging for rockfish.
So..... if big water is not a problem... GO!
I heard that Cape Scott was LOADED with big Spring... so they would be in Winter Harbour now for sure...!
Tight lines!
 
Sorry for the delay with the response.... did not see the question.
Spent 3.5 days fishing..... 4 guys.
Got our limits on Hali, Yellow Eye, Ling cod.... and COHO!
The Coho came in last day and half.... lots of action. Anchovies were the best.
Missed 2 large Spring.... snapped off 30# leaders on both.... maybe old line? Not sure
Weather... we had one rainy day.... others were clear.
Wind..... VERY!
Going off shore or past Caines was big big big water..... you can see my boat in the avatar.... some waves breaking over the bow and half way up the windshield.
My boat handles it well.... and I have enough power to get where I need to go. I would not have gone out in anything less than what we had.
The swells were large... which was not a huge deal.. but there was 3-6 foot chop breaking on top of it... LOL!
Not for the weak at heart.
Bottom fishing was good .... we got 2 of our biggest hali... 70 and 56 pound inside the island.... one of them over by Cliffe Point while jigging for rockfish.
So..... if big water is not a problem... GO!
I heard that Cape Scott was LOADED with big Spring... so they would be in Winter Harbour now for sure...!
Tight lines!
Great report Ronj, thanks for that! Yes the weather plays a huge part in the trip, but there always seems to be a spot to get too that produces! We will dig hard, and report back. Cheers.
 
Sorry for the delay with the response.... did not see the question.
Spent 3.5 days fishing..... 4 guys.
Got our limits on Hali, Yellow Eye, Ling cod.... and COHO!
The Coho came in last day and half.... lots of action. Anchovies were the best.
Missed 2 large Spring.... snapped off 30# leaders on both.... maybe old line? Not sure
Weather... we had one rainy day.... others were clear.
Wind..... VERY!
Going off shore or past Caines was big big big water..... you can see my boat in the avatar.... some waves breaking over the bow and half way up the windshield.
My boat handles it well.... and I have enough power to get where I need to go. I would not have gone out in anything less than what we had.
The swells were large... which was not a huge deal.. but there was 3-6 foot chop breaking on top of it... LOL!
Not for the weak at heart.
Bottom fishing was good .... we got 2 of our biggest hali... 70 and 56 pound inside the island.... one of them over by Cliffe Point while jigging for rockfish.
So..... if big water is not a problem... GO!
I heard that Cape Scott was LOADED with big Spring... so they would be in Winter Harbour now for sure...!
Tight lines!
Awesome Report and thanks!! We will be out in 19 days, hopefully the chinook fishing will be much better then last year same time.. PS What kind of boat are you running Ronj?
 
Not sure if this is the best place post this, but thought I'd give it a go. We are considering a 2018 winter harbour trip. We have gone to telegraph cove for the last 5 years, but are thinking of trying something different. A few questions. Best place to stay for a group of 5? Boat in or drive in? Best time of year?Biggest question is the type of water to expect. We have fished the inside since my stomach doesn't do well in the bigger water. Are there protected areas to fish if you couldn't go outside or do you pretty much have to go to the highway? Any feedback would be appreciated.
 
Not sure if this is the best place post this, but thought I'd give it a go. We are considering a 2018 winter harbour trip. We have gone to telegraph cove for the last 5 years, but are thinking of trying something different. A few questions. Best place to stay for a group of 5? Boat in or drive in? Best time of year?Biggest question is the type of water to expect. We have fished the inside since my stomach doesn't do well in the bigger water. Are there protected areas to fish if you couldn't go outside or do you pretty much have to go to the highway? Any feedback would be appreciated.
The accommodation I can't help you with as I stay on my boat but the rest I can-. Best time is probably July and the first 3 weeks of august. Either side can be good but you never know. Certainly boating in either from Port alice or coal harbour is better (IMO) than trailering with coal harbour being my choice. There are places to fish on the inside but I have to say if you don't like big water why chance ruining your vacation? While you don't have to go all the way to the hiway the better fishing a lot of the time is not inside!! If you have a major problem with Mal de Mer --their are better choices!! My 2 cents
 
I have been going to Winter Harbour every year, this year will be my 10th in a row. Spring Fever nailed it with his advice.
 
Awesome Report and thanks!! We will be out in 19 days, hopefully the chinook fishing will be much better then last year same time.. PS What kind of boat are you running Ronj?
Fishslayer.... its in the avatar thingy... but its a new Hewescraft Searunner 210 with 200 yummy on it.... It will take more water than I can... thats for sure.. LOL!
PS... upgraded the bilge pumps.... running 2 1150 CFM units hardwired to battery... so no issues with water
 
Not sure if this is the best place post this, but thought I'd give it a go. We are considering a 2018 winter harbour trip. We have gone to telegraph cove for the last 5 years, but are thinking of trying something different. A few questions. Best place to stay for a group of 5? Boat in or drive in? Best time of year?Biggest question is the type of water to expect. We have fished the inside since my stomach doesn't do well in the bigger water. Are there protected areas to fish if you couldn't go outside or do you pretty much have to go to the highway? Any feedback would be appreciated.
I too love going to Winter Harbour but if you get seasick it may not be the place for you. When the weather is good and the fish are inside it is a great place to fish. More often than not there is some serious westerlys and the fish are not in by Cains or Cliffe. Spring Fever has given you good advice but if you do go... I usually run my boat out from Port Alice and drive a camper in and stay at Winter Harbour Lodge. It works great for us.
 
Thanks for the feedback. It's so frustrating for me since I want to go, but it just doesn't agree with me. I could try the patch and just go for it, but if it doesn't work it won't be a fun trip. Let's hope Telegraph Cove is better this year. Thanks again!!
 
Heading up to Quatsino tomorrow for my first trip of this year. Weather permitting, hope to fish from the 24th to the 28th. As we don't have internet at our camp, I will post a report when I return home on the 30th.

A buddy of mine just returned from Quatsino and here is his fishing intel: weather ( high winds ) bottled him up at Cliffe Point for all but one day of his trip. At Cliffe they managed to catch small springs and coho, but they had to fend off one or more pesky seals that stole two fish off their line. This seal doesn't discriminate ( small consolation ) as my buddy heard several of the guides lost fish too. Productive lures were coho killers, small 3.5 and 4.0 spoons as well as purple haze hootchies. They switched to anchovies and herring when the bite turned off with limited success.

The one day they managed to get out to Lippy point, they found small chinook right on the bottom, and coho throughout the entire water column. They used the same gear as at Cliffe Point.

Tight lines!
 
fished winter harbour last few weeks guiding the fishing is very good Kains , cliffe, and all the off shore spots were great for bottom fish i will be up there all of july and parts of august
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Fished Cliffe Pt. on Friday and Tuesday last week. Fishing was steady. Went 3 for 4 on the Friday on quality fish around 20# with a few coho on the tide line. Fished solo Tuesday, went 2 for 3 losing a nice one in the kelp and bonked a 10 and a 12. Spoons out fished bait for us.
 
Fishslayer.... its in the avatar thingy... but its a new Hewescraft Searunner 210 with 200 yummy on it.... It will take more water than I can... thats for sure.. LOL!
PS... upgraded the bilge pumps.... running 2 1150 CFM units hardwired to battery... so no issues with water
I totally agree with the boat taken more water then you.. Last year we did a rip down to Solander and the trip back was not for the faint of heart LOL.. Big water out there :)
 
Just returned from our winter Harbour ( June 16-23 ) trip, and once again a very memorable and productive trip.
Left vernon 1:30 am on the 16th, hit the 6:30 ferry out of horshoe bay, picked up DBastock in Campbell River, in the water in Coal Harbour by 2:30, docked Oli's floating cabin 3:20, unpacked and back on the water by 5! Straight to cliff pt for a quick evening fish. 1 spring, and 4 coho over a couple hours, then in to catch some much needed sleep.
5:30 am lift off, Gail warning in effect for following day, we shot through the gap and headed north to top knot, set the hook and dropped the spreader bars. We sat for the first hour with no takers, then they came! The next hour produced a 132, and 2 more mediums. Off the hook to jig up a few Lings, and back to the cabin for lunch and some filleting AH1.JPG
Back to cliff for the evening bite for some silvers IMG_4203.JPG a couple teeners, and some coho!
The next two days the S-SW came up to 25+ so we stuck inside the light, and had a hayday! Springs and coho were plentiful, with multiple double headers, springs were averaging mid teens, and coho were 4-8 lbs. AH2.JPG
By Tuesday morning winds turning NW 15 to 25, on the water by 4:30 am, quick stop at the light for a few silvers, for hali bait, then through the gap, and north to top knot! On the hook by 8. The first hour was relaxing having coffee and breaky, then the work began! The next hour and a half produced our 5 hali, ranging from 35lb to 68lb! Done on the flattties! Off the hook, and a drift jig for lings! 2 more hours, and our white fish were in the box. AH3.JPG We finished our week off limiting on all species, exceptional week fishing amongst Oli, Big Dog, Garrett, what a professional group of guides! Always willing to share info, and work as a team! We started our trip rolling bait, and splattered back hooch, and ended up on 4-5 inch spoons, 6 foot leaders behind flashers, doing 2.4 to 3.2 sog, by far the best producer! We even landed a 40 lb hali in the spoon in 22 feet of water trolling through the gap. AH4.JPG Another amazing trip, with a talented crew that always gets the job done!
We will be back for tuna when they show up! IMG_4257.JPG

Tight Lines!
 
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Couldn't have told the story better myself. Big thanks to paigemae for waking us up every morning with the purrrr of the genset and the smell of fresh brewed tims. Hey afterhours, I noticed you left out the part about the seal ... and about the fuel dock running out of fuel lol...
 
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Hello All

I'm heading up to winter harbour July 4 to 8. Reading the post above about fishing halibut at top knot I was under the impression that top knot was part of the RCA? Has the RCA changed

Thx Scott
 
Just back from a week in Quatsino. We fished from June 24th to 27th, mainly on the outside. The weather was superb, but the wind made it sporty, and the water was like a washing machine. We would fish the 200 ft contour starting just past the humps NW of the lighthouse and trolled north to Lippy Pt. at which location we did a clockwise rotation around the humps that occur there. Once we'd had enough of the wind and waves, we would troll south back to the lighthouse, again along the200 ft contour. With one rigger 15 ft off the bottom and another at 80 ft, using coho killers only, we managed to catch our limit of cohos, with many, many more released, and were one short of our limit of chinooks as we lost a number at the boat due to the water conditions. With only two of us on the boat, we had our hands full. We also bagged a 40 lb hali and one keeper ling with many more undersized lings released, all while trolling. Not sure what the fishing was like at Kains or Cliffe Point as we didn't spend any time there, but there were plenty of boats around when we were passing by. Next trip up there will be near the end of July.

Tight lines!
 
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